Thinking about decorating the outside of your home this year? There are so many creative things you can do using lights, inflatables, wreaths, garlands, and other holiday decor.
While you may have plenty of landscaping where your decorations can go, you might also be thinking about hanging lights from the roof. Since roofing happens to be our specialty, we have some tips for how to safely hang holiday lights on your roof this year.
5 Tips for Safely Hanging Lights & Other Decor from Your Roof
Below you’ll find five tips to help you stay safe while hanging holiday decorations from your roof as well as how to protect your roof in the process.
1. Decorate When the Weather Is Dry
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 160 injuries occur each day during the holidays as a result of Christmas decorating. About half of those injuries are falls. In 2022 alone, 14,900 people’s injuries were severe enough that they landed them in the emergency room.
Bottom line: If it’s wet, icy, or snowy, stay inside. Your decorations can wait.
Even if you don’t plan on stepping foot on your roof (see Tip #3 below), wet weather will make all surfaces slippery and unstable. This includes the ladder you step on and the ground it rests on.
2. Always Work with a Partner
Not only can a partner give you pointers on where to place lights and other decor, they can help keep you safe.
If you’re planning to decorate your roof, you’re going to need a sturdy ladder. But before you get on it, make sure that it’s placed on a level and firm surface. Then secure it against the side of your house. It’s then your partner’s job to hold the ladder in place to ensure it’s extra-secure for you to work from. Remember you should always have three points of contact with the ladder. If you are trying to get something on the roof, use a pulley system or rope to get it on the roof.
3. Avoid Standing on the Roof
In general, we never recommend that anyone stand or walk on the roof of a house. Not only are there a ton of hazards up there, it’s not always easy to spot signs of damage. One wrong step and you could end up with your foot going through your roof.
If you have to go up there to secure a Santa Claus or Grinch, for instance, here are some tips for doing so safely:
- Wear shoes with a firm grip.
- Wear protective gloves as well as long pants and sleeves.
- Take no more than two or three steps.
- Avoid walking upright. Crawl on all fours instead.
- Avoid valleys (the spot where two sloping roofs join).
The alternative is to avoid going on the roof altogether. Instead, hang whatever decorations you can from a ladder. You can decorate along your walkways, drape decorations over hedges, wrap them around trees, and frame your doorway or railings.
4. Use Roof-friendly Fasteners
When shingles get holes in them is when they’re most prone to damage and leaks. The last thing you want is for your holiday decorations to be the reason why you need to call us out for an emergency repair.
Instead of using nails or staples as they do in the movies, use clips that won’t puncture your roof’s shingles, gutters, or sides of your house. There are clips made for this exact purpose.
Speaking of clips, you can use all-in-one clips. However, if there’s a specific area of the roof or a specific kind of roof you want to hang lights from, look for clips designed for it. For instance, there are plastic roof clips for clay tiles, parrot clips for flat roofs, and simple hooks for gutters.
If there are any points where you can’t clip onto the roof or gutter, adhesive strips will suffice.
5. Watch for Fire Hazards
Make sure your roof is clean and free of fire hazards like clogged eaves and gutters before you begin.
Then, give your lights and other decorations an inspection before you start hanging them. What you’re looking for are signs of damage. For example:
- Missing light bulbs
- Broken light bulbs
- Exposed or frayed wires
If all looks good, plug them in and give them a test. It would be unfortunate to spend all that time hanging them on your roof, only to discover that they don’t work.
Another thing to consider when it comes to fire safety is the type of lights you use. LED light bulbs are probably your best choice. Not only are they more energy efficient than other options, they tend not to overheat.
Staying Safe While Getting into the Holiday Spirit
Seeing homes decorated with lights and decorations is always a wonderful treat during the holidays. Let’s just make sure it doesn’t come at the expense of your wellbeing or the integrity of your home and roof.
By the way, if you haven’t had your roof inspected in the last six months, we’d recommend you schedule one before you hang up those lights. If your shingles, eaves, and gutters are in poor shape, they can become a major hazard if and when you do attempt to hang them up.
Give us a call or fill out the form here to schedule your appointment.