With the holiday season once again fast approaching, it is time to begin thinking about how you’re going to decorate your home this year! Some Carolina homeowners use the same decorations year after year, while others invest in new items annually. No matter which camp you fall into, it is important to hang all of your holiday decors safely and carefully, so you don’t damage your house in the process. As you read on, you will find some useful tips that will help you create a worry-free winter wonderland!
- Inspect last year’s lights – If you plan to reuse your lights from the previous year, make sure you take a look at them before you hang them up. If any of the wires are split or bare, you should throw them away and invest in new strands. It is also wise to double-check any exterior outlets where you plan to plug lights in. If you primarily use these outlets during the holiday season, they could have become damaged over the course of the year without you realizing it.
- Take care when climbing – Although it is always important to be careful when climbing on ladders and step stools outdoors, it is even more critical to observe proper safety precautions during the winter months. If you live in a part of North Carolina or South Carolina where ice is prevalent, check all surfaces before you step onto them. Otherwise, you could easily slip and become injured. Furthermore, always have someone hold the bottom of a ladder while you are on it. This will provide additional stability.
- Purchase plastic clips – While it might not seem like hammering a few nails into your exterior walls to hold decorations could cause a problem, it actually can. As a matter of fact, if you hammer nails into your home year after year, water can start seeping through the holes, and insects can even begin to infest your home. To avoid these issues entirely, invest in plastic clips that are designed specifically for holiday decor. These are typically sold in affordable packs.
- Be aware of your gutter system – As you hang exterior holiday decorations, consider where you are putting them in relation to your gutter system. Relying on your gutters to hold too much weight can cause them to bend or crack, ultimately leading to structural issues. Instead of having decor from your gutters, try to secure everything above or below the gutter troughs and joints.
- Avoid the chimney area – If you generally put large inflatable items or other potentially flammable decorations on your roof, this advice is for you! Putting these things near your home’s chimney could lead to a house fire if they become too warm and go up in flames. For the sake of safety, place anything that could pose a hazard as far from your chimney as possible.
Hopefully, this advice will help you and your family have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season not only this year but for years to come. Decorating for this time of year is a valued tradition in most households, and the Hatch Homes team wishes you and yours the best!