The holidays are all about celebrations and joy, but it’s probably going to turn sour if accidents come your way. During this season, a lot of people hang decorations and lights outside the house, inside the rooms, and around buildings. Now more than ever, safety when handling Christmas lights is a priority that we need to focus on. As the season wraps up, we thought it would be helpful to put out some safety tips that you can keep in mind for the remainder of the season and as a preventative measure for 2018.

Here are some safety tips for Christmas lights when you want to brighten up your holiday mood this year:

Safety Tips for Christmas Lights

Use safety-certified lights

Some Christmas lights come with safety certifications from accredited testing laboratories and government agencies. Choose products that have gone through safety checks. In other words, don’t opt for cheap lights that have questionable manufacturing processes.

Look for LED lights

Instead of buying incandescent or conventional lights, choose LED Christmas lights for higher power efficiency and increased safety. These lights don’t heat up like incandescent variants, and so you’re removing one factor of common fire hazards during the holidays.

Do not use damaged lights

Being thrifty is a good trait, but not when we’re talking about electrical safety. Never use Christmas lights that show signs of wear and tear, malfunction, or exposed wiring. The “small” damage on the lights may have a huge impact on your safety this season.

Make sure that you check the integrity of your Christmas lights. If you see any torn or exposed wiring, busted bulbs, or a damaged plug, it’s best to throw it away and just buy a new set of lights.

Avoid using candles

There’s something organic and rustic about using candles as ambient lighting around the home, but this option is far from safe. Aside from having an exposed flame that may burn things around them, there’s a big chance that you may forget to blow the candles out. This may lead to accidental fires within your home.

Fasten your lights properly

Dangling lights are a pretty sight, but make sure that they’re securely fastened to where they are attached. Otherwise, this may cause trips and falls, as well as tearing of electrical wiring, which could increase the risk of electricity-induced fire.

Secure your electrical circuits

One of the best preventive measures for electrical safety is to ensure that your home electrical system is safe from power surges or electrical malfunction. Using circuit breakers can do the job of shutting off the power in these incidents.

You cannot be too careful when it comes to safety. By following these tips, you will ensure joyous and safe holidays with your family and friends.

If you need help with any electrical issues, feel free to contact Wire Craft to help you out.