8 Flammable Liquids Lying Around Your House

Look around your house, including under the kitchen and bathroom sinks and in your garage. Do you see hair spray, rubbing alcohol, paint thinner or linseed oil? Chances are, if you’re an average homeowner (or renter), you have a wide variety of flammable liquids under your roof.

Flammable or combustible liquids cause more than 43,000 home fires each year, resulting in 200 deaths, 2,500 injuries and $469 million in property damage, according to estimates by the National Fire Protection Association.

The chances that they’ll set your house on fire are slim — if you take the right precautions. The Federal Hazardous Substances Act requires that all flammable or combustible household products carry a precautionary label alerting consumers about the danger of fire or explosion. “But consumers have a role to play as well,” says John Drengenberg, consumer safety director at UL, which develops product safety standards. “Make sure that you put on the cap and, if it spills, clean it up properly.”

Here are eight flammable liquids that may be lying around your home.

Related: Quiz: Are You Prepared for a House Fire?

Nail polish remover. The liquid you rub over your fingernails is composed of acetone, which is highly flammable. Recently, in Cypress, Texas, a woman’s body caught fire when a nearby candle ignited her nail polish remover.

Flammable and combustible liquids don’t actually catch fire themselves. It’s the vapors they give off that burn, according to Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s East Side Fire Department. In the Cypress case, vapors from the nail polish remover migrated to the candle flame, then ignited.

Fortunately, such incidents are rare. “It’s in tiny bottles. It’s a small amount,” says Drengenberg. “You’re not generally doing your nails near a fire that can cause it to ignite.” Just be sure you aren’t.

Rubbing alcohol. The rubbing alcohol you keep in your medicine cabinet is flammable and vaporizes quickly. The Environmental Protection Agency says numerous home fires have started when people poured it over fabrics to get rid of bedbugs (the agency calls this treatment method illegal).

Related: 3 Ways to Make Sure Your Fire Extinguisher Would Save Your Life

Gasoline, paint thinner and turpentine. One of the most dangerous liquids in the home, gasoline starts approximately 8,000 home fires annually. One reason is that people often store it improperly in their garage. “I’ve heard many stories about glass jars filled with gasoline falling off a shelf and breaking,” says Drengenberg. “The metal lid, for instance, can create a spark.” Store it in a UL-approved container at room temperature away from heat sources like your hot water heater or furnace.

Also store flammable solvents like paint thinner and turpentine in tightly sealed containers away from heat sources.

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