Safety Wrap-Up for 2014

The presents are all opened and the delicious meals enjoyed. Now it’s time to look forward to a New Year’s celebration and 2015. Have you resolved to have a safe and prosperous new year? Here are a few ideas to help you wrap up 2014 safely, so you can look forward to a wonderful new year.

Is Your Christmas Tree Crispy?
If you have a fresh tree, no doubt it’s starting to get a little tired of being indoors. If you’re not ready to take it down just yet, run your hands along a few of the branches. If the tree feels dry or needles drop off, your lovely décor is now a fire hazard. Don’t take any chances! You should immediately remove the decorations and lights and set it outside for recycling.

Were Those Lights Supposed to be Flashing?
If any of your decorative lights were flickering or flashing and they weren’t supposed to, this would be a great time to replace them. Don’t put them away and figure that you’ll replace them next year. Trash them now. Besides, this is a terrific time to get those “post-holiday deals” on all things “Christmassy.” 

Don’t Create a Tripping Hazard
Taking down the tree and all of those decorations can be lots of work. Don’t give in to the temptation to get the main job done and just stack the boxes until it’s “convenient to put them away.” The last thing you want as a reminder of the 2014 holiday season is a trip to the emergency room because you’ve tripped over a bunch of “stuff you meant to put away.”  

Was Your Holiday Meal Experience Complete With “Unexpected Mood Lighting?”
It happens every year. When all of those kitchen appliances are running at the same time, a circuit breaker is bound to protest. If you had some unexpected darkness and/or dysfunctional kitchen areas during the holidays, an excellent time to get that fixed is now…while the memory of how much “fun” the experience was is fresh in your mind.

Or Maybe Santa Was Naughty
When Santa is in a rush, all kinds of things can get broken. Maybe he was in too much of a hurry bringing in the presents and broke the door knob (oops), pulled loose the handrail (oh dear) or broke the handle on the toilet (yikes). Well, accidents happen, and perhaps during all the festivities you’ve just now noticed. This weekend might be a good time inspect for new problems and make those little repairs that will become annoyances later.

Bonus Tip – Having Nothing to do With Home Maintenance:
December is that special time of the year when identity thieves and people who swipe credit card numbers are most active. Be sure to check your credit card and bank statements for unusual activity. Yes, this doesn’t have anything to do with home maintenance, but when a member of your family helps with financial matters, this kind of financial fiasco is something that we just have to mention.

If you’d like some help putting away decorations, finding the solution to why that circuit switch flipped, or if you’re ready to winterize your home now that it’s finally cold, just give us a call and take advantage of our December Special! We’re here to help!