The holidays are right around the corner, which means it’s time to bring down the boxes of holiday decorations that are stored in your attic. Before you grab a ladder and start hanging twinkling lights on the outside of your home, it’s important to learn how to put out holiday decorations without damaging your roof. Follow these tips provided by our Denver roofers:

Use Plastic Clips

Many people staple the lights in place using a staple gun, but it’s never a good idea to put holes in your roof, so leave the staple gun behind when you climb up the ladder. Instead, use plastic clips that are designed to hold holiday lights securely in place on your roof. These plastic clips will not damage the shingles on your roof and can be easily removed once the holidays are over. Plus, they can be reused again next year as long as you keep them in good shape.

Avoid Using Heavy Decorations

Kids love seeing Santa and his reindeer lit up on top of the roof. But before putting any decorations on your roof, make sure they are not too heavy. Putting heavy decorations on top of shingles could cause damage. Be sure to choose decorations that are specifically designed to sit on top of a roof. These should be lightweight enough to comfortably sit on your roof without causing any damage. If the decorations are too heavy to carry up the ladder on your own, they probably shouldn’t be left on top of your roof.

Limit the Foot Traffic

It’s best to ask someone to help instead of trying to hang holiday lights and put up decorations on your own. But, walking back and forth across shingles can cause damage. For this reason, it’s important to limit the foot traffic on your roof. Don’t bring more people on your roof than necessary. Once you’re up there, try to avoid stomping on the shingles as you walk from one side of the roof to the other. Walk normally—and watch your step—to avoid damaging the roofing material.

Don’t Pull the Lights Down

Carefully take down the lights after the holidays are over so you don’t damage your roof in the process. Even if they are attached to your roof with plastic clips, do not pull on a strand in order to remove the lights. Pulling the lights off of your roof quickly like this could damage your shingles or gutters. Instead, climb up a ladder and carefully remove all of the plastic clips.

As with most things in life, it’s important to have a game plan before starting your decorating; but if a problem does arise while you are decorating for the holidays, contact a roofing professional right away. Big Creek Roofing is the premier Denver roofing company, with a staff that specializes in every aspect of roof maintenance, repair, and replacement for commercial and residential properties. No matter the job, you can always count on Big Creek Roofers experienced team to finish your project on-time and with care. Contact us today to discuss your roofing needs!