Holiday Electrical Safety: From Halloween Through New Year’s, Keep Your Family Safe – HVAC, Plumbing, and Electric Services in Olympia WA

Cooking and decorating are what make fall and winter holiday get-togethers so fun. But doing both also means you’re using more electricity, both inside and outside. That means the holidays are also times to be extra careful about electrical safety.

In general, you should make sure that any electrical device you’re using is safe, including your oven and range, decorative Halloween and Christmas lights, and extension cords. Easy shortcut: Use only products tested and rated by a respected lab. The most common indicator is the UL symbol. You can also look for Intertek (ETL) or CSA.

You should also check your smoke alarms. The American Red Cross reminds us that “a working smoke alarm reduces one’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.” Check those batteries or replace old or malfunctioning alarms before you fill your house with revelers.

Here are some risks associated with specific holidays and how you can stay safe while you’re spooking it up, eating your weight in sweet potatoes, decking the halls, or lighting up your windowsills.

Halloween Electrical Safety

Creepy outdoor Halloween decorations are the new cool. (Hello, 12-foot skeletons!) And a lot of them require electricity to turn on glowing eyes, activate a witch’s cackle, or stay puffed up on your front lawn. To keep your scary decor scary (and safe), make sure you:

Check extension cords for damage. Throw out any that are split or frayed and replace them with outdoor-rated, high-quality cords.
Use GFCIs (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters) anywhere decorations might get wet, to reduce chances that you’ll get shocked. Since we’re in the Pacific Northwest, that means you should use GFCIs to plug in all your decorations.
Only use outdoor-rated decorations and extension cords outdoors. The indoor kind don’t have the safety features you need to keep you and passersby safe. If it says “for indoor use” on the product or its tag, don’t use it outside.

Indoor decorations require attention, too.

As above, check electrical cords and extension cords. If they’re frayed or the wiring is visible, replace them.
Don’t use dried vegetation, like corn stalks or hay, anywhere near electrical elements. Electrical Safety Foundation International warns that even a nearby light bulb could ignite them.
Non-electrical bonus reminder: Same goes for the candles in your pumpkins. Keep ‘em away from dry stuff that could ignite and start a fire.

Thanksgiving Electrical Safety

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), “Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.”

So as you’re taking down Halloween decorations and getting ready to hang up your twinkling string lights, make sure your cooking appliances are in good working order and that you’re practicing good safety practices in the kitchen.

Check your cooktop, oven, and small cooking appliances. If you plan to use an electric griddle, freestanding burner, toaster oven, or slow cooker, for instance, check it for frayed cords and operate it in a clear area on the counter.
Keep oven mitts, dish towels, utensils, and other items away from hot surfaces or the edges of small appliances.
Keep cords well out of reach of children, not dangling off the edge of the counter.
Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking, to make sure nothing catches fire.
Clean up greasy surfaces to keep food from catching fire.
Non-electrical bonus reminder: Just say no to turkey fryers. This video demonstrates why the NFPA warns against using this propane-powered method. Yikes.

Electrical Safety During The Holiday Season

During December holidays and the celebration of the new year, there are lights everywhere, from electric Christmas string lights to the candles of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

And in addition to holiday lights, there are just more electric appliances plugged in.

According to research by the NFPA, “holiday lights and other decorative lighting with line voltage were involved in an estimated average of 150 home structure fires per year,” during 2005-2009. “These fires caused an average of eight civilian deaths, 14 civilian injuries, and $8.5 million in direct property damage per year.”

Similarly, the American Red Cross reports that “Nearly 47,000 fires occur during the winter holidays claiming more than 500 lives, causing more than 2,200 injuries, and costing $554 million in property damage.”

You don’t need to tell us twice. Here’s how you can help keep yourself, your family, and your friends safe.

If you have a fresh-cut Christmas tree, keep it watered. Dry trees can catch fire more easily. Check the water level daily and keep it topped off.
Follow good electrical safety practices for indoor Christmas lights, especially on the tree. Check strands for damage. If one of them is broken or split, replace it. Unplug the lights when you’re replacing a bulb. Don’t connect more strands of lights together than the manufacturer instructs. Don’t let your kids or your pets play with strands of lights (even if it’s super cute).
Follow good electrical safety practices for outdoor Christmas lights and other outdoor decorations. Use only lights that are rated for outdoor use. Never toss lights over tree branches that are near power lines or other electrical infrastructure; keep your decorations at least 10 feet away.
Don’t overload your sockets. Plug only one high-wattage appliance into an outlet at a time.
Turn off your holiday lights when you leave home. We know it isn’t popular to make your house go dark when you’re out to dinner, but it’s safer.
Non-electrical bonus reminder: If you have candles near fabric, like a menorah near curtains in the window or candles burning in a votive on a tablecloth, only light them while you’re present. Open flames can spread to fabrics quickly.
Follow general good electrical safety advice: Use properly rated extension cords. Use GFCIs when your decorations are near water sources. Look for the UL or other safety seal when you’re buying decorations.