5 Things to Remember When It Comes to Commercial Holiday Lighting

Now that Thanksgiving is over, and the chaos of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to tackle the task of holiday decorating.  This means digging out your old holiday lights, grabbing a ladder, and hanging them in your store or workplace.

Decorating your business for the holidays requires more than just adding a couple of colored bulbs here and there, however. Below are 5 important things to remember when decorating your business for the holidays this year.

1. Do Keep Safety in Mind

Always make sure that your ladder is set up at the right angle. The base needs to be firm on the ground and it shouldn’t be wobbly or easy to tip over. If you can, use a ladder with four legs and a platform so you’ll get better support.  Also, make sure you have surge protectors and use heavy-duty extension cords so you don’t end up frying your whole electrical system. Holiday lights used outdoors must also be rated safe for outdoor so they can withstand extreme weather conditions and temperature changes.

2. Do Keep Your Extra Parts

Many holiday light systems have little bits and pieces of extra parts like fuses and lightbulbs. You’ll want to keep these as they might come in handy if you need to replace something. It’s best to have replacements ready rather than having to go through all the hardware stores in your area looking for a specific part. You’d also want to avoid buying and using the wrong part as this can gravely affect your holiday lights.

3. Do Buy Extra String Lights

It’s also a good idea to have a few extra holiday string lights ready. If you’re not sure how to decorate your business, it’ll be hard to predict how many light strings you’ll need. Also, no matter how durable they are, these lights don’t last forever. Rather than worrying about finding the same type of light string, you might just want to buy a few more strings as a backup.

4. Do Mind the Circuit Breaker

Never use more lights and fixtures than the circuit breaker can take. Although decorative light fixtures—think string lights—only use a few watts of power, you don’t want to overload the line by connecting one set of light strings to another and connecting that to another. To be on the safe side, you might want to consider using mini LED lights since they require a significantly smaller amount of power to operate.

5. Do Watch Out for Broken Lights

If you notice a burnt bulb on the line, you’ll want to replace this as soon as you can. A single burnt out bulb can affect every single one on the connection. Replacing a dead bulb is a simple maintenance job that will help your holiday lights last longer, use less energy, and keep that wonderful holiday aesthetic. Again, this is why it’s important have replacement bulbs ready.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when setting up your holiday lights. Follow these Dos to ensure your business looks amazing this holiday season.