16 Tips to Protect Your Halloween Lawn Decorations from Theft or Weather

Decorating for Halloween is a fun part of celebrating the spooky holiday. Setting up a bone-chilling graveyard, a devilish witch's house, or a scream-worthy crime scene makes your home the scariest on the block. Yard decor is the perfect way to get everyone in the neighborhood in spooky spirits, that is until wind gusts take your inflatables away or thieves and vandals start tearing down your hard work. Check out these tips for some cost-effective ways to keep your decorations mummified in place and ready to scare passersby.

Tips for Inflatables

Tip #1 - Consider Location

When displaying an inflatable in your yard, keeping it near a wall or fence will protect your inflatable from strong winds so you won't have to spend your night chasing a giant pumpkin down the street. Try to find a place that offers blockage from strong gusts that may carry your lightweight inflatables away.

Tip #2 - Weigh them Down

An easy way to keep your inflatables from blowing away is to weigh them down with sandbags or water jugs. If your inflatable has an opening in the back, you can stick the sandbag inside the inflatable. Be sure the sandbag is tied tightly before placing it in the inflatable. If there isn't a clear opening to use, try out Tip #3 instead.

Tip #3 - Stake them Down

Use a metal or wooden stake to keep your inflatable decor in place. Garden stakes or tent stakes can work for this method. Pound the stake into the ground as far as possible using a rubber mallet. Most inflatables have loops at the bottom of them to stick stakes through, but if yours doesn't, use a thin rope to tie around the middle of the inflatable and then loop it around the stake. This will keep your inflatable in place when the wind blows and make it harder for a thief to run off with your illuminated monsters.

Tip #4 - Tie them to Something

Another way to ensure your inflatable doesn't leave your yard is by using a rope or twine to tie it to a railing, fence post, or tree. If you are tying your decoration to a tree, be sure it is far enough away that the bark won't damage the inflatable and use a rope strong enough to not rip or tear on the bark. Wrap the twine around the middle of the inflatable and then tie the ends of the rope to your anchoring source.

Tip #5 - Deflate at Night

Deflating your inflatables before you go to bed is easy and a great way to make sure they don't float away like a ghost while you sleep. Experts recommend only allowing your inflatable to run for 8 hours at a time and unplugging them at night gives them a break. Simply unplug the power cord from the power source to deflate your inflatable. Doing this at night allows you to enjoy the decoration while you're awake and save on electricity in the evenings.

Tips for Statues and Standing Decorations

Tip #1 - Consider Location

Put statues, sculptures, and other lawn decor near a fence, railing, or trees to ensure they stay in place. This will not only help your scary statues stay in place, but it will also help deter people from taking your decorations.

Tip #2 - Consider Weight

Think about the weight of your yard ornament or statue. If your statue is lightweight, you may want to consider cementing it to the ground to keep it from falling over or being taken. Dig a shallow hole in the ground where you want to put your decoration. Mix concrete (following the instructions on the bag) and scoop it into the hole you dug. Be sure the concrete is level and smooth. Put the decoration on top of the concrete and let it dry. You can cover the concrete with mulch, dirt, or other decorations to conceal it.

Tip #3 - Weigh them Down

Another way to keep your vampire, witch, and werewolf statues in place is to weigh them down with sand or water. If your statue is hollow and has an opening large enough, place a sandbag or jug of water in the base of the statue to keep it from blowing over in windy conditions. Try Tip #5 for decorations without openings.

Tip #4 - Create a Stake

To keep flat plastic or cardboard cutouts from blowing over or floating away, use duct tape to secure a metal or wooden stake to the back of it and push the stake in the ground. This will not only keep your blood-curdling cutout upright but also hold it in place in windy conditions.

Tip #5 - Stake them Down

You can keep your decorations from disappearing by staking them to the ground. If your decoration doesn't have holes in the bottom, use a drill to create two holes. Thread wire, rope, or twine through the holes and use a garden staple to keep the rope down. You can also use a sandbag to keep the rope from loosening if you don't have garden staples.

Another way to stake down statues is to tie rope or twine around the statue in an inconspicuous place and tie the end of the rope to a metal or wooden stake. Push the stake into the ground as far as you can to ensure the statue has plenty of support.

Tips for Lights and Electrical Decorations

Tip #1 - Tie them Down

Keeping your light strings close to the railing, tree branch, or roof you put them on is a great way to make sure they aren't stretched from the wind pulling on them or things getting caught. This is also a great way to make sure no one tampers with your light display. Use cable ties, wire, or pieces of rope to secure the light string to your surface. Tie a rope or wire tightly around the lights about every 12 - 14 inches.

Tip #2 - Consider Bulb Types

LED light bulbs are more resilient when it comes to cold temperatures and rain. Be sure to find light strings or lighted decorations that use LED lights rather than incandescent lights. Incandescent lights can explode or go out due to constant changes in temperature and the atmosphere over long periods of time.

Tip #3 - Fencing

Put up a wooden or wrought iron fence around your yard. The kind of fence you should use depends on what purpose you want your decorations to have. Wooden fences don't showcase your decorations because they are larger and have thinner gaps, while iron fences blend into the landscape and have open gaps.

Tip #4 - GPS Trackers

If you are really concerned about a decoration going missing, some lawn decorators recommend installing a GPS tracking device onto each of your decorations in a hard-to-see place. GPS devices can be expensive and require services with monthly payments to operate, but they will allow you to easily locate your decorations should they go missing.