Simple Safety Tips to Help You Hang Your Holiday Lights

It’s the holiday season, and this means setting up beautiful holiday lights around your home. However, before you start this project, there are a few things you need to know. Handyman Connection® of Rockville, the area’s trusted electrical expert, provides tips to help you put up your holiday lights safely.

• Inspect Your Light Strings – Carefully examine your light strings and get rid of the damaged ones. Broken sockets and cracked or frayed electrical cords are fire hazards. Promptly replace any busted bulbs. Empty sockets or burnt-out bulbs can cause the light string to overheat. Finally, check your holiday lighting to see if they have a UL rating for outdoor use. Exterior holiday lights should be weather-resistant.
• Safely Put Up Your Lights – Avoid using nails or staples to attach your light strings. You might damage the light string and cut through the wire insulation. That is a fire hazard. Use only UL-approved hangers for safety. In addition, never hang lights alone. Ask a friend to hold the ladder while you hang up the lights. Avoid climbing on a wet roof.
• Remove the Holiday Lights Within 90 Days – You need to remove holiday lights within three months or so because the longer they stay up, the likelier they are to get damaged. Weather can cause the wires to fray and critters can chew on the cord. After removing the lights, store them safely. Coil each string loosely around stiff cardboard, wrap the whole thing in paper or fabric, and store the lights in a sturdy container.

If setting up your holiday lights is too time-consuming or tiring for you, then you don’t need to worry. Handyman Connection of Rockville can help you with all of your electrical work. We can install and repair light fixtures, upgrade electrical panels and subpanels, and more. Our goal is your complete satisfaction, which is why our experienced handyman will walk you through every step of the process. Contact us to learn more about our services and products. You can also ask for an estimate.