Airbnb,  Planning

The Best Fire Extinguisher For Airbnb

The best fire extinguisher for your Airbnb is one that will work if you ever need it to and won’t have to be replaced often.

After more than 5 years of running Airbnbs we’ve come to the opinion that you should put every available amenity in your listings whenever possible. And adding a fire extinguisher is a quick (and cheap) win.

We put a fire extinguisher in all our listings, and we are always looking for other easy wins as well (like hair dryers).

Our Experience with Fire Extinguishers

Yes, we’ve hosted hundreds of guests across our currently (as of March 2022) 4 Airbnb listings and we’ve had to solve all kinds of problems for guests.

We’ve had ant infestations and faulty fire alarms waking guests up in the middle of the night. We’ve had guests locked out and heating that quit working in freezing temperatures. And of course we’ve had guests that wrecked our beautiful homes and broken everything from a small porcelain decoration to a pull out couch.

But thankfully, a fire is one thing we’ve never had to handle.

And that extends beyond the business. I’ve never been involved with a fire my entire life.

So on the one hand, I feel very qualified to talk about my experience with Airbnb and what types of products work well for guests:

  1. They work
  2. They’re easy to operate
  3. They don’t break

But on the other hand we don’t have any real experience with operating a fire extinguisher. So take my advice for what it is, an educated guess from a seasoned Airbnb superhost.

My Picks

So here are a few fire extinguishers that we’ve either put in our listings or would put in them. Here is primarily what I look at:

  1. Warranty
  2. How to use it
  3. What kind of fires it will extinguish
  4. Price

So let’s take a look.

First Alert HOME2PRO Fire Extinguisher

  • Simple unpin and squeeze operation
  • 12-year limited warranty
  • This is the fire extinguisher we stock in our listings
  • Rated to treat all household fire types
  • Very reasonable price

The first thing to note with the HOME2PRO is that it has a 12-year limited warranty. The extinguishers I’m recommending are all very similar. They differ mostly in two ways. First, their warranty periods are different, and second, they aren’t all rated to treat the same types of fires.

This 12-year warranty is the longest warranty period of the three fire extinguishers I’m recommending.

And this item is rated to treat wood, paper, trash, plastics, gasoline, oil, and electrical fires. For an Airbnb I think the minimum is wood and oil (grease) fires. The most common cause of house fires is cooking and food preparation, which includes appliances. So any fire extinguisher that’s rated for oil and electrical fires is a huge plus.

This is actually the fire extinguisher we stock in our listings because we want to know that if there ever is a fire, that someone can put out the fire regardless of what started it.

First Alert HOME1 Fire Extinguisher

  • Simple unpin and squeeze operation
  • 10-year limited warranty
  • Rated to treat all household fire types
  • Very reasonable price

The HOME1 is similar to the HOME2PRO in basically every way. There are two differences. The first is of course the warranty period. HOME1 has a 10-year warranty period where the HOME2PRO has a 12-year warranty period.

But second is in their rating. They are both rated to treat wood, paper, trash, plastics, gasoline, oil, and electrical fires, but they have slightly different area ratings. The HOME2PRO (2-A) is rated to treat a larger wood fire than the HOME1 (1-A).

Both of these fire extinguishers are excellent choices.

Kidde Multi-purpose Fire Extinguisher

  • Simple unpin and squeeze operation
  • 6-year limited warranty
  • Rated to treat all household fire types
  • More affordable

The Kidde multi-purpose fire extinguisher is rated the same as the First Alert HOME1 in terms of fire types and fire size. So it can treat wood, paper, trash, plastics, gasoline, oil, and electrical fires.

The main different between this extinguisher and the HOME1 is the length of the warranty period and the size of the product.

This one is a bit smaller and lighter in weight. That of course means it could be a better choice for any house where space is at a premium.

And the warranty period is 6 years compared to 10 years with the HOME1. Still, 6 years is a long time to have a fire extinguisher without having to replace it.

Conclusion

Choosing a fire extinguisher is a relatively minor decision in the grand scheme of running an Airbnb. As such you shouldn’t spend a long time (or a lot of money) on it.

My advice is to pick one with a reasonably long warranty period that is rated for all types of house fires. All three on my list meet those requirements, and they won’t cost you too much.

Happy investing.

Michael

I'm living the path to financial success and sharing everything I learn in this blog. I believe in the power of cash flowing investments, due diligence and time. This is my journey so far.

I learned everything I know from books, podcasts, conversations with friends and family and of course through real world experience as a cash flow investor. And I'm always pushing to learn more.

To see my investing timeline, check out our about page

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