Cable Covers for All Your Holiday Decorations
- By Dan Carver
- Dec 16, 2020
- 0 Comments
Part of the reason people seem to enjoy the holidays so much is because of all the wonderful decorations. Candy canes line the driveways, luminous deer can be seen grazing in the front yard, there’s even that one house that has Santa’s sleigh coming in for a landing on their roof—in all its 10,000-watt glory.
Achieving this aesthetic wonderland, however, can sometimes come at a cost. Emergency room visits tend to skyrocket during the decorating season, peaking around December 7. Between the years of 2008 and 2017, an estimated 134,281 people went to the ER specifically because of injury resulting from Christmas decorations—25,419 were for lacerations, 22,780 for sprains, 20,655 for contusions, and 15,692 were for fractures.
Many of these injuries result from people tripping over the tangled web of power cords that haphazardly run from outlets to decorations.
Fortunately, floor cord covers are a great way to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones during the holiday season. Here are some ways cord covers can improve the safety of your own home:
Indoors
Getting that “merry and bright” look inside your home requires lots of strategically placed decorations. Whether it’s the tree, the wreath, or the lights strewn about your living room, it takes a lot of lights to achieve that magical glow. You are likely to have extension cords and cables running to and fro all over your floor.
Extension cords are great. They can easily bring power to your lights when outlets are scarce. The problem is nobody wants an ugly, orange cord laying on top of their beige carpet. Nor do they want hazards of their children or pets playing with the cords. So, what do most people do? Here the top two solutions that are terrible ideas:
- Duct Tape. Who hasn’t seen this? A floor cord that is discretely covered by a strip of duct tape. So, what’s the problem? First, duct tape isn’t going to retain its adhesion for the entire holiday season. As foot traffic comes and goes, people will step on your floor cords repeatedly which means eventually you will have a tripping hazard. Secondly, duct tape does not offer protection for the cord itself which means the wiring inside could become compromised potentially leading to a fire hazard.
- Carpet. The second solution people tend to favor is to simply tuck their stray cords up under the edge of the carpeting. This way the cords aren’t visible and people are protected from tripping over the cord. Good idea, right? Not quite. Like the duct tape, the carpeting won’t protect the cord itself which means that the more people step on it the more it will deteriorate.
Over time, power cords will become compromised if they are repeatedly stepped on, and if it’s buried under your carpet then it becomes even more of a fire hazard than the duct tape.
The only solution to ensure people won’t trip and that will actually protect the integrity of your cords themselves are floor cord covers. Not only are floor covers designed to absorb the impact of foot traffic, which will protect electrical cords from deterioration, but they are low profile which means you can achieve the decorative aesthetic you were looking for while having the confidence your electrical components won’t be compromised.
What to do next
Check out the Checkers’ rubber protection systems that protect and hide valuable cords and cables located in walkways or inside work areas. These non-metallic, flexible, industrial-grade rubber protectors are extremely durable, easy to install and organize portable cords and cables while reducing trip hazards.
Outdoors
People typically employ the same cord cover strategies outside that they do inside. This often involves wrapping cords in duct tape and burying the cord under whatever they can. Worse still, people may be tempted to leave cords laying about because they aren’t concerned with the appearance as much.
The safety hazards presented when using electrical cords outside are actually more numerous than they are when using them inside. Not only are people apt to trip, but extension cords are more likely to deteriorate when used on the outside of the home because they are exposed to extreme cold/heat, rain/snow, and increased foot traffic.
The risk for fire is increased when cords are used outside. It is just as important to secure your cords with floor cord covers to ensure people don’t trip over them. Make sure your cords are protected from the elements they will be exposed to.
What to Do Next
Check out the Checkers’ Fastlane® lightweight drop-over protectors, designed especially for the outdoors. These protectors are made from durable polyurethane and feature heavy-duty, patented L-Connectors for easily attaching additional protectors to extend to any desired length.
People are willing to make the investment when it comes to getting the decorations that they love. Unfortunately, when it comes to proper safety equipment, it can be tempting to cut corners. Picking up a few floor cord covers will not only give you peace of mind during the holiday season, it means you never have to bother with duct tape or unorthodox cord hiding ever again.
Happy holidays!