Holiday Home Safety Insurance Tips

The holiday season is here and with it brings the joy of spending time with loved ones, eating delicious food, and enjoying holiday decorations. Unfortunately, it can also be the season where unexpected accidents happen. No one wants to spend Christmas in the emergency room or having to pay for fire damage. Be prepared this holiday season with these holiday home safety insurance tips.

Decorating Safely

What would Christmas be without the lights, the tree, and the festive decorations placed in and outside of your home? Of course, it can be difficult to hang string lights along your porch or on the rooftop. You want to be sure that you are safe as you decorate your home, as well as being safe with the placement of your decorations, so as not to be tripped over, or falling onto something or someone, or potentially causing a fire.

Fire Safety

When purchasing Christmas lights for indoor use, make sure that they have been tested by a well-known laboratory. Newer lights have thicker wiring and have built-in safety fuses that prevent overheating. Outdoor lights should also be tested for safety and should be certified for outdoor use. If your family purchases a live Christmas tree, make sure that the tree is fresh. You will know that it’s fresh as the pine needles will not break off easily and there will be a sticky substance on the bottom of the tree trunk. Make sure to keep your live tree well-watered as a dried-out tree is much more likely to catch fire. This does not mean that it will never catch fire, rather that it is resistant to fires. Whatever tree you use, make sure to place it about three feet away from any heat source.

Kitchen Safety

There is always the potential for a fire to start in the kitchen. But when the holidays come around, there is much more activity going on as your family participates in Christmas cookie baking, making the Christmas turkey or ham, and making all of the other side dishes. As you prepare your delectable treats and meals, make sure that you are also practicing kitchen safety. If you are wearing long sleeves, roll them up, or change into tight fit clothing. When cooking on the stove, keep oven mitts on hand to prevent getting burned. Make sure you keep any flammable items away from the stovetop and Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and make sure to replace it once it expires.

Keep the holiday season merry and bright and prevent safety hazards. From everyone at Northeast-Metro West Insurance Agency Team, we wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday! To learn more about our homeowner’s insurance policies click here!