As the holidays approach who can resist the urge to adorn their home with holiday cheer and bling? This is the time of year to let the fun ring in with inflatable snow globes, lights aplenty, and fall colors. That’s why we at Browning Park Mini Storagehttp://www.ottercreekstorage.com/ would like to remind you of the importance of remembering safety as you begin your holiday traditions of hanging lights, lawn ornaments, and special decorations inside and out. Here are some safety tips to assure your holidays stay merry rather than scary.

Check and Replace

Although it is easy to simply pull out all of those stored and cherished holiday decorations and hang them, there are a few steps that you should do before installing any of your holiday decorations to maintain a safe environment for your family and friends when they visit.

  • Power Cords – Power cords can become worn and frayed over time, especially if not stored properly. It is important to do a thorough inspection of all electrical accessories, power cords, and adaptors looking for broken wires, frayed connectors, and signs of sparking. If you find any of these discard the accessory and replace it. Frayed electrical wires are a potential fire hazard, especially if being placed outside or on a live tree or plant inside or out.
  • Lights – Before hanging those hundreds of little bulbs take the time to stretch out strands and plug them in to inspect for broken bulbs and frayed or damaged cords. Replace burnt out or broken bulbs but discard any strands with damaged power connections or cords. This will save you the hassle of trying to find the bulb that is knocking out half of the string of lights, before you have it up on the roof or tree. As well as, save you from a potential fall as you search for the problem after they are hung.
  • Inflatables – Inflatable lawn ornaments have become very popular over the years, bringing pleasure to all that pass by. However, if you don’t want your inflatable to fall flat, you will want to inspect your inflatables air compressor, power attachments, and any plastic parts to prevent power shorts, and potential leaks that will make an inflatable work improperly and become a possible hazard.
  • Outlets – Extension cords are great for increasing the number of electronics that can be plugged in. Over extending them however is a huge no no. Using too many adapters to provide more plug ins can lead to power outages, shorts, and flipped breakers. Avoid the smell of ozone as in “A Christmas Story” and limit power adapters to one per outlet.
  • Trip Hazards – Power cords stretched across the lawn and house are not only an eyesore that detracts from your overall vision, they are also a dangerous trip hazard. Make sure ALL cords are tucked away safely to prevent tripping and potential injuries.

The holidays are for spending time enjoying family and friends. To make sure your holidays stay enjoyable, take a little extra time when hanging your holiday décor to do a preinstall check and keep your family and friends safe this holiday season.