Christmas Decor pro urges holiday lighting safety measures

As the holiday season approaches, outdoor holiday lighting expert Mike Gray of Christmas Decor by G.M.G. Inc. in Nassau offers do-it-yourself decor warriors some basic safety guidelines from the Electrical Safety Foundation International.

• Use extension cords and electrical decorations that are designed for outdoor use and confirm that they have been approved by a recognized testing lab.
• Inspect lights, decor and extension cords for damage before use, and plug them into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters. Don't overload a single electrical outlet with too many devices.
• Keep yourself, your decor and your equipment at least 10 feet away from power lines during and after installation and removal.
• Turn off all indoor and outdoor electrical decorations before you leave home or go to bed for the night.

"It's important on so many levels that property owners who want to manage their own holiday lighting installations follow guidelines like these," said Gray. "Putting up, maintaining, and taking down outdoor holiday electrical decor requires a variety of skill sets ranging from design expertise and electrical knowledge to ladder safety and safe storage planning. To prevent personal injury and property damage, it's important to do your research, plan ahead and then proceed with care."

Gray reminds property owners that there is another, safer way to approach outdoor holiday decorating chores: Turn them over to a professional outdoor holiday lighting expert like Christmas Decor. "Our end-to-end solution, for example, includes design, installation, maintenance, takedown and storage," said Gray. "Our decorators are trained to execute professional-grade lighting displays on high roofs and ladders, and in tricky situations. The results we deliver far exceed what the average homeowner is able to achieve with consumer-grade decor, and without damage to moldings, roofing, architectural elements, or – most importantly – the property owner."

For more information, contact Mike Gray of Christmas Decor by G.M.G. Inc. in Nassau at 302-645-9926 or mwgray55@gmail.com, or go to christmasdecor.net.