Nothing says fall like pulling out the Halloween decorations from storage. If you love decking out your home for Halloween, you know that it requires ladders, extension cords, and other potential hazards. Here are 4 tips for safe Halloween decorating.
Safe Halloween Decorating with a Ladder
If you go all-out decorating your home for Halloween, you probably use a ladder to hang things from your house and trees in your yard. Falling from a ladder is one of the top ways that homeowners hurt themselves while working on the house or decorating for holidays.
Follow ladder safety protocol by inspecting the ladder before climbing on it and making sure it is placed on solid, level ground. If leaning the ladder against a wall, position it at a 75-degree angle.
When hanging decorations from trees, it’s best to use a stepladder instead of an extension ladder leaning against the tree. Because trees don’t have flat surfaces, a leaning ladder can easily topple over. Have someone at the house spotting the ladder or to help out as needed
Extension Cords for Safe Halloween Decorating
Halloween decorations often require electricity for light, sound, and movement. You may be tempted to string extension cords or strands of lights together to reach the maximum distance away from the outlet. However, plugging in too many cords together causes a fire hazard, which is not the scary effect you want from your Halloween decorating.
It isn’t safe to connect 2 extension cords together or more than 3 strings of lights together. Instead, purchase a longer extension cord or light strand to get the coverage you need. If your cords run across pathways, secure them to the ground with electrical tape to prevent people from tripping over them.
Well-Lit Pathways
On Halloween, you’ll likely get a lot of foot traffic on the pathway to your front door. Make your property safer for visitors by lighting up the footpath. Paper bag luminaries are popular for lining pathways, but they pose a fire risk when real candles are used.
Instead, opt for battery-powered tea lights inside of the bags. You can also consider using solar pathway lights on stakes if you have enough sunlight to power them. If there are steps on the property, make sure these areas are brightly lit to prevent accidents.
Safely Carving Pumpkins
Carving pumpkins is a fun and classic Halloween tradition, but each year people injure themselves with knives doing this activity. Trying to cut a slippery pumpkin with a large kitchen knife is a recipe for disaster. Instead, use a kit that is specifically designed for carving pumpkins.
These come with a serrated tool that is not too sharp but effectively cuts through a pumpkin. They also come with a scooper and sometimes even pattern templates for Jack o’ Lantern designs. You’ll have better success carving a pumpkin with a pumpkin carving kit and reduce the risk of accidents.
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