Safety Tips for Decorating Your Home This Holiday Season

Halloween is over and we know many homeowners are already thinking about Christmas decorations. Who doesn’t love a well-decorated house? The lights, wreaths and other decorations can really transform a neighborhood during the holiday season. At Schmidt Roofing, we work through the winter and we love to see the holiday decorating ideas homeowners come up with.

That being said, we want to encourage everyone to be safe while decorating their home. Whether you are just hanging a few lights or going all out, here are a few safety tips to keep you out of the hospital this holiday season.

Inspect and Test Your Lights

Before you even begin hanging the lights on your house, test each strip of lights to ensure that they are working correctly. You don’t want to hang lights on your home only to find out they don’t work. This will minimize the amount of trips you have to take up and down the ladder.

You also want to look for frays, cracks and other damage to the wires that could cause electrical shortages and fires.

Use the Proper Outlet

Have you checked the outlets on the exterior of your home? Are they GFCI receptacles? GFCI stands for ground-fault circuit interrupter. These outlets have have test and reset buttons on them. They are recommended for all outdoor outlets because they automatically cut the power if water enters the system and causes an overcurrent to short out the circuit.

Don’t Overload Outlets

Multi plug adapters allow you to plug multiple chords into a single outlet, but don’t overdo it. Never plug a multi plug adapter into another multi plug adapter. The most safe route to take is to use a power strip equipped with surge protection.

Be Careful on the Roof

As a roofing companies in Minneapolis, we know the dangers of getting up on rooftops each and every day. If you are intent upon setting up lights or decorations on your roof, take the following precautions:

  • Make sure the roof is dry and free of ice
  • Wear non-slip shoes or boots
  • Have someone hold the ladder when you climb up and descend
  • Watch out for sticks, leaves and other slippery obstacles
  • Never step on skylights
  • Use a safety harness
  • Don’t overdo it!

Stay Safe!

We hope that you have a safe and happy holiday season. Enjoy decorating your home!

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