Christmas is a time filled with joy and laughter as people celebrate the festive season. People put up various decorations around the home to set the mood. One thing that never misses in almost every house is Christmas lights. The twinkling lights bring a feeling nothing else can. After the celebrations are over, people put the lights away. The following year they buy new ones. After a while, people find themselves with a pile of old Christmas lights that they no longer use.
You might be one of them and do not know what to do with these old lights. Stay calm, we are here to help.
Related: How to Recycle and Reuse Your Old Christmas Tree
Here are some things you can do with your old Christmas lights.
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Decorate the Children’s Room
Kids love flashing items. Therefore they would be excited to see Christmas lights in their rooms. The fact they come in different colours makes them even better.
When decorating, make sure you hang them high enough. This ensures that they are not in danger of getting electric shocks. It also prevents them from choking as kids are known to put almost everything in their mouths. The best place to put these lights is two inches below the ceiling board.
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Donate Them
Many people love Christmas and the festivities that come with it. The problem is, some people are not fortunate enough to food and supplies for such. You can contribute your old Christmas lights even if you cannot give them everything. The bright lights that blink frequently may make them so happy.
Look for an orphanage and arrange on when you can take the old Christmas lights to them. Make sure that they are fully functional before donating them. If there are any faults on the lights, make sure you make repairs. All through the holidays, the kids will see the lights and remember you. This is also a great way of celebrating the festive seasons, as it is all about giving/sharing.
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Take Them to a Recycling Facility Near You
If you have no idea what to do with your old Christmas lights, you can consider recycling them. There are many ways of recycling old Christmas lights. You can either come up with your own means or take them to a facility. There the lights go through a series of steps before being repurposed or made into something new.
For you to understand how this works, you need to have some background knowledge of these lights.
Strings of Christmas lights are basically copper wires enclosed in plastic. This plastic commonly used is polyvinyl chloride. It is these threads that are then collected and fitted with a socket. In the past, the lights were made using incandescent light bulbs. The case is different nowadays, as LEDs have become popular. This is because they use less electricity.
In the recycling plants, the strings with bulbs on them are shredded into smaller pieces. These small pieces are then separated into two groups. One group contains copper alone, and the other contains plastics. The separated items then become raw materials for making different things. For instance, you can use such plastics to make slipper soles.
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Use Christmas as an alternative to Candles
Another impressive thing to do with your old Christmas lights is reusing them as candles. In instances where you want a subtle form of lighting, these lights are a top choice. You can switch off all the lights, come together as a family, and have conversations as the lights twinkle.
You can even put them behind collectibles to set up a lovely feeling in the home if you want to have a dinner date. This adds a sophisticated glow to your home and is a great romantic gesture.
Conclusion
You may have had a couple of old Christmas lights in your home, and you would finally like to take them out. One thing you can do is donate them to the less fortunate. You can also use them as decoration in the kids’ room. Old Christmas lights can also be used as alternatives to candles. You can also choose to get rid of them.
In this scenario, the best thing to do is to invite Paul’s Rubbish Removal. We are a junk removal company with well-trained staff. Our employees are not only experts, but they are also properly equipped to take on any job. You can reach us on 0407 125 125.
