Furniture tip-overs are a hidden hazard in everyone’s home. In fact, in 2016, Ikea recalled millions of dressers and other pieces of furniture for fear that the items could tip over and crush young children.
However, experts say there's an easy fix to the problem that takes less than 10 minutes.
According to Patrick McNulty of "Child Safe Childproofing," you'll need a hand drill, a drill bit, a stud finder and a pencil. You'll also need a child-safe strap, like the ones made of metal and seatbelt material that can be found on Amazon.
McNulty recommends using two straps for dressers at least 2 feet tall.
First, using the stud finder, find the studs at either end of the wall behind the dresser. Mark those spots with the pencil.
Next,attach one side of the strap to the dresser. Then, slide the dresser close to the wall and attach the other end of the strap to the wall.
McNulty says every 17 minutes a child gets hurt by tipping furniture. More than 46 percent of all tip-overs happen in the bedroom.
With simple tools and 10 minutes of work, McNulty says you could save a life.
“Any ER visit you end up paying for, it's going to be far cheaper to just strap all the furniture,” he said.
