Christmas Tree Safety Tips

Decorating is one of my favorite things of the holiday season.  Everything is so shiny and beautiful, including the Christmas tree.  According to the US Fire Administration, however, fires during the holiday season account for 400 deaths, 1650+ injuries and almost $1 billion in damages every year.  Here are a few Christmas tree safety tips to help you and your Southern Maryland home avoid becoming one of these statistics.

Choosing the Right Tree – This is the first step in preventing a fire in your Southern Maryland home.  Choose a tree that is freshly cut.  To check for freshness, make sure that the needles are green and bend easily.  Brittle needles mean that the tree is already dry.  Pick up your tree and bounce the trunk on the ground to see how many needles fall off.  There will always be a few that come off, but, if there are a lot of needles on the ground, that means the tree was cut too long ago and has begun to dry out.

Maintaining Your Tree – Keep your Christmas tree away from all heat sources (fireplaces, heating vents, portable heaters) as these will dry your tree out quickly.  Check the water reservoir every day or two to maintain the water level.  The USFA recommends that you don’t leave your tree up for longer than two weeks.  After two weeks, the potential for your Southern Maryland home to catch fire increases significantly.

Decorations – Check your holidays lights for frayed wires, broken insulation or anything else that could create a fire hazard.  Only use lab tested lights that are approved for indoor use.  Beware of overloading electrical outlets.  Use a multi-socket adapter or power strip if you need more than two outlets.  Don’t link more than three strands of lights together.  Never decorate your tree with lit candles.  Always turn lights off when you leave the house or go to bed.

Proper Tree Disposal – Dry wood and needles burn extremely quickly.  Never burn them in your fireplace or wood-burning stove.  Instead, take it to your local recycling center or check with your local garbage collection agency to see what their pickup requirements are.  All dry trees should be taken down and disposed of right away.

Artificial Trees - Look at the box to make sure it is a flame retardant tree.  Only use Christmas tree lights that are approved for indoor use.  Periodically check the lights for heat output.  Hot lights could melt the tree.

Follow these Christmas tree safety tips to make sure your family celebrates the holidays danger free.  Happy holidays, everybody!

Bonnie Augostino, your Southern Maryland real estate specialist

Originally posted on my Southern Maryland real estate blog here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2635165/christmas-tree-safety-tips.