Cute Trick-or-Treaters at your door and a candlelit walk can make for a potentially disastrous combination.
Many Halloween costumes look harmless: like the cute devil, a lovely princess, or the scary evil eye. But it's the combination of costumes and open flames where the trouble can start.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says all costumes should be flame resistant. If a costume meets standards, it should only burn when in direct contact with fire. If the flame is removed, the costume should self-extinguish.
Parents should not automatically assume all costumes are fire-resistant. Many common costumes were put through a non-scientific test by our reporters. Within two minutes, each costume was destroyed.
Even one of the most popular items for making a homemade costume, a 100 percent cotton sheet, proved to be one of the most dangerous. Within 45 seconds, the ghost costume was a ball of flames.
If you want to reduce the risk of your costume going up in flames, don’t just trust the label inside your child’s costume. The Washington Hospital Center has a recipe that can make your costume more fire resistant. Here’s how to make it:
- Mix four ounces of boric acid with 9 ounces of borax
- Dissolve the mixture in a gallon of warm water
- Soak the costume
- Let it drip completely dry
