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Holiday Safety Tips: How to Decorate Your Home Safely for the Holidays
The holiday season is here. With twinkling lights and colorful decor everywhere you go, it's easy to slip into a Christmassy frame of mind. Still, the holidays don't feel real until you've decked your own home with colorful seasonal decor and a bough of holly or two. So, hang up your garlands and turn on your lights. Transform your home into a holiday fantasyland, but please keep safety in mind.
Our REALTORS® believe that holiday decor can be both beautiful and safe. We understand that it's easier to accomplish this when you know what to do. That's why we're sharing what we know about decorating your home safely for the holidays.
It's All About Prevention
When the Electrical Safety Foundation International researched holiday fires over a four-year period, they determined that electrical decorations caused 860 home fires. Christmas trees caused 210. When you decorate with safety in mind, you can prevent these types of mishaps.
Prevent Electrical Fires
Each year as you pull your lights, extension cords, and other electrical components from storage, you have an opportunity to identify and eliminate potential fire hazards. Holiday decorations aren't necessarily unsafe, but aging, deterioration, and damage can render them more likely to cause harm. It's up to you to prevent problems by making sure your decorations are safe and display-ready.
- Examine your lights, cords, and other electrical components before putting them on display.
- Toss out any items with worn, cracked, damaged, or frayed areas.
- Don't overload outlets with too many cords or light strands.
- Don't cover electrical cords with carpets or runners.
- Use indoor lights indoors and outdoor lights outdoors.
- Don't allow windows and doors to damage light strands or extension cords.
- Add Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters to prevent outdoor electrical display circuits from overheating.
- Purchase only electrical components with the UL safety compliance designation.
Prevent Christmas Tree Fires
As the weeks pass, your tree can become dry, brittle and more susceptible to potential fire hazards. You can minimize the danger by ensuring that your electrical displays are safe and by managing these additional risks.
- Buy a fresh tree.
- Water your tree frequently to prevent drying and brittleness.
- Don't place your tree within 3 feet of a heat source, such as a fireplace, space heater, or candle.
- Avoid flammable ornaments.
- Don't leave your tree lights on for long periods as they will overheat.
- Say goodbye to your tree when pine needles begin falling.
Prevent Holiday Injuries
As you trim the tree and decorate your home, make sure you don't injure yourself or the ones you love. You can keep your holidays happy and pain-free by avoiding trips, falls, electrical shocks, and other situations that can lead to injuries.
- Supervise your little ones while decorating the tree.
- Prevent cuts by tossing out broken bulbs and damaged glass ornaments.
- Avoid running electrical cords across floors and open indoor areas.
- Never run cords across walkways, grass, or driveways where they might cause someone to trip and fall.
- Avoid electrical and fall injuries by using a non-metal ladder and being careful when you climb.
- Make sure your smoke detectors are in place and operating properly.
We want your home to be a safe haven during the holidays and all year long. Contact Wagner Realty for more home safety tips or if you need information on buying or selling your home.
