Is Your Queen Creek Home Safe For the Holidays?

The holidays bring overflowing good cheer with bright and beautiful decorations that give the season a glow of it’s own. We all love to see a decorated holiday tree, resplendent in colorful ornaments, ribbons and lights. We love the outdoor displays that greet us when we visit neighbors and friends. It’s wonderful!

But every year, thousands of people end up visiting hospital emergency rooms due to injuries causes by electrical holiday decorations. Please practice the following safety tips so that you and your family can have a fun-filled and healthy holiday.

1. Keep your children and pets away from electrical holiday decorations and electric outlets. Kids love to touch and look, and pets are good at chewing. While you want the whole family to enjoy the decorations of the season, try to keep decorations out of reach of little hands and pets that might chew or inadvertently loosen a plug.

2. If you’re decorating outside with electrical decorations, plug them into circuits that have ground-fault interrupters. This will help prevent electric shock. Use only decorations that are approved for outdoor use.

3. Inspect all electrical cords and decorations before you use them. Check for frayed wires and loose sockets that could start a fire or cause electrical shock.

4. Before you change fuses or bulbs, unplug the decoration.

5. Do not connect more than three strings of lights together.

6. Don’t overload your electrical outlets. Doing so could create a fire hazard.

7. If you have a metallic tree, don’t use electric lights on it. Instead, get a light wheel and position it so that the light from it reflects on the tree’s metallic branches. As a side note, metallic trees were very popular back in the 50s and 60s, and are making a comeback!

8. Don’t nail or staple light strings or extension cords.

9. Use only electrical decorations that are UL or Intertek approved.

10. When hanging lights outside, use a dry, wooden ladder.

Part of the joy of home ownership is decorating during the holidays, creating a beautiful display for your family and friends to enjoy. Remember to put safety first, so you and yours can enjoy the holiday season fully!