The best time to hang Christmas lights and holiday lights is before the weather turns wet and cold. It is easier and more comfortable to work outside when the weather is mild and it is also much safer. Bad weather can make climbing ladders and working along eaves of the roof dangerous.
How to Hang Christmas Lights Outside
You have to get a lot of the prep work done before you even actually start hanging any lights. Extension cords, hooks and hangers need to be installed. You can also get ahead of the game by checking your lights before its time to hang them. You can get them out of storage and check to see if they’re all working. Doing this allows you plenty of time to replace the bulbs or strings that aren’t working. Many of the home stores and other retailers start selling holiday lights well before Halloween. You can take the time to map out where the lights will go to make sure you’ll have enough by using a long tape measure to figure out how many strands you will need. You will need to take into account the eaves, windows, doors, shrubs and trees. If all this sounds exhausting, time intensive and complicated; it is. Fortunately, there is a solution – hire a professional like Sunburst Window Cleaning & Holiday Lighting to take care of all your holiday lighting!
Buying Christmas Lights Off Season
When you buy lights it’s better to go with shorter, rather than longer light strings. This will make it easier and more affordable to replace them if they stop working. Choose light strings that have a female end and a male end, to make connecting strings easy. There are many different types of lights. You can choose from mini-lights, icicle lights, and mesh-style strings to wrap around tree trunks. There are clear, white, or colored lights that can stay solidly lit, blink or chase. The type you pick will depend on the look you’re trying to achieve, your budget and the power requirements for the lights. Mini-lights are very popular as they use miniature bulbs, which are inexpensive to buy and to power.
Safety Measures & Tips to Take when Hanging Christmas Lights
Make sure all electric decorations and extension cords are UL-listed. Make sure you use lights and decorations that are rated for outdoor use. Putting indoor lights outside can result in electric shock and fire hazards. If the UL mark is green, it means they are for indoor use only and a red UL mark indicates that the product is safe for both indoor and outdoor use. Always unplug the lights before you change out any bulbs, replace fuses or attempt any other repairs. As a general rule of thumb, it’s safe to connect up to three strands of lights together. Do not overload extension cords and check the wires to make sure they aren’t warm to the touch. Always turn off all Christmas lights and decorations before going to bed or leaving the house.
Christmas & Holiday Lighting Installation in West Houston, Cypress, Katy, Spring Valley Village & Piney Point Village Texas
Hanging lights may not be as fun as you thought. Ladders can be unstable and strings of lights can become a tangled mess. Hiring professional to hang them for you may seem like a new idea for many, but the trend to hire them has grown in the past few years. If hanging Christmas light becomes the most dreaded time of the year, call Sunburst Window Cleaning & Holiday Lighting to make it a wonderful time of the year!
