Do you love watching the Superbowl on your big screen TV? Or maybe you have an expensive piece of furniture you absolutely love featuring your teacup collection? Most homeowners in the USA have some type of large, heavy, and expensive piece of furniture or appliance in their homes. Unfortunately, many do not consider how dangerous that item is if it comes tumbling down. Today, we are sharing with you why it is important to anchor furniture to your wall and a few tips to get you started.
Why is it important to anchor furniture to your wall?
There are two main reasons why homeowners need to anchor furniture to their walls: earthquakes and children.
Earthquake Shakes
While the Tri-Cities isn’t known for being in earthquake country, much like our neighbors on the other side of the mountains, it doesn’t mean that we are free and clear. For example, Kennewick has a moderate earthquake risk and has experienced 242 earthquakes since 1931. Of those, 26 earthquakes have occurred in the past year alone! While one can ever truly know when an earthquake will strike, Home Facts reports a 13.41% chance of a major earthquake occurring within 50km of Kennewick sometime in the next 50 years.
Whether that pending earthquake happens tomorrow or in 49 years, we don’t want to be ill-prepared. Earthquakes are deadly natural disasters, especially when it comes to in-home furniture. Essentially, anything that isn’t bolted down could tip over. Whether that is a priceless family heirloom or a big screen tv, you don’t want it to come tumbling down, especially not onto yourself, a family member, or a pet!
Children Furniture Accidents
Let’s be honest; if you are a parent, you are aware that your child is a walking disaster waiting to happen at any moment. Most likely, they have a higher probability of wreaking havoc on your home than an earthquake ever will. We love them, but they are essentially mini earthquakes or whirlwinds in their own right!
Often, parents claim that their child “would never” climb on furniture or they are old enough to “know better.” However, if you’re being honest with yourself, do you think it will never happen? Not even once? Or what about them simply running through the house with enough force to knock something over on accident?
Bearing that in mind, did you know that a TV falling from an average-sized dresser delivers a force of several hundred pounds? Whether you moved into your home pre-baby, or you didn’t feel the need to anchor your furniture at the time, even with kids, we have some startling information that may quickly change your tune.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s campaign “Anchor It!”:
- Between 2017 and 2019, an estimated 11,300 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms yearly due to furniture, TV, and appliance tip-overs.
- 91% of reported tip-over fatalities occurred inside a home.
- 73% of child fatalities involved climbing or the application of force.
- 75% of child fatalities involve a TV alone or furniture and a TV together.
- 27% of child fatalities were reported as unknown scenarios, which commonly happened when the child was alone in a room.
- 59% of child fatalities were due to crushing.
- Between 2000 and 2019, 77% of all furniture, TV, and appliance tip-over fatalities involved children under 6 years old.
Are you officially spooked? We certainly were when we uncovered this information. Rather than risking your child’s safety if they suddenly feel the urge to climb or even bump into furniture with running force, you can prevent a tragedy by simply taking the time to anchor furniture to the wall.
How can I anchor furniture to my wall?
If you would like to anchor furniture to the wall yourself, there are a few tips we recommend you follow:
- Never attempt to anchor furniture solo. You should always have a buddy present to help you hold the furniture up as you set it into place.
- When you anchor furniture, you want to anchor it into a solid wood stud. (Using a stud finder will help!)
- For every piece of furniture your anchor, make sure to use a minimum of two straps or anchors to secure it. With that, ensure there is no slack with the strap or anchor
- If possible, mount your TV to a wall out of reach of young hands. If you can’t, make sure the TV is on a secure table or stand with it anchored to the wall with straps.
We want to note that to anchor furniture to the wall often takes someone who is experienced in craftsmanship or has done a lot of home DIY. If you are not physically capable of holding a TV up against a wall or do not have many DIY home skills, we highly recommend getting help. You never want to risk your safety in making something safe! So, reach out to family, friends, neighbors, or a professional company for help.
Anchor Your Furniture with Spencer Carlson
If you are moving into a new home or have decided to give your current home a new look, we recommend hiring an interior designer to aid you in your design and safety process. Interior designers take all safety concerns into account when they are designing a fabulous look for your home. You can rest assured that they will include anchoring furniture into your design and ensure that the installation of anchored furniture is completed correctly. For more information about our interior design services, please fill out our interior design consultation form.
