Follow These Safety Tips for Decorating and Cleaning Up After the Holidays
Whether you’re still planning to deck the halls or you’re dreading the post-holiday cleanup, safety should always come first as you maneuver on and around your home’s roof. Hanging string lights and other decorations can damage your roof if not done properly, and practicing good ladder safety is essential. To help make your holidays safer, our team at Dolan Roofing & Construction has put together a few of our top holiday decorating safety tips.
We’ve included various dos and don’ts for your personal safety, as well as tips for ensuring you don’t damage your roof during the holiday season. Let’s take a look.
Don’t: Take Risks on Ladders
Overall, the best of all ladder safety tips—and holiday decorating safety tips in general—is to use common sense. One of the best “don’ts” to keep in mind is to never take risks while on a ladder.
The best example of this is when you’re attempting to hang string lights on a fastener that’s just at the edge of your reach. Rather than risking a fall by leaning way, way over, simply climb down and move your ladder. The extra minute or so you take is well worth minimizing the risk of injury.
Do: Practice Good Ladder Safety
Ladders are surprisingly risky, and one of the top causes of injuries, particularly during the holidays. It may seem unbelievable, but more than 500,000 Americans are treated for ladder-related injuries each year!
To keep yourself safe, make sure you know the basics of ladder safety. This includes always maintaining three points of contact with your ladder, having a spotter nearby, placing your ladder on firm ground, and always using the right-sized ladder for the job.
Don’t: Use Nails or Staples on Your Roof
It’s never a good idea to put nails or staples in your roof if you aren’t a professional, and the potential damage you could do isn’t worth it. Puncturing your roof with nails and staples leaves vulnerabilities and creates an opportunity for water to penetrate to the underlying portions of your roof. Similarly, stapling or nailing holiday decorations to your gutters could compromise your gutter system, leaving your home in need of repairs.
Do: Use Specially Designed Clips and Fasteners
Most major hardware stores carry specially designed clips and fasteners that enable you to hang string lights and other decorations without damaging your roof. These are typically very affordable, but even if you’re loath to spend money, investing in a set of plastic clips is far less expensive than a roof repair next spring!
Don’t: Just Wing It
Decorating your home may seem simple and straightforward—until you’ve hung a full string of lights, plug them in, and find that only half of them work. There’s nothing worse than hunting for dead bulbs while your lights are already installed, or hanging lights only to find you can’t reach the outlet.
Do: Plan Ahead
Instead, map out your decorations ahead of time, with your feet firmly on the ground. Check your lights for burnt out bulbs and make sure you know where decorations can be plugged in. And did we mention buying roof-safe fasteners for your decor?
Don’t: Damage Your Roof During Takedown
Once the holidays are over, removing all your decorations may feel like a chore you want to complete as quickly as possible. However, take care as you remove decorations to ensure you aren’t damaging your roof. Yanking decorations out or dropping heavy objects onto your roof is an easy way to damage your roof as you un-deck the halls, so be sure to take care during cleanup.
Do: Book a Roof Inspection from Dolan Roofing After the Holidays
As you can see from our holiday decorating safety tips, the holidays carry more than their share of risks to you—and your roof’s—safety. No matter how careful you are, it’s always a good idea to have your roof inspected for damage after you’ve taken down the decorations this holiday season.
Not only that, but the period following the holidays, in San Antonio, is an ideal time to start planning ahead for the showers and storms of spring. Schedule your inspection to ensure your roof is ready!
