 Welcome everyone, we are headed into the holiday season. And we are going to share with you some tips on decorating cooking and safety. With me today is TLC and HGTV interior designer, Sabrina Soto. Hi guys, thank you Dana. I'm glad you're here. I am so happy to be here. I love the holidays, I'm a Christmas baby, I've loved the holidays growing up, but even more so because I love decorating, I'm a designer by trade, and I'm a mom to a four-year-old Olivia. So it's like the age that she's finally getting the holidays, so it's going to be a good year. Good. Well, a lot of people are looking for it to the holidays and getting ready to prepare, prepare, prepare. We're going to be cooking, we're going to be decorating, we're going to be going to parties. And unfortunately, there are some hazards that do creep in to the holiday season and we should talk about those. Let me give you a couple of numbers. So on an average, there are 200 decorating related injuries each day during the holiday season. So we want to make sure we don't, we get that number down as low, close to zero as possible. Cooking fires are the number one cause of residential fires, but on Thanksgiving day, we see four times the number and that translates into about 1,800 cooking fires on Thanksgiving day every year. And last year, there were 166,000 children, younger than 15 who visited emergency rooms because of toy related injuries, mostly through riding toys, some choking, but that's too many. And we want to make sure that we provide some tips to get those numbers as low as possible. Yeah, I mean, after hearing those numbers, when we talked earlier, it's super, it's alarming to me how many really injuries and unfortunately deaths that we have during the holidays because of being unsafe conditions. Well, the good news is they are avoidable and let's give them some tips. Okay, so what about for decorating? For me, when I'm decorating the house, I'm usually by myself, but when I'm decorating with lights, I want to make sure that somebody's there and I have a sturdy ladder, I have a sturdy step stool when I'm trying to get high up, putting on lights, but what tips do you have for people when they're decorating their house for the holidays? Well, let's start with ladders. I'm glad you brought that up. There are more falls putting up and taking down Christmas decorations each year than there should be. So if you're going to use a ladder, you want to make sure you have a steady stable area. You want to make sure you have somebody with you. Don't do it by yourself. You want to have somebody help you climb, helps you get down. And I shouldn't have to say this, but you should never be on the top rung. And we were talking a little earlier, you violate that one. You also want to make sure that if you have pets or small children in the house, that they aren't running around underneath the ladder that could cause a problem. So when you are putting up lights, not being on that top which step, which I have done many times, unfortunately, what other tips can you give people about just holiday lights? Holiday lights. Okay, so holiday lights can be tricky, but the basic ones are these. If you take them out of storage and you look at them and they have frayed wires or they have cracked bulbs or cracked sockets, don't use them, throw them away, don't try to tape them up. And when you go to buy your new lights, make sure you look for that label that indicates they've been tested by an independent party. Can you explain that a little bit? Yes. So everything, every product, consumer product, has regulations that govern them. And we require, the CPSC requires that toys, lights, things of that nature be looked at, not by just the manufacturer through their testing, but from a third party lab. And they test them to make sure they comply with all the strict safety requirements that are out on the government. So the tag that's on the Christmas lights, for instance, that's the actual tag that says that it passed the test. That's exactly right. And so are there lights that are on the market now that don't have that requirement? They should not be. So be careful when you're ordering online, because sometimes that's an easier way to sneak in some non-compliant goods. I actually don't think a lot of people know about that. I mean, I've been doing design now for 17 years and just even as a designer when I get lamps and having that tag, I just thought it was an eyesore. I had no idea. No, it's important. Okay, good. What about Christmas trees? Before we get to Christmas trees, I wanna add one more thing about the lights. When you put them up, don't use a stapler. Never use a stapler. And when you store them, make sure you don't put them away wet. And to the extent that you can avoid it, don't put them in the attic because the heat in the summertime could damage them for the next year. All right, let's move to Christmas trees. Yes, a big one. All right, fresh or artificial? Well, so I have always had fresh because I grew up with a fresh tree. This is the first year that I bought artificial and only because fresh to me, it's a little bit more hymen. And of course they smell great, but it's I always have the pine needles on the floor and it's just, I have to water it every day. So this is my first year. I'll let you know how it went with the artificial. I might go back to fresh next year. Well, you brought up a good point about the artificial and that is watering. So any of you who are going to have a fresh tree, water it every day, every day, every day. And that will also keep it from having the pine needles on the floor rather than on the tree. Because if it's dry, it could literally go up in flames. And we're gonna see that demonstration later. Let's go back to our little tag on the prelit Christmas tree. So all prelit Christmas trees are independently tested, but you can also buy an artificial tree that is fire resistant. Now that doesn't mean it won't catch fire, but it certainly will be protected a lot more than a dry Christmas tree, a fresh tree. Same thing with the lights. If you have a prelit artificial tree, make sure you check those lights to make sure there aren't any broken bulbs and sockets before you plug it in. Is there a way, if you do have a tree that maybe isn't fire resistant, that you could add something or treat it in some way? It's time to get a new one. It's time to get a new one. Okay, what about candles? I know a lot of people have problems with menorahs because the candles drip onto the furniture. So I always tell people, at least put it on a glass or mirrored tray so it's a lot easier to clean up. But I know people love to use candles during the holiday seasons, myself included. What tips would you give people for candles? I love candles. Me too. And they do, at the holidays, they have that nice warm glow. But you're right about something. When you have a menorah or a quinarah, putting it on glass or a flat, non-flammable surface not only helps with cleanup, but it also maintains a safety point because you don't want any open flame near something that's flammable. A good example of that would be you don't wanna have a menorah around a window where there are curtains or flammable fabrics. So you wanna keep all of your lit candles, flat surface, non-flammable areas, keep them away from curtains. Couple of the things with candles, don't ever leave them unattended. That is the one thing we see so often, something so simple. Especially when there are tons of kids running around, anything could spill. That's exactly right. Don't leave them unattended. And a couple of little things. If you are gonna burn candles, trim the wicks so that you don't get a really big flame. And let me make a suggestion. Some of the battery-operated candles are gorgeous. They are. And they're safer. Yeah, a lot of them have even flickering lights. They do. I did buy some this year. They're great. Okay, so what about cooking? I love Thanksgiving because I just love having friends and family over. I absolutely love to cook. But I know that there are some safety regulations about cooking and room temperature and it could get a little complicated. So you can make that a little bit easier for us. Okay, well, let's talk turkey. Okay. Let's talk deep fried turkey. Oh yeah. That's a pretty popular thing these days. And that can be very dangerous. So if you're going to deep fry a turkey, three things to keep in mind. Has to be completely thawed. If you put a frozen turkey in that hot oil, it will have disastrous consequences. So thaw that turkey. Okay. Second, there's about five gallons of oil that go into a deep fryer for a turkey. Don't overfill it. That's it. Fill to the line or below it because when you put that turkey in, if there's too much oil, it will spill over and it will cause a fire. And third, and probably the most important, do not use that inside. Turkey fryer's outside, away from the house. Like in the backyard. Backyard. We are not in the garage, not in the... Not a balcony. Not the porch, nothing like that. Get it away from the house. My mom made a deep fried turkey for us one year and it was awful. Edit this out. But it tasted like turkey jerky. So maybe just stick to the old fashioned way. Actually, I never had one, but we're going to friends this year and they tell me we're gonna be cooking a... We're gonna be deep frying a turkey. So I'll let you know. Okay, let me know how it goes. For those of you who are going to be doing more traditional cooking with an oven, a couple of other things to keep in mind. Put your phones down when you're cooking. Pay attention because you know what it's like when there's too many things going on. You have all these people in the kitchen, little ones who could reach up, maybe touch a hot stove. You wanna make sure you know where everybody is and what's going on. Also consider not wearing loose clothing or long sleeves because if you're reaching for something, you could catch your clothes on fire and we do not want that to happen. And things that you don't think about that are very natural to do, but could be a hazard, leaving your pot holders next to the stove or a bag that you just emptied, plastic or paper, they could go up in flames. So we don't want that to happen. Yeah, just being super aware. Yep, absolutely. Okay, so now because gift giving is top of mind, especially as a mom, I wanna talk about all the toys and things that we have in front of us. All right, before we get to the toys, two things you should do. Go to your child's closet or toy box and look for recalled toys. So if your child has any recalled toys in that box, get rid of them. And that's pretty easy to do. You can go to our website, which is cpsc.gov and we have a new phone app. So you can just have it right on your phone and check and see if there's anything that's been recalled. I hate to admit this as a mom, but I have never looked at a recall this in my life. Sabrina. I know, I know. Again, it all of that out too. I know. I just haven't, I don't think a lot of people know to do that. Well, we're gonna make sure you guys. Change that. Yeah, get that notice out there. The good news is recalls on toys are just declining and declining. About 10 years ago, I think we had something like 172 recalls. A year? A year. Decline, decline, decline. This year we've had, I think, a dozen. Wow. So the toys are getting safer. You can, it's not gonna be a big deal to go and look for them, but you should look for them. The second thing is, in addition to the recalled toys, get rid of the ones that are broken. Mr. Bear here, he's not, he's in okay shape, but how many teddy bears have you seen where the eyes falling off, arms hanging? I know what those are the best ones. No, no, they're not safe. Okay. This tiny little eye here, if it fell off, it's a choking hazard. And if one fell off, the next one is bound to fall off. Get rid of it. That's really important. So let's talk about the toys. And while I mentioned choking hazards, choking hazards and writing toys, those are the two areas that send most of the kids to the ER. And that can be avoided. So I'm gonna get my handy-dandy cylinder. If the ball or marble fits in here, it's a choking hazard for kids under three. And if you don't have this little handy-dandy cylinder, toilet paper roll will actually. A toilet paper roll. So if you can fit in a toilet paper roll for any kid under the age of three, it's a no-no. Yes, okay. That's exactly correct. And I'll give you this one. This one doesn't. Balloons, this was something that I didn't know. Balloons are a choking hazard. Not only can a child pick up an uninflated balloon, but once it's inflated and breaks, the little pieces on the floor, if a child puts that in their mouth, it could be a suffocation hazard that could be actually quite deadly. So we don't wanna make sure. And you know what? While we're talking about that, so we're gonna go back to the labels. There are labels on all toys that tell you, like this group of balls, remember it doesn't fit in here, this one is okay for children ages four and up. So you wanna look at the label and that's really important. And let's talk about labels. Okay, another thing I have to admit. You never look at the labels. No, I actually do look at the labels. But I thought that meant like a kid four and up would just find this fun. I didn't realize it had anything to do with safety. I think that's part of it. I do think it's part of it. They are, you know, actually you raise a very good point. Not only will they find it fun, but there's a lot of science behind this. These are appropriate for children of that age and appropriate for their developmental. And while we're on- But it's also appropriate for their safety. Exactly. Okay. And you know what else, I'm glad, I'm actually glad you brought that up because it made me think of something else. Don't buy a toy that is too old for your child. Even if you're thinking, I hear parents will say, well my daughter's, you know, she's much more mature. They're not ready for that toy. It's like you're following me. I do that all the time. I'm like, yeah, she's at a seven-year-old age. You have a four-year-old, I have an 18-year-old, so I've been through this already. But every toy, every toy has a label on it. See here, like this one is for- Choking small, yeah, it tells you- It tells you there's choking hazards for children under three. And a couple other things you want to remember. If you're buying a toy for a child who's, let's say three, you wanna look at three and up, right? But if there's a sibling in the house that's 18 months old, you need to stop again and think, well, is the toy that's appropriate for the three-year-old like this one going to have small parts? If it is, consider getting something else, okay? Safety gear. If you're gonna get a riding toy, scooters are popular this year. Scooters, bicycles, skates, roller blades, the gift is not complete without the safety gear. So get a helmet, make sure the helmet fits, get the wrist guards, knee pads, get all the safety gear and always remind the parent or supervisor of the child or guardian that do not let your kids send them out in the driveway to ride unsupervised. That's where we see so many injuries because a child may be not supervised, rides it out into the traffic. Right, oh my gosh, it's so much to think about. And I think of myself as pretty informed because I am decorating constantly, but a lot of this stuff is really helpful and informative. Let me ask you something. As an interior designer, I know you go into people's homes and take a look around and say, ah, this needs to be changed or why don't we update this? I'm sure that has to be delivered rather delicately. So if some of the tips that we gave out today, any of our viewers go into a friend or a family member's home and they see a safety hazard, what should they do and how should they do it? Yeah, I mean, it's sometimes uncomfortable because I have to walk into people's homes and critique it, tear it apart because so I can make it over. So you have to think about who your audience is. If I would go into, let's say, my mom's house and I see that the tree's super dry, I would say like, oh, mom, I'm gonna water your tree because it looks really thirsty. That's just my way I know to speak. That's an excellent way. Or even telling a friend, if there's a candle near, let's say a curtain, I'm gonna move this just in case Olivia spills anything, I just wanna make sure everybody's safe. So you know how to speak to your family and friends, but it's really important if you see something to really help and say something because you know if you're hosting, there's complete chaos. Chaos. So sometimes the host needs your help too. Yes, that's actually a good approach. So thank you for that. So let's recap. Cooking, make sure it's attended, get that turkey fryer outside. Decorating, get some help with that ladder. If you are going to be using a ladder up, down, make sure somebody's there. Candles, never leave them unattended. And for toys, make sure that you look at the label. No choking hazards for children under three. Clean out those toy boxes. Okay. Thank you Sabrina. Thank you. I'm glad you were here. This was great. And we wish everyone out there a home safe home for the holidays.