Fireplace safety habits are always in season. However, when it comes to the added dangers that holiday decorations can bring to your hearth, a bit of extra precaution is always a good thing to keep in mind. Here are some quick fireplace safety tips to consider as you prepare your home for the holidays.
Hang Your Stockings High
If you own a fireplace (and you probably do, since you’re reading this article), you have possibly hung a stocking or two from your mantel. These items are, after all, the first present depository site Santa encounters on his way down your chimney!
When you purchased your stocking, you probably had several things in mind: color, design, monogramed letters/names. But how often did you take into account how far the stocking will hang from the mantel? Is it droop down far enough to interfere with the primary function of your fireplace?
When lighting a fire in your fireplace, you want to ensure that your stocking does not become a fireplace safety threat. Thus, you are advised remove your stockings from the mantel whenever you wish to burn a fire in your fireplace. This way, you prevent the flames from reaching the bottom of your stocking and starting an uncontrolled fire in your home. It should also be noted that you should not put your stockings back onto the mantel until the firebox has had a decent amount of time to cool – 24 hours after burning a fire.
Keep Your Christmas At A Distance
Regardless of if you own a synthetic tree or purchase a real one each year, Christmas trees have been attributed to more than 200 fires per year. Fortunately, you can keep this tragedy away from your home by following a few quick tips.
For starters, keep your tree a minimum of three feet away from anything in your home that creates heat; this includes your fireplace, heating vents, space heaters, etc.
If you invested in a real Christmas tree, keeping its roots hydrated is a must. By feeding it an estimated 1 gallon of water daily, you ensure maximum hydration, thus reducing the chance that a stray ember from your fireplace will ignite the saturated leaves.
Stack Your Presents Tightly
Wrapped presents, when not placed far enough away from your fireplace, can embody the perfect storm for destruction. The wrapping paper, as well as the adhesives that bond tape to the paper’s surface, are both extremely flammable when placed in the wrong environment. As a result, all presents should remain tightly tucked underneath your Christmas tree at a distance of three feet or more.
Extinguish All Fires Responsibly
It is critical to note after each fire has been burned, any remaining embers should be extinguished properly. This will reduce the chance of any rogue embers sparking out of the fireplace or reigniting a new fire within the firebox.
Happy Holidays
At Clean Sweep, we love it when our customers enjoy their fireplaces; that’s the entire point of having one, in our opinion. However, we cannot stress enough how important it is to enjoy your fireplace responsibly. If you suspect that there is an issue with your fireplace – whether it needs to be cleaned, inspected, repaired or serviced in any other way – please contact Clean Sweep immediately. We do not want a defect in your fireplace to ruin your holidays.
