How to Straighten Outdoor Christmas Lights

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Things You'll Need

  • Hair dryer

  • Heavy duty stapler

  • Cord keeper

Straightening outdoor Christmas lights is a common task for holiday lighting.

Christmas lights can be difficult to manage once you open the package. Most manufacturers tightly coil the lights on a piece of plastic that has several clips. Winding the lights on this plastic creates a natural coil in the lights, which can make hanging the lights in a neat and orderly fashion somewhat difficult. Removing this memory coil is often necessary prior to hanging the outdoor lights.

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Before Hanging

Step 1

Open the box of lights.

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Step 2

Unclip the lights from the plastic packaging.

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Step 3

Stretch the lights out on the floor.

Step 4

Heat the lights carefully with the hair dryer. Once flexible, leave the stretched lights on the floor for a few minutes prior to hanging them outside.

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When Hanging

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Step 1

Lay the lights on your lawn close to where you will hang them.

Step 2

Staple the lights to either a wood eave or deck. Staple the lights on the left side of each bulb.

Step 3

Flatten any loops or bubbles in the lights with a staple.

Tip

After taking the lights down for the year, wrap them on a cord keeper or in a circle that will limit the amount of memory coil in the light strand.

Warning

Overheating the lights can damage them, making the strand unusable.

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