Real Estate Information Archive

For many, the day after Thanksgiving is about family time and the Black Friday shopping extravaganza. For residential plumbers nationwide, it’s the single busiest day of the year. In fact, plumbing problems spike 50% the day after Thanksgiving. Think about it. You’ve delighted in turkey and sweet potato casserole, and now your wayward scraps and greasy dishes are stressing your sink and clogging your drains.

Would you prefer to spend your money on presents or plumbing issues? To keep your pipes clear and clog-free, it’s important to know what you can safely put in the disposal and what you can’t. Here’s the skinny:

1. Don't Treat the Disposal Like a Trash Can

As much as possible, throw leftovers in the trash or compost pile. When you do use your disposal, feed waste gradually to prevent overloading. 

2. Be Picky About What You Toss

Don't put turkey bones, poultry skin, potato peels, celery and fruit down the garbage disposal.

3. Keep Grease to a Minimum

Avoid pouring fat and cooking oil down the drain and wipe off greasy pans before putting them in the sink.

4. Run Water

Run water when you use the disposal and keep it running for a few seconds after you turn the disposal off.

5. Don't Run the Dishwasher

Don't operate the dishwasher if you think there’s a problem. It discharges into the disposal.

This Thanksgiving, don’t be sitting on the sidelines waiting for your handyman to arrive for an impromptu plumbing fix. Show your drains a little love so you can keep your focus on food, family and all the freebies you get if you’re first in line on Black Friday. 

Information provided by BrightNest.com.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

Whether you’re hosting two guests or twenty, Thanksgiving is a big responsibility. We don’t mean to seem melodramatic, but in more than a few ways, your guests are putting their general wellness in your hands for the day.

Don’t cancel your holiday plans just yet. With a little foresight and an eye for safety, it’s easy to make sure everybody comes out of turkey day in one piece. Here are five ways to make sure your guests survive Thanksgiving.

Clear Your Walkways

An icy, dark walkway is an invitation for a broken wrist (or worse). If you live in an area that’s already seeing below freezing temperatures, buy some rock salt and spread it any place your guests might enter or leave your home. If it’s not that cold yet, at least double check your outdoor lighting to make sure there aren’t any dark spots where someone might trip and fall.

Thaw Your Turkey Properly

There are a number of ways to thaw a turkey, but the safest way is to leave it in a fridge set at 40 degrees (this can take a few days, so hopefully you’ve already started). If you haven’t done so in a while, now is the perfect time to perform a quick fridge inspection to make sure your Thanksgiving feast is safe.

Calibrate Your Oven

Your oven may say it’s preheated to 350 degrees, but don’t believe everything you see. If things are out of whack in oven-town, at best you’ll wind up with a burnt bird, at worst you’ll put your guests at risk for foodborne illness from undercooked meat. Prevent this by taking fifteen minutes to calibrate your oven before the turkey goes inside!

Buy Fire Extinguishers

There are an estimated 2,000 fires every Thanksgiving, which result in an average of five deaths, 25 injuries and $21 million in property loss. The best way to make sure your house isn’t a hazard is by doing a fire-safety onceover and, of course, keeping an extinguisher handy in the kitchen. That way, a grease flare-up turns into an exciting story instead of a tragic accident.

Protect Your Pets

Furry visitors count as guests, too! If you have a pet, or have one visiting for Thanksgiving, there are two major concerns for their safety: turkey skin and bones. Turkey skins are very difficult for dogs to digest, and bones present a choking hazard to all animals (even if they don’t choke on them, the sharp edges can pierce an animal’s digestive track). If pets are celebrating Thanksgiving at your house, keep them safe by keeping leftovers and table scraps out of reach.

Information provided by BrightNest.com.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

Seriously, who doesn’t love Thanksgiving? You can hang out with your family, consume more carbs than may be considered medically advisable and then relax on the sofa for anywhere from one to five hours. Sounds like a fantastic day.

The thing is, even though you don’t do much more than eat, chat and sit around, Thanksgiving can get pretty expensive. Not only do you have to purchase a feast, but the pressure that half a dozen (or more) houseguests put on your house can add up to more than a few pricey repairs and cleanup efforts.

So, as turkey day approaches, give one of these cost-effective strategies a try and save the extra dough for those Black Friday deals.

Be Kind to Your Pipes

For residential plumbers, Black Friday is the single busiest day of the year (plumbing problems increase by about 50 percent). A typical visit from a plumber costs anywhere from $125-300, so this is definitely something to avoid! How do you manage that? Easy, don’t treat your garbage disposal like a trash can. That means things like turkey bones, poultry skin, potato peels, grease, oil and fat should all wind up in the garbage, not down your sink. If you do wind up with a clog, don’t panic. You can probably fix it yourself.

Buy a Frozen Turkey 

To some this suggestion may be borderline blasphemy, but hear us out. If you opt for a fresh turkey from an expensive grocery store, you might pay as much as $64 for a 16 lb. turkey. On the other side of the spectrum, discounted frozen turkeys of the same size are going for as little as $8 in some places. That’s a pretty big difference. So, if you want to trim some dollars off of Thanksgiving, there’s nothing wrong with going frozen. Just make sure you allow enough time for it to defrost! 

Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies 

Between a massive feast and an influx of houseguests, Thanksgiving can really make a mess of your house. Instead of springing for a bunch of store-bought products to clean up that turkey shrapnel, why not try some homemade supplies this year? With little more than a lemon, vinegar and some baking soda, you can make anything from eco-friendly drain cleaner to a nice fall air freshener.

Information provided by BrightNest.com.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.