The holiday season is an exciting time of year. Bringing family and friends together in your home is a treasured experience. With the holidays being such a special time, we want to make sure everything is perfect. For things to be perfect, safety needs to be a concern as well.

Avoiding Fire Damage

During the holidays, your home can become more susceptible to fires. We are using our fireplaces more often during this time of year, both for the colder weather that is upon us as well as for decorations being put up. Make sure any decorations you are hanging from or placing around your fireplace are not too close to the flames to prevent an accidental fire.

Christmas trees are another fire hazard during the holiday season. Christmas tree fires account for millions of dollars of damage each year. Checking lights to ensure the wires are not frayed is one way to try and prevent a fire.

Cooking fires can be another hazard during this time of year. Be sure to clean up any grease on your stove top or oven. Also, turn pot and pan handles inwards to prevent a kitchen accident and do not leave cooking food unattended.

Extension cords can cause fires as well. When trying to decorate your home with the ideal vision you have in your head, sometimes multiple extension cords are used to bring your vision to life. Use these cautiously to avoid overloading the circuits and starting a fire.

Avoiding Water Damage

Water damage can be another issue during the winter and holiday season. Due to the colder weather, frozen pipes can cause a pipe to burst which can lead to flooding inside of your home. An ice dam on the exterior of your home can cause water damage issues as well. An ice dam occurs when ice collects along the edge of your roof and on the eaves of the outside of your home.

During the warmer part of winter days, water melting off the roof can pool behind the ice on your roof, causing the water to seep backward under the shingles. Eventually, that water drips through the roof, into the soffits and eventually onto your ceilings. To try and prevent an ice dam from happening, keep heat out of your attic space. A heated attic allows more of the ice and snow on your roof to melt, in turn allowing that water to potentially create an ice dam.

If the Worst Should Happen

Planning ahead can take time but in the long run, can make your holidays run much smoother. We all want to enjoy spending time with those close to us….not running out of the house due to an accidental fire or water damage. In the event that something like this were to happen, having an emergency plan in place can keep everyone calm and safe. At AAA Restoration, we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. We are always prepared so that if an unfortunate event happens to you, we are able to respond quickly and get you and your home back to normal as quickly as possible.