Grilling Safety: The Do's and Don'ts of Cooking Outside

Summer is the perfect time for lighting up the grill and hanging by the pool...but only if you’re using the grill properly. Grilling can be a dangerous sport—causing upwards of 7,000 injuries or house fires each year in the United States—so you should always follow safety procedures. 

Grilling Do’s: How to Safely Grill During the Summer

Need a crash course on how to grill some hamburgers safely? Listen up—here are 3 grilling do’s to help keep you and your house safer this year. 

#1: Do clean your grill and keep track of maintenance. 

Always clean your grill prior to cooking out. Why? Typically, the types of foods you throw on the grill can leave behind lots of fat and grease. These substances, when lit on fire, can cause grill flare-ups and leave you with a larger fire than intended. 

#2: Do keep your grill 10-feet away from the home.

All grills should be kept at least 10-feet away from the house at all times. Don’t fire up the grill too close to the garage or patio, either. Any structure that’s attached to the home is at risk for catching fire when grilling too close for comfort. 

#3: Do check for gas leaks. 

Gas leaks have a pretty terrible odor, which means they’re pretty hard to miss. However, you should check for leaks anyway (especially at the start of summer) to avoid any mishaps. Any gas leaks should be addressed ASAP.

Grilling Don’ts: Never Use the Grill This Way

Worried about starting a house fire? Don’t want to get injured on the job as grill master? Here are 3 grilling don’ts to help you avoid a costly mistake. 

#1: Don’t leave the grill unattended.

This one is a given, but we still felt it was important to state. Never, ever leave the grill on and unattended. In the blink of an eye, fires can double in size. If you run inside to grab a few more hot dogs, you could return to a monstrous blaze. Not ideal, right?  

#2: Don’t grill indoors.

If you remember the 10-foot rule (aka always keep your grill at least 10-feet away from the house) this one should be easy to remember too. Don’t take your grill indoors and don’t grill on the patio of a condo—it’s too close to flammable objects that may cause major fire and smoke damage to your home.

#3: Don’t overcook.

Summertime is often associated with big parties and cookouts—but that doesn’t mean you have to load down the grill with lots of food. It’s actually much safer to grill in small batches. Too much food can cause excess fat and grease to drip...and a larger fire to start. 

970 Services: Fire Restoration Services Near Fort Collins, CO

When disaster strikes, we’re here to help. 970 Services provides quality fire restoration services near Fort Collins to resolve damage caused by hail, wind, water, fire, mold, smoke and soot. Located in Loveland, Colorado, we aim to help locals return their fire-damaged homes to normal and minimize the stress felt by each person affected.

You can feel confident when hiring 970 Services to restore your home. Give us a call today at (970) 888-0970 or contact us online. We’ll be in touch ASAP. 

We also offer home restoration, mold removal, water restoration, roof repair, roof replacement, and fire restoration service in the following areas: Fort Collins, Loveland, Ault, Greeley, Denver, Windsor, Boulder, Longmont, and throughout Northern Colorado.