Home Safety Tips for the Holidays

Tips to Keep Your Home Safe During the Holidays

Before the holidays come around, many people are rushing to get their homes ready for guests. One task that often gets overlooked is safety. With so many of us hosting family and friends over the holiday season, it’s important to take steps now to ensure our homes stay safe throughout the festivities.

Here are some home safety tips for your holiday celebrations:

1. Holiday decorations can be dangerous if not handled correctly. Every year, there are reports of children getting tangled in lights or pulling down branches which lead to injuries like bumps on the head or cuts from broken glass on tree trimming materials. Consider using LED lights instead of string lights because they don’t pose as much risk if kids happen to pull them down onto themselves; also consider removing any glass ornaments from a tree for a child-friendly space. Also, if you have pets, be sure to keep them away from fragile items that could easily be knocked down by them – never leave them unattended around the tree either!

2. Is your home prepared in case of a fire? It’s important to make sure you have a working smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home, inside each sleeping area, and outside all sleeping areas. You should also test these alarms once a month to ensure they’re working properly – it only takes seconds for a fire to start! Be sure to replace batteries annually as well because if your smoke and CO detectors aren’t working, they likely won’t give you the warning you need in time.

3. Apply good safety habits when cooking during the holidays. Make sure all range hoods are functioning properly before beginning any cooking; never leave food unattended while frying, grilling, or broiling; keep kids away from space heaters (they can tip easily over cause fires) and candles (they can easily fall over causing burns or worse).

4. Be mindful of slippery areas around the house. It’s easy to track in snow, slush, or ice during winter storms; make sure you keep sidewalks and driveways shoveled and free of debris so there isn’t any chance for someone to slip and get injured. If your home happens to get a lot of rainfall during the season, consider an umbrella holder at each door that leads outside. Umbrellas left inside hallways could cause someone to slip if they aren’t held by a wall mount designed with this safety hazard in mind.

5. Use safe decorating practices when stringing lights. Don’t leave spare bulbs on the exterior of your home after putting up the lights – there is a chance they could fall off and cause someone to step on them or worse. If you do have leftover bulbs, keep them inside so kids aren’t tempted to play with them. Also, test all light strings before putting them up outside to ensure they are working properly.

6. Be mindful of your valuables. It’s easy for guests during the holidays to forget where they put their coats and other belongings; make sure you designate a safe space away from entrances where people can store their personal items (ideally this would be in another room). You might also consider using a coat rack instead of hooks for your coats because mishaps like dropping expensive purs or jewelry can happen quite easily.

7. Finally, don’t leave candles unattended. There are many items that can catch on fire easily – this includes trees, wrapping paper, and even presents under the tree. Keep safety in mind ahead of time by placing candles out of reach from gifts or other combustible materials ahead of time so they aren’t forgotten about when it’s time to begin your holiday party.