Loganville Homeowners Pumpkin Carving Safety

Carving pumpkins is probably one of the funnest traditions for Halloween. From pulling out the sticky, slimy guts of the pumpkin to carving a fun or scary design into it to baking the seeds for a yummy snack later. Who doesn’t enjoy it?!

While it can be super fun, it also comes with some hazards. You have sharp tools and honestly some pumpkins are just stubborn to carve and can cause some cuts and injuries.

The Halloween season ER’s usually see an increase in lacerations to hands and fingers, some even leading to permanent impairment. So here are a few tips that can help keep you safe while you also have fun!

1. Sharper is not always better. Sharp knives can sometimes get wedged in the thicker parts of the pumpkin requiring more force to remove it and your hand being in the wrong place when doing so could lead to serious injury.
2. Use the right tools. See number 1. There is a reason the carving kits come with certain tools to carve your pumpkin, they are designed especially for pumpkin carving and if it should slip when carving you are less likely to have a serious injury.
3. Be patient. Take your time when carving your pumpkin, if you rush you are more likely to end up with an injury which could take even more time to recover from than it would have if you slowed down during the carving process.
4. Decide on your design before you clean out the inside or carve. Use a stencil if you need to. It is much easier to follow a design already on there than it is to freestyle.
5. Don’t burn yourself! If you are like everyone else, you are probably going to put a candle inside your pumpkin once you are finished to light it up. Take it from the pros! Cut the bottom of the pumpkin instead of the top. This will allow you to lower the pumpkin over the candle versus putting your hand inside with a lit candle. You are least likely to burn yourself doing it this way.

Have a Happy Halloween!!