Home Improvement Tips: Halloween Decoration Safety

If you are planning to get into the Halloween spirit and decorate your home, there are a few safety tips you should keep in mind. Following these tips will help you to create a spooky look for your home while ensuring everyone’s safety when stopping by for candy.

Secure Any Loose Decorations – Make sure that any dangling, draped, hanging or staked decorations are well secured. Try to avoid having wires across any walking paths. If you will be having wires where there will be foot traffic, tape the wires down.

Candles – Using candles inside of jack-o’-lanterns is a popular decoration. However, doing so can pose a fire hazard. Instead of using candles, consider using flameless candles or a flashlight. You can also use LED lights, which come in a variety of colors, to create some really cool effects.

Outdoor Lighting – Use only decorative light strands that have been tested for safe use outdoors. Before setting the lights up, check each strand for broken sockets, frayed wires or loose connections. Throw out sets that are no longer safe to use. Don’t overload your extension cords.

Keep Paths Clear – Since many Halloween costumes involve masks, you want to be sure that your walkways are clear from anything that little ghouls may bump. Also make sure that the area around your door allows for trick-or-treaters to come and go without having to push past anyone else.

Save Money on Decorations

•         Want to create spiderwebs? Use black thread and attach one end of a strand to a ceiling or doorway so that it brushes visitors’ faces and arms.
•          Use old clothes to make a scarecrow. Stuff a shirt and pair of pants with newspaper or plastic bags and tie the arms and legs closed. For a head, use a stuffed paper bag. Don’t forget to give your scarecrow a face! Use a broomstick to stick him or her in the ground.
•          Fill the foot of a white stocking with stuffing and glue on fake spiders to create a spider nest. Hang the nest from trees to give visitors a scare. If you’d like your spider nest to hang lower, use some decorative stones to add weight to the nest.
•          Use old white socks, sheets, t-shirts, etc. to create hanging ghosts. Stuff the toe of the sock and tie a string under the stuffing to create the head and draw on a face. You can also cut circles out of sheets or t-shirts, place stuffing in the center of the circle and tie a string under the stuffing. Give your ghosties a face and hang them from trees, ceilings or wherever you’d like them.