Accidents in homes are increasingly a bother to home insurers. Deeply concerned about this one insurer thought it would be wise to look into the causes. What it discovered was a startling revelation, as it found out that women's DIY home beauty treatment is a major factor.

Figures reveal that around £900 million worth of damage was caused by beauty products last year, with 28 per cent of those questioned admitting to causing some damage with their beauty regime.

No one would ordinarily find a fault in anyone's effort to save money by opting for a DIY beauty treatment at home. Money saving tips are highly valued and many are devising new means of ensuring they achieve their desired result with a minimum cost. So, taking more time to personally groom oneself by administering all the beauty treatment needed is a step in the right direction.

Self-administered beauty cure becomes a problem if it leads to accidental damage, even if the cost is only a few pounds. At this point the whole effort to save money by not hiring the services of a professional is defeated. If the home beauty treatment results in damage which needs to be repaired, the supposed saving made by not using a professional could be a false economy.

Jacky Brown at Sheilas Wheels home insurance outlined some common accidents resulting from home beauty treatments: "Dyes, lotions and cosmetics can stain and many hair styling gadgets can reach extremely high temperatures and may cause considerable damage if left on accidentally."

She added "That's why having accidental damage cover added onto your home insurance can be invaluable - as beauty blunders become more commonplace."

Negligence

Several issues could arise from a DIY blunder that leads to accidental damage at home. Insurers do not just accept responsibility without a proper investigation. One of the terms of a home insurance policy is that a policyholder must make sure he or she adequately takes care of the insured property in such a way that negligence does not become the cause of an accident.

Negligence could mean a lot of things, including failure to have in place a fire or burglar alarm that is in a good working order, leaving your doors carelessly unlocked while away, even for a few minutes, from home and deliberately doing chores you are not trained to do etc.

Any of these, and many other issues, could lead to a situation that might warrant making a claim. No insurer will make a payout for a claim it considers suspicious. Suspicious claims are therefore easily refused.

Extending cover

Sometimes policyholders may not even by aware of the extent of coverage their policy offers. Most home insurance policies do not cover your home contents unless you have specifically taken out this type of cover. Even with home contents insurance you are not necessarily protected against accidental damage.

As a homeowner you can only find out this if you thoroughly read through the terms of your contract and make sure even the small print is not left unread. If you are unclear about any part of the policy the wisest thing to do is to speak to your insurer for further clarification.

You may be required to upgrade or extend your home insurance to cover contents, including bikes, sofas and electrical appliances amongst others. The extras you may need to add on will certainly depend on how comprehensive your home insurance policy is. But if you or any member of your household is a DIY beauty treatment enthusiast, taking out accidental damage cover with your home insurance will no doubt give you peace of mind.