Expert Hacks for Untangling Christmas Lights
Households preparing to put up their Christmas decorations are being offered simple tips for untangling their Christmas lights.
The team at LightingLegends.com have shared their tips and tricks for safely freeing knotted strands quickly and effectively.
Once the festivities are over many of us pack away our decorations without much thought, only to find a tangled mess the following year.
Not only are they a nuisance to fix, but dealing with tangled lights can hold up the entire decorating process.
The experts have shared that using household items such as a pen and some baby powder can help untangle knots without causing damage to the lights.
They’re also warning people to avoid yanking wires as this can damage the bulbs and make the knots worse.
Jon Saeed from LightingLegends said: “Christmas decorating is meant to be fun and enjoyable but let’s be honest, no one likes spending ages untangling their Christmas lights.
“If you just threw them back into their box at the end of the last festive period then the chances are you’ll be dealing with a bunched up mess when you retrieve them from the loft this year.
“Unfortunately there’s no magic trick to untangling lights but there are techniques that can help and hopefully ease your frustration.”
How to untangle Christmas lights:
Use a large flat surface
Spread your lights out on a large and flat surface so you can clearly see where the knots are. Using a dining table, countertop or even the floor can help you trace the wires path.
Start with the plug end
Loosening a random knot in the middle of the lights can get messy and you can easily tangle areas that were fine before. Start untangling from the plug, this gives you a clear starting and anchor point, allowing you to work your way through the lights.
Loosen, don’t yank
A good way to untangle a section of lights is to gently shake or jiggle them to help them naturally unravel. Avoid yanking the lights as this will only make the knots tighter and harder to fix.
Use a pen or pencil
If you’re struggling to untangle the lights with your hands, grab a pen or pencil and gently insert it into the knots. Carefully wiggle and twist the pen to help loosen the wires and create more space for you to untangle them with your fingers.
Add a sprinkle of baby powder
Wires can often feel sticky or tacky and sprinkling a small amount of baby powder over stubborn areas can help dry out the surface of the wire to make it easier to get ahold of.
Keep it organised as you go
As you’re working through the lights, wrap the untangled section around a piece of cardboard to prevent the wires from getting caught again.
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