Safe Halloween Decorating Strategies

Halloween is quickly becoming the most popular holiday for decorating. According to Sparky the fire dog, at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), decorations are the first things to ignite in over 1,000 home fires each year. By making sure you have an Alarm for your house which can detect smoke (amongst other things, if you have a smart alarm), you can help mitigate a small fire turning into a disaster. Autumn and Halloween decorations seem especially vulnerable, due to the tinder-like quality of dried foliage and flowers, combined with the use of candlelight to cast spooky shadows and keep a dark and haunting feel to the holiday. It is for these reasons that Fire Prevention Day are in the month of October (10/9).

When decorating for Halloween this year, be mindful of the young and excited children you’ll be inviting to your door for trick-or-treating. Illuminating your pathways is great way to guide the kids to your door, without traipsing over your yard décor, and many stores now carry cute paper bags with tea-light candles for this specific purpose. This option is cheap, but dangerous. Many children’s costumes can be complicated, even if you opt for a SWAT costume for kids to make dressing them up easy and quick. Many options have other hazards to consider, however. Some, for example, have fabric that blows or trails off their costume, which can easily ignite, One of our awesome customers came up with a snazzy idea last year to use our LED lights as a short, festive fence. Be sure that whatever method you choose, you leave a wide enough path for kids to stomp through without tripping over themselves, and be sure that there aren’t any obstacles in their way like uneven bricks or even pieces of Halloween décor because those little devils (and angels) are likely going to be focused on everything but where they are walking.

Nothing says Halloween more than a glowing display of Jack-O-Lanterns. Filling them with candles, and then inviting multiple kids hopped up on school party cupcakes and pure adrenalin, on your porch at the same time is a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, there are now lots of options to illuminate your pumpkins, without having to resort to open flames. Battery-powered candles can be found almost anywhere. Flashlights are a quick and easy fix too, if you can get them to fit inside. Or, you can go the LED route. Red twinkle lights look great in your Christmas display, and can signal gory delight on October 31st. Use the green LED lights from your holiday display, to case a wicked green glow on your porch. However, these lights can be a tripping hazard, especially if you are running extension cords into the house. You could get a company like MZ Electric to install an external power outlet which can eliminate the need for extension cords — something useful for when you use these lights at Christmas time again. Another option you could consider is battery-powered “fake” candles which are neither a tripping hazard or a fire hazard. Though some care should be taken with the placement of Battery Operated LEDS as they can still pose a small risk if knocked over or stepped on. Why not check out our Halloween LEDS – Available in Halloween Colors like Witches Purple, Pumpkin Orange, and Frankenstein Lime, and strung on black wire – they match any Halloween theme and eliminate visible wiring. And if you use LEDS, you can leave your display going late into the night, without wasting energy or worrying about a fire hazard.

Light up your Halloween haunted house, party, or yard with spooky, safe, and entertaining Halloween lights from HolidayLEDS.com. No matter your event, decorating for Halloween with energy-efficient long-lasting LED lights, has never been easier (or safer)! You may want to adorn your walls with the customary spooky decorations that Halloween demands of us all at this time of year. A simple and classy solution to this is putting up an appropriately scary poster in your hall to stir up a conversation at your party. When a guest asks you where you got it, you can point them to the art posters for sale online and the wide selection of themes available to cater for all occasions and seasonal events.

Check out HolidayLEDS.com’s Halloween Board on Pinterest for more ideas!