It’s that time of year again. Time to trim your tree, stuff those stockings and deck the halls with seasonal splendor. There are many lights to be hung and traditions to be kept. The beautiful mix of pine, greenery and dazzling lights adds to the excitement of holiday cheer. While you are preparing your home with your annual holiday bliss, here is some advice to make sure your holiday is a happy one, and not a fire hazard.
Automated Lights
When you aren’t home, it is especially important that you turn off your indoor and outdoor lighted decorations. One of the most helpful tools is a lighting timer. Some lights have this built-in and others you would need to add it to the plug in. Placing all of your lights on timers will help keep them from getting too hot, which reduces fire hazard risk. Plus, as a bonus it helps to cut down on your electricity costs. So you really can’t lose.
Use LEDs
Along the same line, switching all your lighting decorations to LED lights will also be a great way to save money on your electricity bill. LEDs are a wonderful alternative to the use in place of traditional holiday lights because they don’t heat-up, meaning that they are safer to keep on for a longer period.
Placement
There are several different ways that you can use the placement of your decorations to help prevent a home fire. One way is to make sure your hanging supports do not interfere or damage the electrical cord’s integrity. You want the cords to maintain their shape to have the safest and cleanest flow of electricity. Second, you will want to take an inventory of your electrical outlets as you are in your planning stages of the decoration process. You want to make sure you aren’t overloading your outlets, which can cause several fire risks.
Read Instructions
Most people probably don’t look at the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to their holiday décor, but taking into the consideration the suggestions from the manufacturer will help you make wise decisions about how to use, and where to place, your lighted fixtures.
Fresh Greenery
The main focal point of holiday decoration within the home in the US is generally the tree. Whether your tree is artificial or authentic pine, you want to keep it away from space heaters, fireplaces and candles. Doing this, as well as using LED lights to adorn the tree, will all be helpful in preventative fire safety.
Keep it Watered
When you use an authentic pine tree, you will want to make sure you keep it well watered. Keeping it as fresh as possible will help it from becoming dry, quick kindling.
To have a truly festive and joy-filled holiday doesn’t mean that we should be mindless about the safety of our home as well as our family. Having some extra heat in the home to keep us cozy is nice when it starts to get a bit chilly here in Texas, but having a house fire is far less cozy and much more nightmare-like. Keeping the season merry and bright is the goal with holiday glitz and décor, so have fun and do it with fire safety in mind.
Should you have any further questions about being sure you are covered in the event of a fire in your home or rental property, please contact Paula Smith Insurance at (281) 488-8880 to get your free, no obligation quote for your home insurance or any other personal insurance coverage such as specialty items like furs and jewelry.