Turkeys, Veggies, and Potatoes Oh My!

Imagine: It’s 11:00 am the day before Thanksgiving. You’ve got your turkey buttered and stuffed, ready to go in the oven. With a quick flick of the wrist, you twist your temperature dial to broil and wait for that comforting hiss of your oven as it slowly pre-heats, but nothing happens. No hiss…frantically, you check your oven to discover it’s not heating up and in need of service. To relax, you open your freezer to get some ice, and then you find out your freezer isn't cooling! The world is falling apart, and your holiday is ruined. Okay, we're being very dramatic to make a point, it doesn't have to be this way!

Follow these five tips to avoid such a catastrophe and maybe even save your holiday celebration.

#1 Have Your Oven Checked Early!

Simply by living in a Camden community, you have unparalleled access to some of the best, highly skilled, trained maintenance technicians anywhere. Organize a plan to have your oven inspected and serviced by your community’s maintenance team before the holiday season starts. This will ensure that any issues are found, addressed, and if needed parts can be ordered to repair the appliance. If a major enough issue is found and it cannot be fixed, your Camden community will replace the appliance with no charge coming to you. If you wait and your oven is broken for your festivities, you’ll be up a turkey creek without a baster.

#2 Don't Over Pack Your Freezer

Another way to avoid holiday disasters is to avoid over-packing your freezer. This can happen when you try to stuff a 16-pound turkey, frozen veggies, ice cream, frozen pie crusts etc. all into your freezer at once. Without any space to travel, the cold air in the freezer freezes over in the vent and breaks. Having this happen may entail the complete replacement of your fridge, and if this occurs on any day, it’s always a frustration. Make sure to neatly pack and organize your frozen goods within the freezer to allow the cold air to flow freely from the vents.

#3 Know What NOT to Put Down Your Garbage Disposal

For those of you who may not know, the garbage disposal is, in fact, not something that can break up everything on your plate. A garbage disposal is mainly there to ensure that all small debris is broken up and easily passes down your drain. The following list of items should NEVER go down your drain:

- Hard Stuff - animal bones, fruit pits, seeds, nut shells - Grains & Grounds - rice, coffee grounds, oatmeal, pasta (these are all foods that expand with water contact) - Grease - all oils, fats, meat fats - Starchy or stringy veggies and fruit peels (compost them!)

Photo courtesy of Camden Main & Jamboree Apartments

#4 Properly Water, Treat and Dispose of Your Christmas Tree

If you’re like me, then you love to have a live tree in your home for the holidays. There is nothing wrong with an artificial tree, truly, but having the real thing with its natural pine scent and bushy limbs is simply the best. However, this does mean you need to take care of your tree while it’s in your apartment. If you do not water your tree daily, or remove dried dead branches, it could end up causing damage to your apartment. Dried branches and pine needles can easily catch fire when exposed to hot lights for prolonged periods of time. Make sure that once you get your tree, you re-cut the bottom and water it daily.

When it comes time to de-decorate your apartment, talk to your leasing office to see if they have a designated spot in the community for tree disposal. If not, try googling for a removal service in your area. Please do not throw your tree into the garbage bins in your apartment community.

#5 Manage Your Garbage (Food, Wrapping Paper, Other Waste)

Finally, the holidays can create just as much trash as we create wonderful memories. Make sure to follow up with your leasing office to find out when the trash is picked up and if the service your community uses will be absent on certain days. Having separate bags for food, paper, and plastics can make taking the garbage out a lot easier and faster. That way, you can get back to the fun! With these five tips, you can avoid almost certain holiday disasters. If you’re interested in lowering your carbon footprint, check out these tips for sustainable cleaning products for your home!