Top Three Holiday Hazards (And How To Avoid Them) 

‘Tis the season for safety! In the coming weeks, millions of Americans will celebrate the holidays with lights, trees, and food. To help keep the “happy” in your happy holidays, we’ve listed the three most common winter hazards and the best tips on how to avoid them.  

Christmas Trees

There’s nothing better than a brightly colored Christmas tree. Unfortunately, tree-related dangers result in millions of dollars in damages every year. A significant amount of this comes from Christmas tree mold and fires. 

If you discover that your wreath or tree has mold, it likely had spores when it was brought into your home. To prevent dormant spores from activating, avoid placing your tree near warm, moist places like air vents and ajar windows.

Christmas tree fires are most often caused by: 

• Overly dry trees 
• Faulty lighting
• Electrical malfunction
• Heating components
  

Protect your friends and family from holiday fires with these five tips:

1. Turn lights off before going to bed
2. Ensure your tree has green bristles
3. Hydrate your tree every two days
4. Don’t crowd electrical outlets or extension cords
5. Keep your tree at least three feet from heat 

Candles & Lighting 

Lighting and decor create a beautiful ambiance for holiday events and special occasions. Despite this, string lights and candles are responsible for significant home damages. 

Maintain optimal safety with these five lighting and candle tips:

1. Avoid leaving lights and fires unattended.
2. Don’t run extension cords through doors and windows. This could cause the wires to split, spark flames, and electrocution.
3. Place candles and lightning away from flammable objects.
4. Broken lighting is susceptible to becoming flammable. Replace or dispose of all damaged bulbs. 
5. Use proper lighting (indoor vs outdoor) and the right extension cord that is rated for cold or wet environments. 

Food

We get it, holiday festivities are exciting and you don’t want to miss any big moments. But when you’re cooking meals in the kitchen or outside on the grill, don’t get distracted and leave food unattended. Doing so may result in burned contents and could even cause a severe fire. If you must, please use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.

Good food will always bring people together. Make sure your family celebrations maintain festive with these cooking and kitchen safety tips:

Leave inflamed cookware alone.

Your initial instinct may be to take fire that has ignited outside. This is a big mistake and could cause the fire to spread throughout your home. Instead, cover with a lid to eliminate oxygen. You can also put out a small flame with flour.

If the fire becomes too big, evacuate the residence immediately and call 911. 

Update your fire extinguisher 

Many homes have fire extinguishers, but not many people know 1) how to use them or 2) if they’re operable. In addition to cleaning all cooking surfaces to eliminate excess oils, we recommend checking the expiration date of your extinguisher and updating it if yours has expired. 

Use a timer

Holidays can be hectic. With the bustle and conversation, it’s easy to forget a cooking dish is in the oven. Setting a timer will remind you to check on dishes you may have forgotten about. 

Avoid Holiday Hazards With CTR

As much as CTR technicians enjoy working, we want to prevent fire and water emergencies from happening. This season, do your best to maintain safety throughout your home with the relevant tips we listed above. 

If your property has been impacted by a fire, contact CTR for professional and compassionate service. Since 1995, we’ve provided water mitigation, mold remediation, and fire restoration to homes and businesses throughout Boise, Caldwell, and Twin Falls. If you need industry-leading restoration services, schedule your free estimate online or call for 24/7 emergency services.