While decorating for the holidays can bring joy and magic into your home and family life, if you’re not careful, the holiday decorations you choose to use could also be dangerous. So to help ensure that you don’t wind up in the hospital after attempting to spread some holiday cheer, here are three safety tips for putting up holiday decorations this year.
Use Caution When Using Ladders Or Step Stools
While some of the decorations you might put up will be within easy reach, if you’re going to put anything up high, it’s wise to use caution when breaking out ladders or step stools.
Even with smaller step stools, falling from this elevated height can hurt. And if you’re going to be using a ladder to put lights up on your home or hang something from high up, make sure you’re following proper safety rules. For example, placing the ladder on a flat surface and having someone else there to help you secure the ladder.
If you are going to be up on your roof putting lights on your home, you might as well take this opportunity to check out your roof to see if a roof replacement is in order. This way, you won’t have to get back on the roof again anytime soon, which can greatly reduce your chances of getting injured using a ladder.
Be Careful With Fire Hazards
A lot of holiday decor has to do with lights, candles, and fire. And while all of these things can be beautiful and cozy, if they aren’t put up and used safely, they could result in major fire hazards.
Knowing this, any decorations you put up should be done with an eye to avoiding fire hazards. For your lights, make sure there aren’t any frayed wires, shorts, or that the lights get left on for an extended period of time or when you leave the house. Additionally, if you have a fireplace, be sure you don’t hang decorations too close to the fire.
Keep Potentially Dangerous Decorations Away From Children
While you might love the look of all of your holiday decorations, if you’re going to have young children around your home, it’s important that you make sure not to keep potentially dangerous decorations in a location where children can easily reach them. Candles, lights, matches, lighters, glass, and heavy items can all be hazardous to have around kids. So to keep all the little ones safe, it’s best to put any decoration that could harm them out of reach and out of the way.
If you’re going to be putting up holiday decorations this year, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you be safe while putting them up and stay safe while they are up.
