Fire Extinguishers

Every home should have at least one working fire extinguisher, and the kitchen is the best place to keep it. The extinguisher should be checked yearly to be sure that it still has its "charge" or adequate pressure. If you can't read its dial, you can take it to any fire house and they will be glad to check it for you. Fire extinguishers come in a variety of styles: "A" is for paper and wood, "B" is for liquids and grease, and "C" is for electrical fires. Ideally, if you have only one type in the house, get the combined ABC type which will cover most types of fires. Otherwise, BC is a very good choice for a kitchen where fires are most usually caused by grease or overheating an electrical outlet.

Smoke Detectors

Every kitchen needs to have a working smoke detector. You should know how to change the batteries in the detectors; be sure to keep extra batteries of this type in your refrigerator; and remember a simple date on which to change them. Many people use the daylight savings date, New Year's Eve, or their birthday. Pick whatever works best for you.

Electrical Cords

Cords for electrical appliances, telephones, or other uses should all be placed behind the furniture away from the circulation areas and never under rugs that you walk on. Extension cords and outlets can easily be overloaded and potentially cause a fire danger. Have someone check these regularly.

The Stove

If the stove in your home has its control dials on the back panel behind the burners and you cannot reach them with ease, you may need to either replace the stove or use another appliance to do your basic cooking. Reaching over hot burners or open flames to the controls is generally far less safe than having the burner controls on either the front or side of the stove. People with small children in the household often choose a stove with controls at the back so that the children will not play with the knobs and accidentally turn on the stove. However, if you are the one who uses the stove most of the time, your needs and safety should have priority.

As alternatives to the stove, you may choose to heat water for coffee, tea or soup, or other liquids, in a microwave oven. You may also choose to bake or cook by using a toaster oven or an electric fry pan. In addition to being smaller, they will work on the counter or at a table and thus allow cooking to take place while you're seated. Dials and controls can also be marked in a variety of ways ranging from large print to raised dots or contrasting dots/lines to allow you to control the appliance with limited vision or without reading the dials.

Step Stools

If you must use a step-stool or a ladder, always ensure it meets OSHA standards, which should be on the label of the item. There are commercially available step-stools that also have hand rails for extra security. However, rather than using stools or a small ladder, consider moving items that you regularly use to lower shelves or lower cupboards so that they are readily available to you.

Kitchen Lighting & Contrast

Types of Lighting

You may find when you're following a recipe in your kitchen, you could benefit more from using the combination of fluorescent and incandescent light which is close to natural sunlight and produces less heat. Experiment with different types of lighting and both floor and table lamps but make sure you do not exceed the recommended bulb wattage for your fixture. When you're working on a particular activity, such as reading a recipe or preparing food, do remember to position the light directly on the activity and away from your eyes.

Task Lamps

To ensure better light in a work area where you may be reading, cooking, or writing bills a "TASK lamp" is the way to go. It can be either a floor or a table lamp with a flexible arm to allow you to adjust the height and direction of the light, and to focus it directly on your work area. You should know that to halve the distance between a light source and the task [bringing the light closer to you work] will increase the brightness by four times. So you don't necessarily need a stronger bulb, you just need to be able to bring the bulb closer to your work, and a flexible task lamp is ideal for this purpose.

Light Placement

Compact fluorescent bulbs over the kitchen counter where you prepare food may give you the additional even light you need. When you're reading a label or doing other shorter term tasks you may find a gooseneck lamp with its flexible neck of more help (but do be careful of the excessive heat that can be caused by bulbs being left on too long). A two light bulb combination that has both incandescent and fluorescent bulbs is also an option for most everyday tasks. Lights under wall cupboards will give you the additional focused lighting you need when preparing food. Also there are new adhesive battery-operated under-cabinet lights that can be added and help illuminate your counter space, which is often an unusually dark area in most kitchens.

Reducing Glare

The kitchen with its glossy tiled counters or floors can be an area of high glare. Glare can further impact your vision, and can result in general discomfort and accidents. So try to reduce the amount of glare in your home, for example, by using non-glare floor wax; using blinds in kitchen windows, and using rugs (safely secured) on high gloss floors. A tablecloth or non-glossy place mats can also be beneficial on shiny tables and counters.

Color Contrast

Use both black and white cutting boards. For example, onions, potatoes and yellow squash will show up more clearly on a black cutting board, while tomatoes and green vegetables will have a better color contrast on a white cutting board. There are also commercially available cutting boards in a variety of colors, so you can use what works best for you and your home color scheme. Everything is not just black and white! Find these at Adaptive Technology Consulting, Inc. [link opens in new window]

Consider using bright colored raised marking dots on your oven and other household controls so they contrast with their background and allow you to more easily see, feel, and adjust them.

Color contrasting tape on the edges of cabinet or any other doors can make it easier to see if a door has been left open, and prevent you from colliding with it. It's also a good idea to remind friends and family to close all doors, or at least be consistent by leaving them always open or closed! Upper cabinets are especially dangerous, as you could inadvertently hit your face — so, always keep these closed!

If you use black pans on a black stove, consider wrapping contrasting color tape around the pan handles so you can easily distinguish them from the background of your stove. If you're ready to buy new pans, choose those that have contrasting colors to your stove.

Read more about accessible kitchen appliances at Dynamic-Living.com. [link opens in new window]