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One of the reasons many count the days to fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, winter, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve or any other special day is home redecoration. Dressing your space for the occasion is exciting and makes memorable family traditions. This activity isn’t without risks, so keep these nine seasonal and holiday safety tips in mind to prevent decorating mishaps from ruining the fun.
1. Make Reading Labels a Habit
Understanding the decoration’s purpose and contents matters to protect you and your loved ones from various hazards. Decades-old tinsel may contain lead, while some artificial trees aren’t fire-resistant. Indoor lights are unsafe for outdoor use.
Product labels tell you everything you need to know about decorations to handle and use them accordingly. Otherwise, you may inadvertently put your family in harm’s way.
2. Wear Protective Gear When Touching Angel Hair
Incorporating angel hair into your decor lends more character to your space. However, it can be an irritant because it consists of finely spun glass. Pro Christmas holiday safety tip — put on gloves when handling it to protect your skin and eyes.
3. Watch Out for Frayed Wires
Wires fray when cables bend excessively, rodents gnaw on them or metal surfaces scrape them. Whatever the cause of fraying, you should address them to avoid getting shocked or electrocuted, jeopardizing the integrity of nearby electric appliances, or starting a fire.
Replacement is a permanent solution for cases involving severe fraying. Otherwise, heat-shrinking the exposed wires with tubing or covering them with electrical tape works as insulation.
4. Be Mindful of Heat Sources
Placing decorations several feet away from heat sources with open flames, such as candles and fireplaces, is an evergreen holiday decorating safety tip.
Those with combustible components can also ignite due to electrical problems. Live Christmas trees cause about 160 fires yearly, so avoid hanging lights on and water them regularly. If you want to hang stockings or socks on your fireplace mantel, don’t burn any logs to heat your space.
A bonus fire safety tip for the holidays — avoid running cords under rugs or carpets to help keep them from overheating. Hidden cables on the floor are tripping hazards too.
5. Limit Electric Decorations to Dry Areas
Water and skin are excellent conductors. Putting strings of decorative lights in the bathroom or somewhere near your outdoor hot tub is a terrible idea.
6. Know Your Way Around a Ladder
Falling off a ladder from a great height can lead to a trip to the emergency room. Before stepping on a rung, ensure the ladder is secure and steady. Plus, wear proper footwear — like closed-toed shoes — to get more gripping traction and reduce your risk of stumbling.
Ask for support because accidents can happen no matter how sturdy the ladder is or how experienced you are. Have another person to keep it stable or catch you if you lose your footing. Even construction workers swear by these holiday safety tips, so do the same.
7. Turn Off Decorative Lights Before Going to Bed
Leaving outdoor holiday lights on can create a festive vibe for the whole neighborhood until the crack of dawn. However, prolonged illumination may overextend the individual bulbs.
8. Keep Decorations Out of Children’s Reach
If you have an energetic toddler around, putting decorative items, especially sharp and breakable ones, up high is a solid holiday safety tip for Thanksgiving and Halloween.
You can’t keep an eye on your exploratory rug rat 24/7. Err on the side of caution — concentrate your decorations on the upper walls, steer clear of glass and ceramic, and refrain from including anything pointy into the mix when jazzing up your space.
9. Think Twice Before Displaying Fruit
Some fruits embody the holiday spirit but may endanger your children and pawed companions.
For instance, seasonal wreath staple holly berries can poison humans and animals. Ingesting them may cause abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Using faux decorative fruit is a must-follow holiday safety tip for pets and kids.
Did You Learn Something New From These Holiday Safety Tips?
Safety incidents dampen the mood. Redecorate your home responsibly to capture the season’s charm while keeping everyone safe and sound.
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About The Author
Rose is the managing editor of Renovated and a freelance writer with over five years of experience.
She's most interested in researching topics on sustainable construction, such as new technologies and innovations in the built environment. She also loves sharing home projects and inspiration for even the most novice DIY-ers. Rose's favored topics and values stem from growing up in a family of contractors.
When she isn't writing, you'll find her baking something to satisfy her never-ending sweet tooth and spending time with her cats. For more about Rose, you can reach out on LinkedIn and check out her portfolio online.
