One of the best parts of the Holiday Season is decorating the house with trees, lights, candles and more. With Holiday magic comes a responsibility to keep your house and family safe from common fire hazards that can occur during this season. Check out some tips we put together to help you make sure your house is ready and SAFE for the Holidays!
Be sure to check your lights before putting them on your house, on your tree or anywhere else throughout the house. You want to make sure that there are no broken bulbs, no frayed wires or cracked cords. If you find broken bulbs, you should be able to replace them. If you find frayed wires or cracked cords, it is best if you throw these away and buy new lights.
To make your life a little easier and to reduce the risk of your lights getting too hot, use a timer to turn on and turn off your lights. We suggest turning your lights off when you are not home as well as when you go to bed. It is best to be awake and at home while enjoying your lights and to be there on the off chance something was to happen.
Don’t overload extension cord with strands of lights! Each extension cord comes with a wattage rating, if the combined wattage of your lights exceeds the rating, it can easily overheat. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends linking no more than three strands of lights, so make sure to be extra careful when putting lights on your Christmas tree!
Did you know there is a label on the lights that indicates they have passed the safety requirements? You want to see UL Certified on the label as well as if the light strand is to be used indoor or outdoor.
If you normally buy an artificial tree, many of them are fire-resistant. This does NOT make the tree totally fire-proof, but it will be safer for you and your family.
If you normally buy a real tree, the key is to find the freshest one. Make sure to keep the tree watered, this will help keep any fire hazards at bay.
Our last tip is to pack lights away carefully so that nothing is damaged while you are not using them! This is helpful not only because it will save you money not having to buy new lights, but also keeps the integrity of the lights in check and will be safer for you to use for a few years.
Stay safe and Happy Holidays!