Use These Thanksgiving Fireplace Safety Tips as you Decorate for the Holidays

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, many of us turn our attention to the joy of decorating our homes with pumpkins, fall leaves and other holiday decor. Creating a warm and comfortable environment is essential to providing that perfect family Thanksgiving feast.

Those of us with fireplaces know that because of their warmth and charm, fireplaces can be the central gathering place in the home. Thus the mantle and hearth of a fireplace can be an ideal canvas for your Thanksgiving decorations.

When we’re not busy inspecting, cleaning and repairing fireplaces all over Chicago’s western suburbs, we like to browse Pinterest for the latest in ideas for fireplace decorating. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting ideas we’ve come across this year (all photos courtesy of Pinterest).

As you use these ideas for inspiration to decorate your hearth and mantle, we also want to remind you of some important Thanksgiving decorating safety tips.

Remove all flammable items before lighting a fire

Many of the decorations we see around fireplaces this time of year are clearly flammable. We highly recommend either not using flammable materials like paper, sticks and leaves or removing them before starting a fire. Just because all of the above are not in direct contact with the flame, doesn’t mean they can’t catch fire from exposure to heat or flying sparks.

Do not decorate your fireguard

Do not place decorations directly on your fireguard. Your fireplace screen is meant to prevent sparks from your fireplace from igniting items in the room around it. Placing items directly on the screen can quickly ignite a fire outside the fireplace. Additionally, always ensure your fireguard is in place while enjoying a fire.

Use only flame retardant decorations

During the fall season we’re often tempted to bring the outdoors in and use organic materials for decorating. While organic materials like pumpkins, gourds and pine cones can be used at a safe distance from the fireplace (3 feet,) there are many synthetic flame-retardant decorations sold in stores, and we recommend those the closer they are to the actual flame.

Have your fireplace inspected annually

Without a doubt the biggest step you can take in safely operating your fireplace is ensuring it is inspected annually and cleaned as needed. Chimney owners who fail to call in a certified chimney sweep like Valley Chimney Sweep & Restoration once a year are risking a serious chimney fire and other issues that can destroy your home or sicken your family.

If you haven’t scheduled your annual chimney inspection with us, contact us today or give us a call at (630) 553-5995