Halloween Safety Tips & Decorating Ideas

“Trick or Treat!”

You open the door to find a Disney princess and a very enthusiastic Spiderman. These kids live for Halloween. What kid wouldn’t love the evening they get to dress up, run door to door and fill their sacks with candy. You like to give these rascals a good fright and have decorated your hard to do so. Skeletons hanging off the tree, grave stones eerily placed about your lawn, and the toothy grin of spooky Jack-O-Lanterns glowing in the night.

Halloween is a fun time of year for kids and adults. Make sure your Halloween decorations are free of fire hazards and safe for you and trick-or-treaters.

Here are some Halloween safety tips:

1. Jack-o-lanterns, candles and lights can all be fire hazards. Make sure you place you jack-o-lanterns and candles out of the direct path to your door and directly around your entrance. Remember that many kids will be wearing masks so might have impaired vision. You don’t want batman to accidentally drape his cape over your candles. Use no-flame battery candles if you’re unsure.

2. Lights and candles lit indoors should be kept clear of curtains, decorations and other flammable objects.

3. If you are using a lot of electrical lights for your outdoor Halloween display make sure you check the lights and cords for frayed or bare wires, loose connections and look over your outdoor sockets to ensure they’re not cracked or damaged. Do not overload your extension cords.

4. You may have coffins, zombies, ghosts and haunted villages set up in your front yard. Make sure your Hallween display is cleared from the where kids will be walking. You don’t want them to trip and fall.

5. Turn on your outdoor lights. This let’s trick-or-treaters know you’re open for business and will help increase visibility.  If you are not participating in Halloween, or are leaving for the evening, make sure your lights are off so people know not to visit.

6. Do not leave candy on your porch unattended. Unattended candy can attract animals and chances are a few kids who lack self-control will just dump the entire bowl in their bags earlier in the night. Don’t hand out home-made candy. As a safety precaution, most parents won’t allow their kids to eat home-made treats and it will get thrown out.

7. Keep your pets in a safe area. The last thing you want is your cat to escape out the door or your excited dog to knock down a little kid.  Make sure you keep your pets secure in your house or yard during Halloween night.

Halloween Decorating Ideas

You don’t have to spend a fortune on Halloween decorations to create an spooky yard for trick-or-treaters.  There are plenty of DIY Halloween decorating ideas out there, some to give a fright and some that might get a laugh!  Here are a few websites that offer simple, budget-friendly Halloween decoration ideas for your yard.

15 Easy Decorating How-To’s:  This Old House will help you get ready for trick-or-treaters with these simple projects for spooking up your home.

26 Halloween DIY Yard Decor Ideas:  Here is a list of 40 Halloween DIY yard decor ideas. Whether your a beginner or a seasoned professional there are projects for all levels.  It’s put together by Sew Woodsy, a husband and wife DIY team.

DIY Network’s Budget-Friendly Outdoor Decorations:  Don’t waste money on big blow-up Halloween decorations for your front yard. Instead use these clever ideas and your crafty skills to make one-of-kind decorations. You’ll be the envy of the neighborhood, and save a lot of money

Some of our favourite DIY Halloween Decoration Ideas:

Axe Wielding Apparition	Kids are grounded prank
Spooky Pallet Wood Fence	Halloween Character Silhouettes
Zombie Planted Hands	Haunted Graveyard

Find materials and supplies at www.renovationfind.com

Are you creating a real elaborate outdoor Halloween display or do you just need a few things to make your decor extra spooky this year?  You’ll find building supplies, tools, and other materials  at one of our accredited hardware stores.  We have supply stores in our directory that cover all areas of renovation and design.  They will have what you need and could give you a few creative ideas too!  Browse the categories in your city: