It’s the season to be jolly and one of the ways that you can do that is with outdoor hanging lights. These sparkly lights are going to make your home look full on Christmassy, and it gives you that ‘merry and bright’ feeling, too. Hanging outdoor lights may not have been something you did in the past, but it’s something you should do this year to spread a little festive neighbourhood joy.
Christmas lights give you that warm feeling but unless you use an electrician to help, you need to learn how to be safe while you create a feeling of ambience and fun. So, if you’re ready to get those Christmas lights hung on the eaves of your house, here are some of the tips that you need to be safe while you do it.
- Check the weather first. Before you do anything with electrics and the outside of the house, you need to know you’re going to be safe. Rainy weather is probably not the best time to go out there and hang lights – not unless you want to be electrocuted, of course. Check the weather and avoid wind, snow, ice and rain.
- Bring a spotter. If you want to shimmy up the ladder and hang the lights, by all means go for it. But don’t do it without a spotter to ensure that you have someone holding onto you – just in case! Wear non-slip shoes and make sure that the ladders are secure. Always use both hands to climb and go down on the ladder so that you aren’t at any risk.
- Go through your lights before you hang them. Before you go up a ladder, get your lights checked out and make sure that they’re all working. If there are blown bulbs, you can either change them out or buy whole new sets of lights to go up on the house. You should also make sure that you have bulbs and wiring that is solely for outdoor use. This will ensure that you don’t end up having a fire.
- Don’t plug in more than three sets of lights into one single extension cord. The extension cords have to be rated for outdoor use as much as the lights, as these will be weatherproof and not end up electrocuting you when you hang them and when you plug them in. LED lights can make it much simpler for you!
- Hire in the help. Honestly, you don’t have to tackle this alone. You can bring in an electrician to help you out, which will be the best option when you’re not 100% on the project. You need to be safe when you hang Christmas lights and you shouldn’t put yourself in danger for a few things that can twinkle! There are so many more options out there so that you can avoid being hurt.
Safety is a must this Christmas. Whether your safety is important to you or not, you have to protect your house from a fire, too!
