Thanksgiving Safety Tips for Memphis & Olive Branch

There are certain Thanksgiving Day events you’re not likely to forget, like the time you finally got the courage to roast your first turkey, and it was delish! And chances are you’re still re-telling the story.

Then there are those stories we’d rather forget. Like when your great aunt Sue decided to recount her latest medical procedure – in great detail – at the dinner table

But there are worse stories to be told. Far worse. Like “Remember when the turkey caught fire in the oven?” So to help prevent this and other holiday mishaps, we urge you to follow and share these important safety tips with family and friends.

• When decorating your Thanksgiving Day table or fireplace mantle, keep flammable items away from open flames. For a safe alternative to burning candles, try LED flameless candles.
• Avoid using decorations that look like food, such as plastic berries or candy. Little tots might be tempted to take a bite.
• Make the kitchen a kid-free zone during meal preparation and clean-up to help prevent injuries.
• All the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving Day can be stressful for your furry companions, so consider keeping them in an area of the home away from the constant flow of guests.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling raw meat, and use two cutting boards to prevent the spread of bacteria.
• Whenever possible, cook on the back burners of your stove top, and turn handles inward so they don’t extend past the edge of the stove.
• Keep an eye on cooking food at all times. And set a timer to remind you to check on items in the oven at regular intervals.
• Keep pot holders, kitchen towels, food containers, paper towels, and anything else that could catch fire away from the stove.
• When the party is over, do a thorough inspection of your home to make sure all candles have been put out.

Of course, the most common of all Thanksgiving mishaps is a blocked drain or garbage disposal. So much so that plumbers around the country refer to the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday – collectively, our busiest drain cleaning day of the year. Click here for several common-sense ways to prevent a drain problem in your home. But first, Happy Thanksgiving 2014 from all of us at Conway Services.