One of the best parts of the Christmas season are the colorful lights and decorations adorning homes down every street! But like any electrical related project at your home, some safety measures should be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, poorly hung Christmas lights and dry trees can increase your home’s risk of fire damage. To mitigate the chances of a fire this holiday season, it is important to follow these safety procedures while decorating for the holidays.
Types of Lights
Before hanging lights, make sure you are using the correct ones. There are two types of lights: indoor and outdoor. Outdoor lights are made to withstand harsh weather elements, while indoor lights can cause a fire if they are exposed to water. You should know the difference before accidentally hanging indoor lights outside.
Inspect Lights
Inspect lights before using them. Make sure they have not been exposed to water or chewed on by household pests. While inspecting, you can also see what dead lightbulbs might need to be changed. To prevent future damage, store your lights in a dry area at the end of the season. We recommend a closet in the home, rather than a basement or attic.
Placement of Lights
Where you string lights is very important. Be sure that outlets are not being overloaded with cords. Stay away from mixing and matching different types of bulbs. Right now the two popular types of Christmas lightbulbs are LED and incandescent. These two types of lights should never be plugged into each other. It is best to pick which type you like and stick with that throughout your decorating. We also recommended to not string more than 3 strands together, unless otherwise stated by the light manufacturer, because this could cause damage to your outlets and lights.
While decorating outside, make sure to use rubber or plastic hooks and not metal to hang lights because this could cause an electric shock or start a fire.
Decorating for the holidays is a wonderful way to bond with the family, but safety always needs to be considered. If you follow these guidelines, you can protect your home and loved ones from possible issues and keep your Christmas merry and bright!