Holiday Safety: Indoor Decorations

treeI love the holiday season.  I love the holiday coffee cups, the constant barrage of Christmas carols, and the gentle wafting smell of pine.  But while it’s easy to want to dive right into decorations, I always have to pause and review holiday electrical safety.  Part one will cover ways to keep your decorations inside your home festive and safe, while part two will review outdoor electrical safety.

First, let’s talk about the Christmas tree.  Whether you’re chopping down your own, or purchasing an artificial one, there are several things to remember.  If using a real tree make sure that the tree is not overly dry.  Having a tree that’s too dry and then stringing up lights is extremely dangerous.  Check the trunk to make sure there’s lot of sap.  In addition, keep your tree watered throughout the holiday season, to keep it from becoming dry.  When purchasing an artificial tree, make sure it is clearly labeled “fire resistant”.

After the tree, you of course have to put up your in-home lights.  However, always check your Christmas decorations to make sure that they are not frayed or wires are sticking out.  If this is the case, time to purchase a new pair.  Also, if you need a longer power cord, don’t double up! This is extremely dangerous! Instead, buy a longer power cord that fits your needs!

When setting up your in home decorations, never plug a power strip into another power strip.   This will overload both power strips, and pose a fire hazard.  If you’re in need of extra power strips, contact us!  We have a wide selection available, including multiple tap wall outlets.  Try electrical candles this year too.  Much less of a fire risk with all of the hominess!

In addition, you may be facing an increase in visitors.  And of course, with all that family comes the little kids too.  Make sure your outlets are child proof! If you haven’t had children around in a while, it is easy to forget how quickly they move, and how difficult it is to keep an eye on them at all times.  Curiosity is great, but let that curiosity lead them to this blog, not the wall socket.  Any questions about electronics I would gladly answer, but dealing with sockets is definitely a job that should be left to the experts.  In the meantime, make sure that all the decorations and electronics are out of reach of the kiddos!

Also, take the time to educate you children on electrical safety.  It’s always an important topic, but it becomes even more relevant during the holiday season.  Teach them how to stay safe, and how to get the most of Christmas decorations.

We hope this is a good start to your Holiday Safety guide.  Stay tuned for Part 2: Outdoor Decorations!