Halloween is a time of spooky fun, celebration, and fun costumes. Kids roam the neighborhood, trick-or-treating and having a good time with their friends. Adults get a night to feel like a kid again.. But that doesn’t mean it’s a risk-free holiday, especially if you’re decorating, throwing a party, or expecting to give out lots of candy.
Before you turn your home into a haunted house, check these Halloween safety tips so you don’t have to worry about any accidents ruining everyone’ fun.
- Make sure your home, yard, and walkways offer a well-lit path to get to your front door. Replace light bulbs in existing lighting and add new exterior lights as needed. This prevents trips, slips, and other accidents from trick-or-treaters or their parents.
- Keep walkways and yard clear of tripping hazards. Even if you decorate your yard, you want to look for things people can stumble over. Decorations should be easy to see and lawn equipment, hoses, furniture, pots, and more need to be put away.
- Don’t use candles or open flames in your jack-o-lanterns or other decorations. They can easily cause a fire when they’re knocked over, tripped on, or shoved aside in all the excitement.
- Use bright light bulbs in your pumpkins and other decorations. It makes sense to want the spooky effect for Halloween, but that’s not always the safest thing for everyone.
- Use plenty of extension cords. You don’t want to overload a single outlet or cord. If it feels hot, unplug everything and let it cool down.
- Check the amps needed for your decorations and make sure it matches your outdoor outlets or extension cord.
- Plug outdoor lights and decorations into ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to reduce the chance of an electric shock.
- Never drape fabrics over light bulbs for indoor or outdoor decorations. The fabric can heat up and start a fire.
- Avoid using flammable decorations like crepe paper, corn stalks, and other materials. Even if you don’t use open flames, these materials can cause accidents if they get too close to any heat source.
- Keep pets in another room while you’re giving out candy or during your Halloween party especially if they’re nervous or excited around strange people. All the excitement can stress out your fur babies, leading to bites and accidents.
- If you’re having a Halloween party, keep exits clear to make sure guests can easily get out in an emergency.
- Think twice about serving alcohol at your Halloween party. If you do, take all keys and contact Uber or Lyft for party-goers to avoid liability for any drunk driving.
If this is your first year throwing a big party or decorating your new home, make sure you have enough liability insurance first. All it takes is one dog bite or trick-or-treater to trip in your home or on your lawn to exceed your liability limits. Talk to an agent at Charlotte Insurance to make sure you have enough home insurance coverage for whatever life throws at you this Halloween. You focus on the spooky fun, and we’ll focus on keeping you and your home protected with the right insurance coverage.