It’s October and Halloween is going to be here before we know it. I have always loved Halloween because I just love an excuse to dress up. Underwriter’s Laboratory is offering up some steps on how to be safe on Halloween.
How to Create a Safe and Spooktacular Halloween
For families across the country, Halloween is the official launch of the holiday and decorating season, which is why it is important for parents to recognize the potential safety hazards that may be associated with many of the season’s celebratory activities.
1. Inspect decorations for loose connections, frayed or bare wires and broken or cracked sockets when using lights to decorate the home for Halloween. When hanging lights, use plastic hooks or clips to reduce the risk of electric shock and fire hazards. Never nail or staple light strings.
2. Keep candles away from items that easily catch fire, such as decorations, window treatments and paper. Halloween is the fifth highest day for reported candle fires. Candles are the cause of approximately 15,000 reported house fires every year.
3. Look for flame resistant labels when purchasing costumes, fabric and accessories. Although this label does not mean these items won’t catch fire, it does indicate the fabric will resist burning and should extinguish quickly once removed from the ignition source.
Then after Halloween it always feels like November and December just fly by with Holidays and things to do. Growing up, I had a huge family. I have two moms and two dads and each of them have four/five siblings so visiting everyone was always a huge ordeal, but still fun. So I know that you will all be very busy this Holiday Season and I wanted to share UL’s tips on staying safe for the rest of the year!
Serve Up a Side of Safety This Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the No. One day for home fires, which isn’t surprising since Americans will roast, bake, brine, grill and even deep fry more than 45 million turkeys on November 26. This Thanksgiving, UL is offering these simple cooking safety tips to help keep cooks safe in the kitchen, regardless of their level of expertise!
1. Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking: Most fires in the kitchen occur because food is left unattended. If you must leave the kitchen briefly, carry an oven mitt with you as a reminder that something is cooking.
2. Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of emergency and know how to use it: Make sure the fire extinguisher is rated for grease fires and electrical fires and read the directions carefully. The acronym P.A.S.S. can help make sure you use it properly.
· Pull the pin; Aim the spray nozzle low at the base of the fire; Squeeze the nozzle to spray the contents; Sweep back and forth as you spray the base of the fire.
3. Do not pour water on a grease fire: Pouring water on a grease fire can cause the fire to spread.
Last but not least is “The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year”, Christmas. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas and all of the festivities around that!
Wrap Up the Year Safely This Holiday Season
Between finding the perfect gift for loved ones, trimming the tree and sprucing up the house with festive decorations, safety can easily be overlooked during the holiday season. That’s why UL is reminding families to take a few minutes to think about the most precious gift of all when celebrating the holidays – safety.
4. A fresh tree is key: If the needles are not fresh, it can lead to a greater risk of fire. Remember to ask your tree lot attendant to make a fresh cut to the base of the tree and place it in water as soon as you get home. Place tree in a tree stand that holds at least one gallon of water and check moisture level frequently.
5. Indoor or outdoor? Look for the UL Mark: Indoor-use only light strings are marked with UL’s green holographic label. Indoor or outdoor-use light strings are marked with UL’s red holographic label.
6. Read manufacturer instructions: When stringing lights together, the general rule is to not connect more than three midget light string sets together. Light strings with screw-in bulbs should never have more than 50 bulbs connected together.
7. Examine packaging: Parents should thoroughly examine new gifts, especially if they have young children at home. Pay particular attention to products in boxes or packages that do not offer the following:
· A brand name
· Manufacturer’s name with contact information for reporting problems with the product
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UL picnic basket loaded with UL goodies
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Leave a comment telling me which of the tips is most useful to you!
This is not a sponsored giveaway and it ends October 25th.
Not putting water on a grease fire was extremely helpful
Stay in the Kitchen while cooking is the most helpful. It would be the most obvious but we had a fire start in our kitchen three years ago because we were cooking and the stoves wires caught fire it was horrible but everyone was fine
Hi jamie,
You won the UL Safety giveaway on Mom Start. Please send me your name phone number and address for shipping. Thank you!
The best one to me is about keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and knowing how to use it. So many people buy them but then they don’t even look at them for years, so if a fire started, would they even know how to work it?
beckytag618 at gmail dot com
Not leaving the kitchen while food is cooking is something I need to be careful about. Taking an oven mitt is a good idea.
citygrlatheart(at)gmail(dot)com
This is great information! Thanks for posting it. Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of emergency and know how to use it: Make sure the fire extinguisher is rated for grease fires and electrical fires and read the directions carefully. The acronym P.A.S.S. can help make sure you use it properly.
michelle (at) harrisbb (dotcom)
Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking
They were all great tips. I would say #4 with Christmas coming. I never really asked how fresh a tree was but I will this year. Thanks so much for the tips.
“Remember to ask your tree lot attendant to make a fresh cut to the base of the tree and place it in water as soon as you get home. ” is helpful!
The tip about checking for flame resistence is important when looking at costumes. This is a good giveaway of needed items. Thanks for the Giveaway!!!!
I like this one: Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking: Most fires in the kitchen occur because food is left unattended. If you must leave the kitchen briefly, carry an oven mitt with you as a reminder that something is cooking.
I hate standing around in the kitchen while water boils. Carrying an oven mitt is ideal!
I didn’t know about the UL labels being different. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for the giveaway…looking for the UL Mark: Indoor-use only light strings are marked with UL’s green holographic label. Indoor or outdoor-use light strings are marked with UL’s red holographic label.
I learned Indoor or outdoor? Look for the UL Mark: Indoor-use only light strings are marked with UL’s green holographic label. Indoor or outdoor-use light strings are marked with UL’s red holographic label.
1. Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking: Most fires in the kitchen occur because food is left unattended. If you must leave the kitchen briefly, carry an oven mitt with you as a reminder that something is cooking.
is most important! I Never leave the Kitchen while cooking & will not leave the house with even a crock pot on!
My favorite tip is the “Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking” tip. Bad things can happen if you leave food cooking in the kitchen unattended, as fire departments across the country probably would attest
The best tip is making sure you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen at all times!
ARDY22 AT EARTHLINK DOT NET
Do not leave the kitchen while cooking food is most valuable to me cause I actually caught my kitchen on fire a couple of years ago cause I was heating up some grease and I got distracted and it caught on fire! A fire extinguisher saved my house, get one right now!
Not everybody knows to “Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of emergency and know how to use it”, so I will select that tip
4. A fresh tree is key: If the needles are not fresh, it can lead to a greater risk of fire. Remember to ask your tree lot attendant to make a fresh cut to the base of the tree and place it in water as soon as you get home. Place tree in a tree stand that holds at least one gallon of water and check moisture level frequently.
I need to remember to look for the UL mark.
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