Growing up, my dad tended to overstate danger, particularly when it came to home and car maintenance. I grew up pretty much convinced that my family was one wet towel on the ground away from the floor rotting beneath our feet. We were one skipped car wash away from the paint eroding from every surface of the vehicle. But when it came to fire safety, honestly, the man was on the money, and it’s something I’ve carried with me as an adult and a home-owner. But a recent TikTok from creator Jess, a wife of a firefighter of 17 years and posts as @unhingedreviewswjess, has revealed a few common hazards even my old man seems to have forgotten.

Travel with me through Jess’ list to unlock a whole new set of things to be anxious about… but for good reason!

Exhaust fans

Specifically the ones in your bathroom. “Do not leave these on,” Jess warns. “These can start a fire that goes up to the attic space of your home.” She cautions viewers not to leave them on when you leave the house or go to sleep.

How does this happen? It comes down to any number (or combination) of factors. Faulty wiring is one culprit, but also lint and other schmutz can get sucked up in there, which can catch fire especially if the motor running the exhaust heats up after staying on for too long.

Batteries in the garage

Not just loose batteries, but anything in your garage that might have a battery: kids’ toys, landscaping equipment. “Anything that takes a charge,” Jess explains. “Set a timer when you plug them in, do not leave them plugged in when you’re in the house, do not leave them plugged in when you go to sleep.”

Electric vehicles*

“Just don’t have one,” she says, noting that the fires that can be caused by an electric vehicle (EV) are on par with the fires that can be caused by any battery fire, but they burn far hotter and are “impossible to put out.”

While it is true that fires caused by EVs are hotter and harder to fight, according to a study from Kelley Blue Book, hybrid-powered cars were the most likely to be involved in a fire with 3,475 fires per 100,000 sold. That metric put gasoline powered cars at 1,530 and EVs at just 25 fires. So it’s certainly something to be aware of, especially as you’re charging it, but this is one of those “pick your poison” sort of situations…

Cooking fires

“Kitchen fires and cooking fires are arguably the most common way that house fires get started,” Jess says (and it’s true). Because grease fires are among the most common of these, Jess recommends having a fire extinguisher handy (aka not all the way in the back of the closet) to combat these types of flames. (Casual reminder: if you’re cooking with oil, butter, or any other type of grease and something catches on fire, do not put water on it as that will spread the flames and make things worse.)

Self-cleaning feature on oven

The danger here is that the oven gets to such high temperatures to disintegrate everything built up inside of it that it could be dangerous. Consumer Reports states that one can use the self-clean feature safely, but they should take precautions: turn on a range hood (if you have one) and open windows if possible, as the high temperatures can cause smoke. Also make sure the stove is clear, as it can get really hot and start a fire (or, at the very least, ruin something that’s on top of it), and keep kids and pets out of the kitchen for the three to five hours the self-cleaning feature is running.

Candles

Perhaps you thought that since we’d gone this far without mentioning them that they weren’t as big a deal as you imagine. Nope! Sorry! Candles are dangerous!

“Don’t burn them in the bedrooms, don’t burn them in the bathrooms,” Jess says. “They’re too easy to walk off and forget about. Only burn them in one location of your house: in the kitchen.”

She says that if you want to “go the extra mile” you can put the candle on an “extra sturdy base, and/or a bowl with some water.” That said, we couldn’t find a source to confirm this was a safe idea, however: water should not be used to put out or safeguard against a candle since the wax could catch fire and putting water on it can cause a bigger blaze to spread.

Dryers

“If you have a teenager that you are teaching how to do laundry, check, check, check the lint trap,” Jess urges. Between the lint trap, the inside of the dryer itself, and the dryer hose, all that accumulated dry fluff is perfect tinder for a fire. “Don’t run your dryer when you’re not home,” she continues.

Plug-in air fresheners

There is some debate about this particular item in regard to fire safety, but we could probably caution a “better safe than sorry” approach. Some folks claim that plug-in air fresheners from a variety of companies have overheated, melted, and caused fire damage while others say faulty wiring is to blame for these incidents. However, given the uncertainty, as Jess points out “You can get something different” to make your house smell nice. But not candles!

Expired smoke detectors

Fun fact: “smoke detectors actually have an expiration date,” Jess says. “Take them down, turn them over: there should be a manufacturer’s date on it. If you’re knocking on 8, 9 years, then it’s time to get new smoke detectors.”

We know: we don’t like to give you nine more things to worry about either. But, hopefully worrying about these nine things can keep you from worrying about having to find a new place to live because your house burned down. Silver linings, people!