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As spiders’ webs, ghoulish garlands and spooky lanterns appear inside and outside homes ahead of Halloween, don’t let the excitement of trimming up the house leave you in shock and counting the cost later.

The damage to walls, windows and floors from putting Halloween decorations up on walls, ceilings and exteriors using the wrong methods could cost up to £355 to get repaired, new research shows.

These expert tips on how to go about the task will help you to avoid the following expensive mistakes.

1 Damaged paintwork on walls: repair cost - £200 on average

Decorate safely for Halloween: use batteries for light displays where possible.

It can be tempting to use nails, blue tack, and even sellotape to decorate the walls in your home with chains of Halloween bunting, paper bats, skeletons, spiders and spooky prints.

However, using any three of these products to attach decorations to walls inside a house could result in pulling the paint off the wall when you try to remove them. If you then need a professional to repaint a wall this can cost an average £200.

Instead, use command strips and command hooks to display decorations without causing damage. If you do have small mishaps, a DIY patch up of the paint using a tester pot can cost as little as £1.

2 Damage to plug sockets from too many Halloween lights: repair cost - £75 to replace a plug socket

Be careful not to damage surfaces when attaching spooky decorations to walls and ceilings.

Halloween string lights are extremely popular, especially for anyone decorating their windows. But it is advisable not to overload an extension lead with too many plugs at once as this could exceed the maximum current rating for the extension lead.

It can cause the plug socket to overheat and if the socket is damaged it costs an average £75 to get a new one fitted. This is also a major fire hazard.

Instead, try using battery powered lights, which will also help to keep energy costs lower.

3 Scratches from sticking decorations to windows: repair cost - £40 professional window clean

Sticking decorations to windows can result in minor scratches which are hard to remove without professional help. Professional window cleaning prices start from £40, but to avoid this you can use suction hooks to decorate windows for Halloween.

4 Stubborn fake blood stains on carpet: repair cost - up to £40 professional carpet clean.

Whether you’re decorating your home with fake blood or using it for a Halloween costume, if it accidentally drops on to your carpet it could cost up to £40 to have your living room professionally cleaned.

When using fake blood, it makes sense to apply it outside, or in a room with flooring that can be wiped clean. Refrain from using it in any carpeted parts of the house.

Pat Gilham, painting and decorating expert at www.myjobquote.co.uk said: “Decorating your home for Halloween can be great fun. However, what you don’t want is a nasty surprise when it comes to taking the decorations down.

“We compiled our top tips to turn your home into a Halloween spooktacular without any lasting damage.”

Four ways to decorate your home for Halloween without causing costly damage