Halloween is just around the corner. If you love buying a bunch of candy – some for the trick-or-treaters and some for yourself, dressing up, and decorating your home, you’re not alone. For many people, this spooky time of year is a great way to feel like a kid again. As a homeowner, you assume a certain amount of risk when costumed kids arrive for their annual dose of candy. To keep Halloween both fun and frightful, make sure your home is safe for the kids and for yourself.
- Clear all walkways. Make sure toys, hoses, and tools get picked up so nothing can become a tripping hazard.
- Clean your yard. Ideally kids will use the walkway, but in reality, some will walk across your lawn. Pick up garden hoses, tools, pots, hoses, and lawn furniture that may be difficult to see at night.
- Light up the night and the walkways. Check your existing outdoor lighting to make sure they work. Replace light bulbs and add new lighting so that people can see from the start of your walkway to the door.
- Make sure your outdoor lighting is grounded to prevent overloading your electrical outlets. Use covered electric outlets with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).
- Don’t run extension or electrical cords across walkways.
- Keep any jack-o-lanterns with candles away from the walkway and flammable decorations outside.
- Opt for LED candles, light sticks, or other battery-powered or electric lights instead of candles to reduce fire hazards.
- Keep your pets inside and if the excitement of the activity is too much, in a separate room. Halloween is a time when pets bite or run away because they can’t handle the stress of so many people at the door.
- Test your smoke alarms. This is a good idea throughout the year, but at Halloween when candles are in use, it’s absolutely necessary.
- Keep decorations away from the walkways. You don’t want anything to block kids as they walk to your door.
- Inside, make sure any open flame is kept away from all decorations. Don’t leave open flames unattended. Put them out before you go to bed.
- Make sure your car is locked. Put it in the garage, if you can. Innocent kids are out on Halloween, but so are criminals looking for an easy target.
Halloween can and should be a night of fun for everyone. Your top priority should be giving out candy and admiring all the creative costumes – not putting out fires or dealing with injuries. Take precautions now, and the night will be frightfully fun for everyone!
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