Most homeowners have a collection of treasured decorations that help make the holiday season more festive. You may not realize it, but there's a direct correlation between protecting your decorations while they're in storage and keeping your home and family safe from harm. Here are some decoration storage do's and don't's that can help you accomplish both:
Don't Assume That Decorations Aren't Dangerous
You might mistakenly think you only have to worry about hazards like frayed electric holiday lights or placing a tree too close to your fireplace when your decorations are in use. However, some stored decorations can add fuel to a fire or produce noxious fumes when they melt, such as:
Boxes and egg cartons used for ornament storage
Fabric holiday stockings and tree skirts
Components of wreaths, garlands and artificial trees
Holiday candles
Plastic totes and storage containers
Don't Use the Furnace Room for Decoration Storage
If you have some extra space around your furnace, you might be tempted to use it to store your holiday decorations. The truth is, having any of the above items close to a combustion device like your furnace (or water heater) is a serious safety hazard. Other flammable and combustible items that shouldn't be stored near your furnace are fuels like gasoline, paint and paint thinners, aerosol sprays, cleaning and laundry products, wood products, paper goods, cat litter and fabric/textile materials.
Do Choose a Safe Spot for Storing Decorations
After you've carefully packed up your holiday decorations to keep them safe while in storage, here are some potential storage location where they're unlikely to cause any danger:
The attic. A well-lit attic can be a good spot to store seasonal holiday decor, just don't include items like paraffin candles that may melt.
Your garage. A dedicated shelving unit in the garage can make a great location for storing decorations during the off-season.
A bedroom closet. An empty closet in a seldom-used bedroom can give you easy access to stored boxes of holiday decorations.
To learn more safe decoration storage ideas for your Broken Arrow home, contact us today at Air Assurance.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, us at 918-217-8273.