Your home should be a sanctuary, the one place you and your family can take refuge in at the end of a long day or week. Cozy, comfortable, and safe, the house should be the oven in which fond memories are baked.

Unfortunately, everyday objects can turn your precious, safe haven into a house of horrors. Every day, people are injured and killed in their ordinary homes while doing ordinary things. Are knives, chemicals, and faulty electrical outlets putting your family in danger on a daily basis? Let’s take a tour of the American house’s deadliest hazards.

THE GARAGE: A NEST OF UNDESIRABLES

Garages often contain things people don’t want in their house: smelly equipment, heavy tools, and garbage cans. Not all of these undesirable things are simply unpleasant. Many can kill. Among the frequent offenders:

Chemical hazards. Gasolines, antifreeze, and weedkiller are among the chemical dangers commonly kept in garage. When used appropriately by adults, these things are just fine. But children and animals are endangered by their presence.
Power tools. Electric drills, lawnmowers, even chainsaws. Nasty things, in the wrong hands.
Garage doors. The technology is safer than it used to be, but automatic garage door accidents are still a threat.

Make sure your garage is safe. Lock up all chemicals and tools. Supervise your children when they use the garage door.

THE KITCHEN: A BANQUET OF BLADES

Kitchen equipment is often dangerous. Knives cut, stoves operate at extremely high heat, blenders and other mixers can cause severe personal injury in the wrong hands. Additionally, many food products are inedible when not prepared properly or safely stored—for instance many garlic lovers stuff cloves into their favorite olive oil and store it at room temperature, which can lead to botulism. Just because you think you’ve seen it at restaurants, it doesn’t mean you should try it at home.

Keep blades, chemicals, and other hazards locked away from children. Throw out old food. Read packaging directions and store things properly.

THE BATHROOM: CLEAN BUT LETHAL

Dangerous cleaning chemicals are often stored in bathrooms. Often, these chemicals are tucked away in low-lying cupboards, easily accessible to children and animals. Many mouthwashes and soaps smell good and could lead a child to think of sweet drinks.

The other major danger posed by bathroom conditions is the presence of both water and electricity. Light sockets, electrical outlets, and appliances should be kept as far from showers and sinks as possible.

THE BASEMENT: HAZARDS FROM BELOW

Basements are a lot like garages. People keep things they don’t want to see in them: power tools, chemicals, etc. And most of the same warnings apply, with one big addition—many people, especially the “man cave” types, keep guns, knives, traps and other extremely dangerous implements in their basements. Even more than anything else in this list, guns and other weapons must be kept absolutely safe. They should locked up securely and kept unloaded. Children should always be supervised when in basements containing these sorts of objects.