By Catherine T Wilson
The furnace room, or room where the furnace is located, is typically low on a homeowner's maintenance list. Many times, the room is located in the cellar and rarely used. However, in order to keep your furnace operating properly, you will need to regularly clean and maintain the room where the furnace is located to ensure your heating and cooling equipment run efficiently.
There are several reasons for this. First of all, cleanliness will reduce the risk of a fire. Secondly, a clean furnace room will make it easier to fix the furnace if repairs should be necessary.
The good news is that keeping your furnace room clean and clutter free is not a lot of work in the long run. Of course, if you have used your furnace room as a storage area, it may take some time to clean the area and make sure that it is safe.
Here is a simple list of things that should be done to keep your furnace room clean in order to minimize the risk of fire and to keep your family safe.
The furnace room, or room where the furnace is located, is typically low on a homeowner's maintenance list. Many times, the room is located in the cellar and rarely used. However, in order to keep your furnace operating properly, you will need to regularly clean and maintain the room where the furnace is located to ensure your heating and cooling equipment run efficiently.
The good news is that keeping your furnace room clean and clutter free is not a lot of work in the long run. Of course, if you have used your furnace room as a storage area, it may take some time to clean the area and make sure that it is safe.
Here is a simple list of things that should be done to keep your furnace room clean in order to minimize the risk of fire and to keep your family safe.
- Do not place your cat's litter box near the furnace. The ammonia from the cat's urine can actually corrode parts of the furnace. In addition, the smells from the litter box can get caught up in the vent system and circulate through your home.
- Never store flammable products like gasoline, pool chemicals, kerosene or paint thinners any where near the furnace. These items can easily cause a dangerous fire.
- Do keep the area clean. Don't leave your old dusty furnace filters or broken furnace parts lying around the furnace room. Not only does this clutter up the area, but it can also create a fire hazard.
