The holiday season offers a wonderful opportunity for socializing with family and friends. At the same time, having a house full of visitors increases the risk of accidents in just about any section of the world.
A homeowner’s insurance policy from Shaefer Insurance Agency in Venice, FL, can protect you and your guests in the event of an accident. By taking the following precautions, however, you can make accidents at home much less likely to happen, so I help they help:
Turn off Christmas lights before hitting the hay
Lights get hot when they’ve been on for 12+ hours. Leaving them on all night can be dangerous. Make sure lights are set on a timer, or are unplugged from the wall before going to sleep.
Check all holiday lights before putting them up to ensure they are in good condition and have no loose wiring. Keep your Christmas tree and decorations away from portable heaters and out of areas that receive a lot of foot traffic.
Don’t overdo power strips
Too many extension cords and power strips can lead to fires.
Power strips and surge protectors can look similar, but an ordinary power strip doesn’t provide protection against power surges. Know which one you’re using: The packaging on a surge protector will give a rating in joules, which tells how much energy the device can absorb before it fails.
Water your tree!
Depriving your tree of water causes a sad, dry tree, which is also a fire hazard. Water your tree once a day to keep it alive and healthy! (There’s always the artificial route, as well).
Lock up
Unfortunately, theft is at its all-time high during the holiday season. Keep your gifts and yourselves safe by locking doors and windows.
Practice Safe Cooking Habits
Practice safe cooking habits when in the kitchen. Don’t leave food on the stove unattended and abstain from drinking alcohol until the meal is served. Make the kitchen a “kid-free” zone when cooking lavish holiday meals to reduce the risk of accidents.
Safe Kid Zones
Children are a wonderful part of family gatherings. For their safety, encourage parents to supervise their kids at all times. When selecting kids’ games and toys, make sure they’re safe and age appropriate for playing. Don’t let kids run, jump, or rough house inside the house where they can hurt themselves or others.
Smoke Alarms
With all the fire hazards, make sure all smoke alarms have fresh batteries! It can be easy to overlook the batteries in our smoke alarms, but it’s a good idea to check and be safe, rather than sorry.
Did you know: having a burglar and smoke alarm calls for a discount on your homeowner’s policy? Give us a call if you’d like us to apply this discount by providing us with your alarm certificate.
The most important tip of all, have a very Merry (and safe) Christmas with your family and loved-ones.
