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With over half of U.S. households celebrating* Halloween and 66 percent of them planning to participate in trick-or-treating, make sure kids are safe and sound when coming to your door. Here are some tips to make sure this Halloween isn’t physically frightful at your home.
Keep a Clutter-Free Haunted House
Homeowners should remove anything a child can trip over from the front yard, porch and stairs leading to the front door. Make sure all walking paths are clear of lawn decorations, potted plants, extension cords, hoses, gardening equipment, bicycles, barbecue grills and anything else trick-or-treaters might run into, especially when they can’t see at night. And don’t forget to leave the front of the house and exits well-lit and the lawn sprinklers turned off.
Corral Your Pets
Your guests don’t need to feel threatened by a strange dog, or worse yet, knocked over by an excited pet because of unfamiliar visitors. So, make sure all your pets are on a leash, and if your dogs are prone to barking at strangers, put them in an interior room so they won’t see trick-or-treaters at the front door.
Spooky and Safe Decorating
- Decorate outside with ghouls, goblins, mummies and tombstones in a way that they won’t tip over or blow away. When considering props, use fake and safe alternatives – rather than anything sharp or heavy.
- Don’t become Clark Griswold by overloading your electrical outlets with decorations. Instead, follow manufacturer’s instructions to prevent damage or injury.
- Make sure decorations are kept from sources of fire. Avoid open flames altogether and consider LED lighting or battery-operated candles for optimal safety. When selecting decorative lights, check for safety certifications such as UL, CSA, ETL or another nationally recognized laboratory. And don’t drape fabric or crepe paper over light bulbs or you might have a fire on your hands.
The trick to making Halloween a treat for those costumed candy collectors is to have a scary, but safe, haunted house for them to visit.
