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Holiday Safety Tips (part 2)
With the Holiday Season upon us, On The Level Home Inspections wanted to share some basic Holiday tips. We have broken this into 2 articles. This one concerns tree, lighting, and decorations. The previous article concerns cooking (including safety tips for deep frying that turkey), fireplace safety and security. We want to wish you all a Very Happy & Safe Holiday Season.
Christmas Trees
Artificial- If you are buying an artificial tree, look to make sure that it is labeled “Fire Resistant”. If you purchase a metal tree, Do Not use electrical lights. The tree can become electrified and someone can get electrocuted.
Fresh- For fresh trees, freshness is the key. When choosing that perfect tree look for missing/brown needles. Gently run your hand along a branch to see how many needles come off. When an excessive amount of needles fall off, the tree is drying out and will be more prone to fire. If the tree is pre-cut, check the base of the trunk. It should be sticky with resin. Tap the tree up and down a few times and see how many needles come off. When you get your tree home, cut 1 to 2 inches off the bottom of the trunk just prior to putting it in your stand. This will help ensure that your tree will be able to start soaking up some water. It also helps to keep the tree level in your stand. Keep the tree at least 3 feet from fireplaces or heat sources. Also keep the tree away from foot traffic and blocking doorways. Top off the water level every day. This will help ensure your tree doesn’t dry out and help it look great throughout the Holiday Season.
Lightning and Decorations
Lightning-
- Only use indoor lights indoors (and outdoor lights only outdoors). Look for the UL label. Check lights for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, and loose connections. Replace or repair any damaged light sets.
- Use no more than three light sets on any one extension cord. Extension cords should be placed against the wall to avoid tripping hazards, but do not run cords under rugs, around furniture legs or across doorways.
- When displaying outdoor lights, fasten them firmly to a secure support, with insulated staples or hooks to avoid wind damage. Never nail, tack or stress wiring when hanging lights and keep plugs off the ground away from puddles and snow. And always plug the outdoor lights into a functioning GFCI outlet.
- Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.
- Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving the house or going to bed.
Decorations-
- Use caution with holiday decorations and whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.
- When putting up holiday decorations, always use the proper step stool or ladder to reach high places. Don’t stand on chairs, desks or other furniture. For more on basic ladder safety, see our article Ladder Safety.
- Keep decorations at least 6 inches above the child’s reach.
- Avoid using tinsel. It can fall on the floor and a curious child or pet may eat it. This can cause anything from mild distress to death.
- Place older ornaments and decorations that might be painted with lead paint out of the reach of small children and pets.
- Avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a young child to eat them.
- Poinsettias are known to be poisonous to humans and animals, so keep them well out-of-reach, or avoid having them.
- Keep any ribbons on gifts and tree ornaments shorter than 7 inches. A child could wrap a longer strand of ribbon around their neck and choke
Candles
Candles start almost half of all home fires related to decorations. Minimize your risk with these candle safety tips.
- Avoid using candles when possible. Consider using battery-operated candles in place of traditional candles.
- Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.
- Never leave an open flame unattended. Keep burning candles within sight.
- Place lighted candles away from combustible material such as other decorations and wrapping paper.
- Take care to place candle displays in locations where they cannot be knocked over.
- Always use non-flammable holders.
- Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other greenery.
- Extinguish all candles before you go to sleep, leave the room, or leave the house.
We hope that you found this information useful. Please feel free to share with your friends and families. If you have any questions regarding this article, please feel free to email On The Level Home Inspections or call 609-607-0485. If you have any suggestions for future articles, or you would like to comment on this one, please let us know. If you or anyone you know is in need of a home inspection, please keep us in mind.
Thank you.
John Harashinski
On The Level Home Inspections
609-607-0485
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I perform home inspections, thermal scanning and lead testing in the following areas of New Jersey:
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Did you know that you should only turn your faucets just until the water goes off? If you turn them too tightly, the gaskets will compress and cause your faucets to leak.
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