Decorating makes your home even more beautiful during this festive time of year. Decorating safely will help you make sure your home is in good shape for many holiday seasons to come, notes Rick Coons, CEO at Indiana Electric Cooperatives (IEC).

“Using safe decorating techniques takes no extra time, and it can protect you and your family from fire, shock, and injuries,” says Coons. “That way, your only holiday memories will be good ones.” IEC offers Hoosiers several tips for safer indoor decorating:

• If you plan to display a live tree, make sure it is fresh when you purchase it. Add water to the stand daily. If the tree dries out, discard it immediately.
• Keep the tree at least three feet away from heat sources such as fireplaces and radiators.
• Do not use flammable materials as tree decorations.
• If you have a metal tree, don’t use light strands or other electrical decorations.
• Buy lights and other electrical decorations only from retailers you trust. Make sure the decorations have been tested by an independent safety lab like UL.
• Inspect your lights and decorations before putting them up. If you find loose connections, broken bulbs, or frayed cords, replace the entire decoration.
• Unplug light strings and decorations before changing fuses or bulbs.
• Use extension cords only for temporary needs, and make sure cords aren’t placed where people can trip over them.
• Always turn off and unplug decorations before going to bed or leaving home.
• Replace older lights with new LED lights that use less electricity, burn cooler, and last longer.

“When you decorate outdoors, be especially careful so that you don’t slip and fall,” adds Coons, who also offers these tips for safe outdoor decorating

• Make sure that all decorations and extension cords state that they can be used outdoors.
• Carefully inspect everything for damage and frayed cords. If you spot any damage, replace the item immediately.
• Plug all decorations into outlets with ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection.
• Do not allow lights and cords to come in contact with standing water or snow.
• Make sure lights are securely attached to supports to prevent them from blowing in the wind. However, be careful not to cut or damage insulation when attaching them.

“One of the biggest mistakes Indiana residents make both indoors and out is hooking too many lights up to a single circuit,” Coons advises. “That can cause cords to become dangerously hot. Instead, check the instructions to see how many lights you can safely use on each circuit.”

SOURCES: About.com,  ESFI.