Christmas Tree Safety

Hello everyone,

Welcome to another tip of the week edition. As the holidays are near, it's a good time to take some time and think about Christmas tree safety. Christmas trees have been known to cause house fires and lead to very dangerous and unfortunate outcomes due to lack of safety.

Here are some things to think about before and after you have your perfect tree in your home:

1. Measure the height of your ceiling, and make sure your tree is at least 6 to 12 inches below your ceiling height.

2. Make sure you have at least 3 feet of clearance all around your tree.

3. Do not place your tree under any ceiling heat register; doing so will dry your tree out faster and make it brittle.

4. Do not place your tree near or next to any heat source (i.e. fire place, space heater, or anything fueled by oil, gas, kerosene, or any other flammable substance).

5. Make sure that your tree stand is suitable for your tree. Make sure that it will support your tree firmly and snug in the base.

6. With a live tree, make sure that you keep it well watered with the proper food chemicals that will keep it alive longer. Here is a tip for watering: Go to your local auto parts store and purchase the longest oil funnel you can. Place the bottom of the funnel in the tree base in the back and when you need to water it you won't need to bend down with a cup to fill it up.

7. When you pick out your tree, make sure that they cut off a 2 inch slice off the bottom to allow water to be absorbed into the tree.

8. When it comes to putting the lights on your tree, I highly recommend using LED lights. They will last longer and the lights will not get as hot, and will reduce the risk of sparking which could lead to fires.

9. If you have family pets, make sure that your most precious ornaments are in the middle or top, so they don't get damaged by our furry friends.

10. After all your lights are up, and woven into the tree, make sure that you are using a surge protector power strip for all of your connections and make sure you use a dedicated outlet for the tree and the tree only.

Following these simple steps and procedures will help ensure that your holiday is a safe and happy one.

That's it for this week. Thank you all for joining me, and tune in next time for more helpful homeowner tips and advice. If you have any questions or concerns about your home, condo or apartment, please write to me, I'd love to hear from ya.

Have a great week everyone!