How to Safely Hang Holiday Lights Without Damaging Your Roof or Siding

Don’t damage your roof or siding this Christmas. Here’s how to hang holiday lights without damaging anything!

The following is a guest post from my bloggy friend Caleb Leonard. Interested in having a guest post on my website? Click here for my guest post submission form.

All The Festive Looks Without the Damage!

Holiday lights make your home look festive, but nails and staples can damage your home’s roof, siding and facade. To safely hang holiday lights on your home, you’ll need a range of clips, hooks,and zip ties for your gutters, roof, and siding. 

Choose lightweight LED lights to keep your home merry and bright without the wear and tear on your home’s exterior.

And, of course, be careful on your ladder.

Tools you will need to hang holiday lights safely:

How to Safely Hang Holiday Lights Without Damaging Your Roof

The best way to hang holiday lights from your roof is with plastic clips. There are “all-purpose clips” that work for most surfaces, shingle clips for roofs, and gutter clips for gutters. The clips are different sizes, so pick up a variety if you’re a beginner.

Jaime Gomez, a professional holiday light installer and owner of Gomez Lighting, recommends using ridge clips to maintain an even appearance. “On some ridges, the shingle clips cannot be installed properly, and when trying to force them under the shingle, you can sometimes damage it.

​“Usually the lights have to be placed on one side of the ridge and not directly in the center because you cannot get the tab under the shingle,” he says. “With ridge clips, the light is placed directly in the center, and the clips are hooked on both edges of the shingle”.

For your roofline, simply slide the shingle clip beneath the shingle. The clips are thin, so they won’t lift your shingles or damage the roof.  

Roofing pro Rodrigo Castillo, of Amstill Roofing Co. in Austin, advises you to stay off the roof, but adds, “If you must, try to step where the shingles meet.” Here’s why: “Stepping on the bottom part of the shingle can loosen it, and your bodyweight can leave a dent in the underlayment” beneath the shingle, he says.

For walls and roof edges, use weather-resistant adhesive hooks. These hooks can conceal extension cords and “jump sections” between light strands, too.

The best way to hang lights from your gutters is with gutter clips. Avoid hanging garland or heavy lights on your gutters. When it rains or snows, the added weight of decorations might pull your gutters down.

You can even use clips to hang lights on your gutter guards.

Use siding hooks to grip siding without leaving marks.

Pro tip: Avoid metal clips — they scratch siding. Plastic ones can snap. For hanging lights on siding, use siding clips.

Ladder Safety Tips

Examine your lights before you climb the ladder and always use a spotter. Don’t lean your ladder against the gutters, and do not climb on your roof. Walking on the tiles loosens them, and you could fall.

DIY Tip: Cut up an old pool noodle and attach it to the ladder where it touches the house. If you’re not fond of ladders, use a telescopic pole with a utility hook.

Key Takeaways

The easiest way to safely hang your holiday lights without damaging your roof is by using clips.

• Use roof clips for your shingles.
• Use gutter clips for your gutters.
• Use siding clips for your siding.
• All-purpose clips will work in a pinch, but roofing clips are best for shingles.
• Plastic clips are the least likely to damage your home, but they snap easily and might not last multiple seasons.
• Leave the lights above the roofline to the professionals.
• Have a spotter when you use a ladder, and don’t lean your ladder against the gutters.

About the Author

Caleb Leonard is a freelance writer and marketing professional. A graduate of the University of North Texas, his interests include gardening, podcasts, and studying Spanish.