Ovenu, the professional oven valeting franchise, is urging landlords to clean-up their act over the summer break to prevent potentially fatal fires caused by dangerous dirty cookers.
Photo: Rik Hellewell
The lives of students in rented accommodation could be at risk if unscrupulous landlords leave grease and grime to fester for months until the appliance is turned on again in September.
The cause and effects of an oven fire are similar to a chip pan or deep fat frying fire, which are two of the more well-known kitchen-based accidents.
Statistics released this month by the Department of Communities and Local Government revealed that two-thirds of all fire fatalities that occurred between April and September of last year were as a result of accidental fires in the home.
According to the 2007 Fire Statistic report released by the same department in August 2009, the main source of ignition for accidental fires in the home was cooking appliances (55 per cent or 23,815 accidental fires).
As scores of students leave their accommodation for the end of the university year, landlords are being urged to take the opportunity to prevent the risk of fire by ensuring that appliances are deep cleaned.
Rik Hellewell from Ovenu said: “The facts are there, the number of fires caused by ovens should be a major warning to landlords that an unclean cooker can lead to serious injury or even death.
“Student landlords may think that they have spruced-up the property but the build up of fat or oil inside the oven could have far greater consequences than a dirty floor or working surface. Not only does a dirty oven cause a potential risk to the person living in the property, but fire damage can be extremely costly for the homeowner.
“Landlords shouldn’t be putting the lives of others in their hands, if it was their son or daughter in the property, I’m sure they would want every possible risk in the home to be at a minimum.”
Ovenu provides domestic oven valeting services to householders, landlords and schools via a UK-wide network of technicians. The Ovenu process involves dismantling key components of an oven such as the door, interior panels, fan and shelves and placing them into design-registered equipment, which uses non-caustic products to thoroughly clean the oven parts.
For more information about Ovenu call 0800 140 9800 or www.ovenu.co.uk
Ovenu is the leading UK and international domestic oven cleaning and valeting specialist. Ovenu is accredited by the British Accreditation Bureau to ISO 9001 and all cleaning chemicals used by Ovenu are environmentally friendly, bio-degradable and conform to the latest government REACH regulations. Ovenu’s Carbon Remover is also approved by the Vitreous Enamel Association.
