Holiday Lights Safety Tips!

Before you decorate the outside of your home this holiday season, check out these holiday lights safety tips!

• Inspect your lights each year. Look at the wires and sockets of your lights. If you have any sets with fraying cords, broken bulbs, or loose connections, throw them away.
• Verify that the lights and extension cords are for outdoor use. If your products have the UL mark with "UL" in red, it means it's been tested for outdoor safety. If "UL" is green, the product is only suitable for indoor use.
• Don't overload extension cords. Find out the electrical capacity of the cord by looking at the label on the cord. Then look at the label on the lights you want to plug into it. The sum of the power used by the decorations shouldn't exceed the cord's capacity.
• Use plastic hooks to hang lights. Secure lights and cords to structures with plastic hooks, which can be found at any hardware store. Also, don't route cords through doors or windows. This can crush the cord and post a serious fire hazard.