Old Appliances ......

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Now that San Isabel Electric has opened its new appliance store in Walsenburg, many of you are replacing old, inefficient dryers, washers, refrigerators and freezers with new, super-efficient appliances.

But, what do you do with those old appliances? They need to be disposed of responsibly. That means they need to be made child proof or safely disposed of in the appropriate manner.

Although the Refrigerator Safety Act became effective October 30, 1958, requiring a mechanism (usually a magnetic latch) that makes it possible to open the door from the inside, many older appliances are still around and children continue to die of suffocation each year after hiding in these appliances and being unable to get out.

The easiest way to safeguard an older refrigerator is to take off the door completely; usually this requires only a screwdriver. If the door will not come off, chain and padlock the door tightly closed or remove or disable the latch completely so the door will no longer lock when closed.

Junking old appliances in an unsafe manner is a hazard. Take care and, maybe, save a child's life.

 

 

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