December 5, 2024 • 37 mins
There is no place like home around the holidays and in this episode, we share important safety tips to keep you and your holiday guests safe. Home fires increase during the holiday season so we focus on tips for cooking, candles, fireplaces, Christmas trees and decorating to help you prevent a fire from happening in your home. We also discuss how to keep your home safe if you are traveling during the holidays, how to avoid food poisoning and things to do to help avoid a guest slip and fall in and around your home.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to the Remax real Estate Insights Show
where you get real talk by real agents. Walk to
you by Remas of Southeastern Michigan. Hello and welcome to
the Remax real Estate Insights Podcast. We're happy to have
you join us. There is truly no place like home
around the holidays, and today we're going to be focusing
on the importance of holiday home safety so that you
(00:22):
can enjoy your home throughout the coming weeks and throughout
the entire holiday season. Specifically, we're going to be talking
about fire safety, home security when you're gone, and other
general tips to help make sure that your holidays stay happy.
I'm your host, Janette Schneider, and joining me today in
the studio is Pam Blonte. Pam is the marketing director
with Remax of Southeastern Michigan. Welcome back, Pam.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, hi, er, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Oh my pleasure is as we're recording this Thanksgivings just
in our rear view mirror, right, so I think we
can safely wish our listeners a happy holiday season, right
surely there?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, absolutely, JE have.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
A nice Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, it was great, it was great, stuffed.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I guess that's appropriate, right, so we're going to start
off today. Well, you mentioned being stuffed. That usually means
we've eaten, right, and if you're eating that means somebody's
been in the kitchen. That's right, And so we're going
to start a discussion today around home fires. On average,
forty four percent of all home fires start in the kitchen,
So it's a good place to start our focus on.
(01:23):
And during the holidays that are there are variety factors
that increase. You know, are using of cooking appliances, maybe
we're using some unfamiliar equipment, and all of this can
lead to issues.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, so, yeah, it is really easy to
get into trouble in the kitchen, especially if you are
the one hosting a gathering. Reason being, you're most likely
monitoring several different items and your attention is being pulled
into different conversations. So you know, that's it's not surprising
that during Thanksgiving and Christmas, these kitchen fires kind of,
(01:54):
you know, increase. So there are two things that you
can do that will help you prevent some fires. The
first thing is never leave cooking food unattended, and the
second thing is to be very careful if you're going
to be doing any frying of foods. So if you
have to leave the kitchen, you know, for any reason,
make sure you point someone someone who's there to keep
(02:16):
an eye on things for you, and just don't point
and who they know what you're talking about, you know,
make sure hey, you you'm talking to you Those potatoes.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
On this dove well in this. You know, on one hand,
this isn't necessarily you know, new news. This is something
that we should we should do, whether it's the holidays
or not. And I'll admit I'm as guilty as anybody else,
you know, especially after work, get something started, run upstairs
to change change clothes, you know, come back downstairs. And
I think around the holidays it's even easier. Like you said,
with the house full of people, you think you made
(02:46):
eye contact with somebody, you know, you think, well, somebody
else is going to be watching this. I'm just going
to be gone. Yeah, exactly, like you said, you need
to be very specific with who you're who you're tagging
to be responsible exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
And the second thing you want to do, as I mentioned,
is you know, fry with care.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Deep fried turkeys really are a popular.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Thing now, yes they are and tasty too.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Have you had.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
I've never it's been a long time since I've had one.
I have had one, and they it was delicious.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Okay, yeah, yeah, okay good. So yeah, so those are
definitely become very popular. And you know, but there is
a little bit more of a risk to doing a
fried turkey versus you know, maybe just roasting your turkey.
So be sure to read all the instructions before you know,
you start doing your frying. And for this one, for sure,
don't leave it unattended. Make sure someone is always watching that.
(03:36):
And thaw your turkey before frying to prevent any splattering,
which I think could lead to you know, conditions ripe.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
For absolutely, And it's also a good idea before you eat.
You know, so you've been talking about frying, but it's
you know, let's take kind of maybe almost like a
step back and say, you know, if you're in your
kitchen before you start to cook, you know, are there towels,
are there, potholders, are there decorations? Is there anything that's
near the stove top you want to survey, you know,
kind of your landscape. If so, you want to move them,
(04:05):
and especially if you have people over, you know, did
a guess bring over a dish, did they sit it,
set it down in an inconvenient spot? You know some
people people will bring over dishes that are like kind
of wrapped in a towel or you know, something to
keep it warm, which is great, but if it's in
a place that's not conducive or could catch flame that fire, Yeah,
(04:26):
you don't want to do that. So you want to
move things out of your way. You want to make
sure that your workspace is really working for you. And
fire experts recommend to be proactive when cooking. When you
take out a pan to cook, grab the lid for
it as well, even if the recipe doesn't call they
have something covered, have it handy. So should a fire start,
you can quickly, you know, kind of throw the cover
(04:46):
on it and that might be just enough to put
the flames out itself. And you know the other thing is,
you know, don't pick too quickly under the lid. If
you did have a little something happening and you use
the lid to kind of douse some flames that are coming,
don't pull it right back up right again. It's kind
of like let it sit, yeah, let it put it out,
Let it be good and done. Before you you know,
reopen that yeah, and take it to check. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, I love that tip. I think that's a great tip.
I think, you know, all year round, that's a great tip.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
It is an an all admit something I don't do. Yes,
I mean I don't if I'm just you know, I
don't say boiling waters. They do that in the microwave.
But I mean if I'm just doing something in a pan,
I don't typically grab the lid. Yes, right, same reading this,
it's like, okay, easy to do. You know, you shouldn't
remember to do that.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Yeah, yeah, no, I agree, you know, And in the
event of a microwave fire, make sure you keep the
door closed to avoid adding any extra oxygen you know,
to to that fire. So keep the door closed and
unplug it if you can, and just kind of let
that fire burn itself out. And then if you have
an oil or grease fire, cover the flames with metal
lid or cookie sheet and turn off that heat source again.
(05:47):
And if it's small enough, you can pour baking soda
on it to try to douse those flames. So something
to keep in mind there, and also some really good
advice from fire experts is do not try to move
the pot or pan from the stove to the sink
or from the stove to outside. And you know, basically,
I think people, you know, they get their adrenaline going,
and you know you're trying to run with it, and
(06:10):
you might find yourself in a whole lot more trouble than.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I was just saying. And I think you know, I
can understand the temptation, right or like you said, I
need to take action. Yeah, I need to do something.
I need to get it off the stove and out
of my house, into the sink, whatever whatever you're thinking. Yeah,
but now, I mean now you're kind of maybe in
a panic, a little frantic. Sure, easy where you can see,
you can drop it. You could trip and fall. I mean,
there's so many things that could go wrong wrong, Yeah, right, right,
(06:37):
and don't be afraid to call nine one one. I mean,
if putting it out, you know, like Pam said, I mean,
if putting it out is something, you can do it
small and you've got baking soda in nearby, or a
cookie sheet or lid you can throw on it, do that,
but you want to keep your safety in mind. Sure,
if the flames are too high and you can't do
it safely, call nine one one. That is you know,
that is what they're there for. You don't want to
mean you may may need to turn your attention to
(06:58):
getting people out of the house. That may be the
better use of your time. So kind of understand what
you're working with and don't feel that you have to
be the firefighter.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Let the experts do it.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, let the experts do it right.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah. Keeping with the theme of preventing fires, another significant
fire hazard is candles. There's no doubt that candles can
make a cold winter night, and apparently we're having one
of those tonight as we're recording it. We have the
first of the season. It's a little bit cooler right now.
You know, it can make those nights seem cozier, more inviting.
There's certainly part of many holiday traditions. Lighting candles are
(07:31):
part of you know, Christmas and Hanukah and Kwanza. But
with candles comes aflame and that can be dangerous. If
you don't believe me, just listen to the stat Christmas
day has two point eight times as many candle fires
as an average day. So there's something to this.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
There is something to this exactly, and next to Christmas Day.
The top days for candle fires in the United States
are New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving Day, and
then Christmas Eve.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
And then here's a hint about why Christmas Day comes
first on that list.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Sixty percent of candle fires start when something combustible, like
discarded wrapping paper, is left too close to the candle,
and then beyond beyond discarded wrapping paper, candle fires are
also commonly started, you know, by decorations catching fire, which
I you know, if you think about that, can't you
see that, like the frenzy of you know, opening gifts
(08:25):
and tossing paper and then.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
It's yeah, I mean it's put me. Yeah, I mean
it's I look back at like especially my in laws,
there were more kids in the house, and like where
I grew up, it was just myself and my sister,
so it's not a big group of kids, you know,
opening yeah stuff. And my husband's family is much more boisterous,
shall we say, when they opened gifts. I look back, go,
I don't know how their house never caught fire. I
mean there was wrapping paper flying everywhere.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
It is a recipe, It is a recipe for issues. Yeah,
absolutely So here are some candle safety tips. First and foremost,
keep those candles out of the reach of children, and
kind of to what you were just saying, and I
think that you know, my kids are older. Now, I
did go through many years where I just stopped lighting
candles in the house because of the kids. That's just well,
that makes me too nervous.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
You were a good mom, yeah, at least in that
area kid, so, but.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
And then also use sturdy holders for any candles that
are lit. So if you have any holders that are
kind of improperly weighted, you know where the candle might
tip or something like that, you know that that could
cause an issue. So make sure you have sturdy holders
for your lit candles. And then also keep all your
candles on a sturdy, clear surface, you know, avoid wobbly tables.
Make sure there's no piles or paper on.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
You know, your Christmas cards that you've gotten sitting there
in a.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Pile, yeah, yeah, absolutely. And then you know, just a clear,
you know, steady area. Just make sure that candle is
going to stand upright, and then blow candles out before
they burn all the way down. And this is especially
important for those glass jars, which is yeah, my favorite.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Really I'd rather they're very popular. They're very popular gifts
this time.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah, great gifts and easy just to like, don't have
to worry about holders and that type of thing. But
if the glass can explode if it gets too hot,
and that would be if the flame gets too low,
so yeah, something to be aware of.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
No, absolutely, I mean, and it's like, I think of
all the teachers that get those candles, I mean this
time of the year, they're they're popular, I think teacher gifts.
So you've got all the teachers get going home with
all these they're they're really not being sent home as
a fire a fire, yeah, yeah, right right, And kind
of keeping on some tips, you know, much like the
kitchen when you're cooking, you don't want to leave candles alone.
(10:32):
You don't want to leave them unattended. And note that
kids don't count, like you know you had mentioned when
you had smaller children, you just stop using them all
to you together. But let's face it, kids aren't paying attention.
And teenage kids are on their phones, are on a
game or doing something else. They're not paying attention. So
you know, kids don't count as far as you know,
paying attention to what's going on. You also don't want
(10:54):
to be burning candles in room where somebody's going you know,
maybe it's going to fall asleep, or that someone could
be you if you're tired from all this and baking
and festivities. Eleven percent of candle fire spark because someone
fell asleep while the flame was still burning, and then
to your point, either burned down and got into something
or it got too hot and exploded. So if you're
(11:14):
going to take an ap of your prone when you
sit down to doze off, let's make sure the candle
gets blow it out first. Yeah, blows out first. And
like you said, you were talking about, you know, kind
of a clear surface. You want to leave twelve inches
ideally on every side of the flame. When you have
that type of clearance, it's far less likely that you know,
any flamama material is going to get into there or
anything's going to catch on fire. So that's kind of
(11:36):
a good rule.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Yeah, that's a good rule there.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yeah, and you know what with all this being said,
you know you can always consider those fake candles again,
especially if you have the pats and the kids. This
is kind of a safer way to go and actually
I have some.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Now do you have any?
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I yes, I do, Yeah, I do. I have to
stop and think, yeah, I don't use them very often,
but yes I do.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Yeah, I got them actually last year as a Christmas
did you I did get.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
As a Christmas Thank you to the listener that.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Got him exactly. But yes, they have come a long way,
I think.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
And they do flicker and add that ambiance that maybe
is just a little bit safer than a regular candle.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Well, and it's funny because my mom has a number
of those, like she'll have him like in the room
where she watches TV. She has some in the kitchen
just to kind of think, you have a little light,
not a night light, but something like that, you know,
this time of the year. And well, my dad's best
friend was a fire chief, so I know that they
were very aware of fire safety issues from things that
he saw and you know, during the course of his career.
So and my mom had a relative's house that did
(12:37):
burn down, not from a candle fire, it was electrical fire.
So she's always been very conscientious of anything that could
could spark. So sure, sure, So while we're on the
topic of I guess flames and candles and stuff like that.
Let's talk about fireplaces, because it is recommended that you
check and clean your fireplace if you've got one, once a.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Year, yep.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
And to keep your fireplace safe, don't burn any trees
or wrapping paper or wreaths in your fireplace, and use
that screen at all times whenever you're burning a fire
in your fireplace. There a lot of people might think
they're just for decoration, but they do serve a purpose,
you know, in terms of keeping the fire inside.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Absolutely, and whether it's candles or fireplaces, they both typically
unless it's a gas fireplace, you know need matches to
get things going. You want to keep those matches or
lighters up high or in the locked cabinets where you know,
kids cannot reach them because they're inquisitive. They see you
do something and.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, they want to imitate it.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
And my mom must have been really good at keeping
those away because to this day I have trouble lighting
a match.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Oh yeah, yeah, I manchine lighters. Actually I went again.
Those flameless candles coming really handy.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Yeah, because I have the little bic you know thing.
I'm a jig and my husband always telling I'm in
the kitchen because it makes that clicking noise when you're
trying to get a nail coat. Seriously, I guess I
didn't play with those yts.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Well, we can't have a conversation about, you know, holiday
home safety and not talk about Christmas tree and decoration safety.
Before we got out a ere, I was just telling Pam,
we cut down our tree on Friday. It's my family's
tradition that we do that the Friday after Thanksgiving. So
I've got a real tree. We just cut it down
a few days ago. Pay your artificial tree.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I'm artificial, yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Growing up we always did real trees, and you know,
when I first got married.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
We did real trees. But over the years, at some
point I switched. I don't think I'm going to go back.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
I can say that there's I mean, there's a convenience
factor for me for sure. Yeah, and you pay for
it once and you have it for many years like me, Yes,
paying every year. But whether you have a real or
an artificial tree, you can minimize the chances that your
tree is going to go up in flames by following
some of these Christmas tree safety tips.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Yes, so for a live tree, cut about two inches
off the bottom of it before putting it in the stand.
You want to expose that fresh wood to help it
absorb the water better. And then and then keep it watered.
So once it's in the stand, keep it watered. And
you know, because in the event of a fire, a
water tree is going to burn much slower than a
dry tree, which increases the odds that you'll catch the
fire and put it out before any serious damage it's done.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
So that's good advice there.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
And then this is interesting, a shocking twenty one percent
of Christmas tree fires happy between February and November, possibly
because trees are still lingering around by February, and of
course they're getting dry and the more dry, the more
flavable they are getting. So you know, get rid of
that tree by mid January. And then if you are
(15:27):
an artificial tree user, make sure that it is labeled
as fire resistant.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yep. And I would assume that nowadays, if you're buying
a tree now, they probably are. But if you have
a tree that's maybe been passed down, you know it's
from you know, parent to child or something like that,
maybe you just want to double chuck and make sure
that it meets today's standards if you will. Yeah, and
for any Christmas tree, and this goes whether it's live
or artificial, pay attention to the wires. Forty percent of
Christmas tree fires happen because of problems with electrical distribution
(15:55):
or the lighting that you're putting on the tree. If
you're not sure is what, I don't say, it's too much.
What you probably are the problem. You probably are putting
too much on there. But read and follow the instruction
you know of the lighting packages that you're using. Make
sure you have a surge protector. You'll follow the directions
for the number of lights that you can have plugged
(16:16):
into one socket. I mean, these are all things that
you do need to think about. You don't think those
little lights put off much, but they do put off heat.
You know, they are potentially overloading a circuit. And you
don't want anything bad to happen. And you know, I
would say, if you're you know, the Clark Griswold in
your family or neighborhood. You know who you are, Yeah,
you know, you know who you are. You know, just
make sure you're not overdoing it on things.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Yeah, And it's a good I mean if you are,
that's great, you know, more more power to you.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, win the contest.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
And then make sure you keep your trees away from
heat sources. About a quarter of tree fires happen because
the tree is too close to a heat source. We're
talking like a fireplace, space heat or radiator, that type
of thing. When you when you finally find that perfect
place for a tree, and you know, make sure it's
clear of things that get hot. Experts do recommend that
you keep your tree three feet away from fireplaces, radiators,
(17:08):
and make sure that it is not blocking a doorway.
And also when you're talking about the lights, do not
put on lights that have been broken or have cracked sockets,
you know, freight or bear wires or loose connections because
that could cause a problem as well. And then turn
off all tree lights and decorations when you go to
bed or leave the house.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Yep. And you know, just like you had mentioned, you
want to have like a flame resistant you know, frame retired,
you know type tree to kind of you know, if
something does happen in the house, you know that the
tree is less likely to go. You want to do
the same thing with your decorations that because that also
can make a big difference in the event, you know,
a fire does start and you want to also choose
the right lights. I know, a lot of packages say
indoor outdoor, I mean a lot of them nowadays are
(17:49):
going to say that they can be used for either.
But there are some, you know, that are just indoor
only or outdoor only used. And again I'm going to say,
if you're using like old lights that have been passed down,
or you at a garage sale or you know whatever, Yeah,
you know, if they come in the original box, pay
attention to that to make sure you're using the right
light for the right useage.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
So for many folks, it isn't the holiday season unless
you travel somewhere, unless you hit the road or the
airport and you're going to go to see family. So
let's talk about ways that you can keep your home
safe when you're away so that your time away doesn't
lead to unplanned problems.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Yeah, right, exactly. Nobody wants that.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
So safety experts always recommend that you don't share your
travel plans online. So don't post from the airport or
post when you're leaving your home. I mean even if
you have high security levels on your social media platforms,
sharing too much information.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Can put you at risk. And then think about your mail.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
You know, pause your mail or have a neighbor collect
it for you, because pile the mail can signal to
thieves that nobody's home, you know, so you can easily
pause it by going to the USPS website, which I
that's what I usually do whenever we travel, super easy
to do. They'll just hold it to you come back,
and I think you actually give the date that you're coming.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Back, and then you tell them to deliver itever.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Soon you have to go pick it up or anything,
you know, or consider asking a neighbor to bring it inside,
you know every day or so every day or two.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Yep, you know, reaching out to that you know trust
the neighbor, like you just said, can be really nice.
Even if they're not going to be the ones maybe
picking up your your nail, your mail, per se, it's
nice to have them just keeping an eye in the house.
You may not know that somebody's sending you a gift.
I mean, so realistically the mailbox may be taken care of,
but that doesn't mean the Amazon driver or fat Ex
driver isn't going to leave a package on the porch. Yeah,
(19:32):
so you know, if you're not expecting it and you're
not tracking it, you don't know this. And so yeah, again,
having a neighbor you know, can help you out. Now
if you are tracking packages, if there is something that
you've been waiting on but yet you still have to
leave town, you know, get those notifications. You can use
that smart technology or package tracking to adjust delivery. Maybe
you send it someplace else, you know, or send it
(19:53):
to the neighbor's house or you know, something like that,
so that again things aren't piling up and kind of
make a very obvious notification would be doesn't appear these
people are home.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, they'll go pick up their own No
Christmas gets right off your porch. And then talking about
you know, saying along the same lines, consider hiring a
shoveling service if necessary, you know, either a service or
maybe you know a neighborhood kid, just in case it
does snow while you're away. Obviously, this is gonna make
(20:23):
your home look more lived in, so there's not leaving
a clue that no one is home. But then also
when you come home, if we if you there was
bad weather while you're traveling, it's going to make it
easier for you to get back up in your driveway
and into your to your home and everything. So so
it's a good idea, I think. And then if you
don't have a security system already, uh, you know, getting
one might be something to consider, you know, especially there's
(20:46):
all these smart systems now they send you real time
updates or some of them alert a central monitor, and
that can just help deter any would be thieves and
ensure that any attempt at Burgley is addressed as soon
as possible.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
And a thing especially this time of the year when
so many of the you know, i'd say daylight hours,
but that's kind of not some of the hours that
were awake, you know, are are dark, you know, at
this time of the year. Having some timers or motion
sensor lights for the exterior home can certainly help keep
it looking occupied. And the other thing you want to
do is keep the gifts out of sight. I know
(21:19):
that there are some very organized people who like to
have wrapped gifts under the tree. You know. Once the
tree goes up and it looks really really pretty and
it sets a nice scene. But if your tree is
by a window, and most typically are, and there's gifts
underneath there, and people have established that your comings and
gold patterns have changed and they see everything there, it
can be a big temptation. Yeah yeah, so you maybe
(21:42):
want to keep that. And it could also be that
you just wrapped empty boxes and put them under their
front decoration. But a thief doesn't know that, right, and
it's good it could be. It could be enticing as oh,
look I smashed this window, I grab and go, and
you don't want that to happen.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Yeah, good points already.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Our next topic is some general kid, family and pets.
Snow and ice can lead to guests falling before they
even get into your home, and be certain that's not
good for anybody. If you are hosting the family gathering
and snow is on the ground, be sure you shovel
put out an ice melt to help make sure that
guests have a safe route to walk from their cars
(22:16):
to your front door. That's a good way to start
a family function.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And don't put any holiday light extension
cords across the sidewalk or any walkways you know, so
again you're outdoor decor make sure, you know, be careful
of your extension cords there. If your home has a
tendency to get icicles, you know, remove them from over
the front door. Also turn on the lights so guests
can easily see the path and navigate any stairs if
(22:42):
you have any. And then once your guests get inside,
have a non skid mat for guests to remove wet
boots and shoes and then just kind of monitor the
area and wipe it up if it gets wet, so
you don't have any slip or slip and fall in
your in your home there, you.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Know, Yeah, because that can easily happen, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
That can easily them.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
And then also speaking of chords, you know with your
indoor decorations, make sure that you don't have any extension chords, uh,
going across any walkways or that type.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Of thing in your house.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Yeah. Absolutely. Well the other thing and if you're if
you're kind of slapping up that you know, water you know,
as it's coming in. It also helps socks stay dry
because I know, there's nothing worse than taking off the
shoes and then you step into somebody else's residue snow puddle.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Yeah, and then you've got cold, but feet you're tramping
it all through the house too.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
It becomes a cleaning issue. So well, I had mentioned
before that, you know, and I'm not picking out of them.
I love that his that his side is so like
I said, they have so much fun with gift opening.
They rip it off. There's a flurry of activity. But
wrapping paper itself can be slippery. You know a lot
of that I mean, and you know some of it.
You know it has that foil, you know, kind of
tuture and look to it. You know, that can really
(23:48):
be slippering. If it's left on a on the floor,
it can be a culprit for many slips and falls.
You know, for kids, it's probably not going to end
in an er visit. They'll lay on their backside and
laugh it off and move on. But for elderly folks
it can. It can be dangerous. And trust me, you
don't want to an ambulance coming to your family function.
We had that happen once and you know you don't
(24:08):
want I'm.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Sure that probably ended ended the party.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
It puts a damper on it when when you've got
one of the senior members of the family heading off
in an ambulance to the local hospital because their heads
bleeding because they took a fall.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
So yeah, there you go.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Yeah right, and I mean, I guess. And the reason
in that one it was it wasn't on wrapping paper
and it was in summer, so completely different set of circumstances.
But side note is in our house from the kitchen
to go into the family room, there's that one steps
which is popular in some you know, home styles, and
you know, it's always been there, We've lived there twenty years.
This was not new. But somebody just you know, forgot
(24:44):
they don't live in the house, they weren't paying attention,
fell off, it nailed their head on a table goodness,
and cracked it open.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
And so if you do have a house that has
like a step that like maybe not everybody else's house
that's visiting has, maybe you do point it out. It
maybe get pointed out, you know, don't forget there's a
step down, especially for those that may be a little
bit older, you know, that aren't estruty, you know, study
on their feet.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, yeah, I agree, so true.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
And so if possible, another thing to do, and this
again probably is helping maybe those that are a little
bit older in your family, try to leave a little
extra space around the table, especially for you using some
of those lightweight folding chairs. Most of us don't ever
have enough chairs to accommodate you. If you're hosting, we
don't have enough chairs to accommodate you know, the twenty
or thirty people that are you know, that are coming over,
(25:29):
and those chairs, you know, they can be a bit
of a tripping hazard when you're trying to move them,
so just be cautious to them as well.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Yeah, good things to think about for sure.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
And when it comes to gifts and toys, you want
to be sure that any toys you give are age
appropriate to the child who's receiving the gifts. So you know,
kids under three should not be getting anything with small
pieces which could end up becoming a choking hazard. And
if you are giving scooters or other riding toys, you know,
consider giving the safety gear that works with it, that
goes along with it, like your helmets and pads and
(25:58):
that type of thing.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Well, and I was thinking about that, and I'm thinking,
all right, so one family member gets to be the
fun relative that gets the fun gift, and then somebody
else gets to be the one that buys oh, great
helmets and paths. This is exciting. So like maybe if
your you know, cousins or aunt and uncles or something
like that, you go in together and the entire package
comes from everybody. That way, somebody's not getting better billing.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Than the other.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
The other one and we don't want to forget our
furry family members. You know, all the entertaining during the
holiday season, it can be a lot of commotion for pets.
And you know, most households aren't that rambunctious, even if
you have a number of kids. It's not the same
as holiday. You know, the holiday activity in the house
and the atmosphere. You want to make sure that your
(26:43):
pet has a place to escape all the noise and excitement.
If their bed or creator, you know kind of wherever
they hang out their scratching post is, you know, kind
of in a common area that's going to be full
of people. Maybe you move it to another room along
with some of their toys and their water so that
they can just kind of have a place to get away.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Absolutely, and you know, you may want to or need
to remind guests to not feed your pet people food,
which I give that with my mother in law all
you're around, to be honest with you, you know, very some
people I think just oh, you know they yes, yes,
but that could cause problems, especially if there's chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions.
(27:23):
Those are the things that are hazarded hazardous to your pets,
So you.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Know, keep an eye on that.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
And also think about that mistletoe or holly or maybe
some other holiday plants. Keep those away from pets because
those can be poisonous, you know, to pets as well.
And if you have a cat, you don't think about
leaving the tinsel off your tree because that could potentially
help the cat from not wanting to jump into your tree.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
But I don't know, I've seen a lot.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Of pictures of cats, and yeah, well I never had
a cap at. My mother in law has two and
my husband was just up there this week and I
was not there, but you know, she'd ask him could
he please get the you know tree out of the
basement for her. It's like a table top, you know tree.
It's not a real real big one and it's artificial
and he forgot that. I guess this one. When you
(28:08):
plug it in, it it does a slow spin, right, Okay,
it's just one of those. Yeah, And he said, no,
the one cat you never see. I don't care if
it's one person that comes over, you just never see
him came out because the trees out and use both
the cats were just you know, like sitting there cosmerized.
You know. Buy it. So a tip is maybe hanging
like a lemon scented car ear freshener in the tree
as an ornament. You can kind of maybe hide it
(28:29):
in there. It doesn't have to be real obvious that
it's there, but something that's got to maybe have a
little bit of a stronger scent, at least initially. We'll
keep the cat also, okay, Yeah, or at least on
the thought whether whether it works or not, I can't try.
It is worth it to give it a try, all right.
So talked about some family and pat safety, Let's go
into another thing that could kind of protect your family,
(28:51):
because nothing's going to ruin a family gathering faster than
about a food. Point about food poisoning. It may not
happen right while they're there, but nobody wants to have
the reputation to sending everybody home with something something a
little extra.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
It's a little extra, a little extra gamp.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
After the party, gift that keeps giving, as they say,
and estimated one in six people get food poisoning every year,
and the chances go up during the holiday season.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Oh my good.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
And you don't want to be the house that's known
for this.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yes, yes, you do not want that.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
And so there are a lot of easy things that
you can do to prevent food poisoning. Good food safe
safety starts with good food preparations.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
So make sure you wash your hands.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Frequently when handling food, and keep your raw meat away
from fresh produce. And then think about using separate cutting boards, plates,
and utensils for cooked and uncooked meats to avoid any.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Of that cross contamination.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
And then be sure to read all your food labels
and follow you know, any cooking instructions because that will
help as well. And then thought, if you're going to
do a turkey, make sure you know thaw your turkey safely.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
According to instructions.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
So I just find that with those turkeys, there are
some it's a little bit more than just.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
It's looking like chicken or something well, and it's more
it's it's more specific process and to me, more delicate food.
You want to get this right.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Yes, yeah, yeah, absolutely, And if you're buying unfamiliar foods
for the holidays or cooking for a bigger group than usual,
you know, read your ingredient list and be on the
lookout for common allergens.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
And if you know someone in your group has a.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
Food allergy, you know, make sure that you you let them,
you know, just be aware of it.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Let other people know.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
I know, a big thing is especially I remember this
more like when my kids were younger. It seems like
a lot of friends and stuff they have those peanut allergies,
you know, and then chocolate chip cookies can the chocolate
chips or manufacturing plants for there's peanuts, And even as
simple as like I have a cookie, know that kids
with those peanut allergies can't always have those chip cookies.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
So just you know, be aware of things like that.
Speaker 3 (30:52):
And invest in a meat thermometer because that undercooked meat
can cause food poisoning. And then if you are cooking
meat this holiday season, again if it's the large animal
like a turkey, use that meat thermometer to ensure that
it's thoroughly cooked and safe to eat. So that I
think like you are cooking the like a big piece
of meat, like a turkey, or sometimes we do like
(31:13):
that like a beef ten right, you know, really you
want to make sure that you got that temperature.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
That to me, that's the safest way to know.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Well, it's the safest way, and especially if it's something
that you don't do. I mean most of us aren't
cooking turkeys regularly. Once a year is not necessarily regular,
but the annual, but it's not regular, yeah, you know,
and see and like you said, saying with some of
the others, I mean, if you're trying out, and sometimes
we do, we go to do you know, do something
a little different, a little fancier, you know, whatever it
might be, and you're not as familiar with cooking it.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
And you know, because what the package says doesn't always
match what your oven cooks at right or the time
you know, I mean it might say, you know, and
most of the times are going to say, well, you know,
we're gonna say it's going to be X number of hours,
but you know, cooking times may vary. Well, yes, because
every oven is different and every oven has a different
age and how fast it actually gets to that temperature.
Meat thermometer is a great, a great safety net.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Spe Yeah, yeah, absolutely well.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
So once the meal is over, experts recommend that you refrigerate,
you know, hot and cold food within two hours of
being served. And for a meat like turkey, and we're
focusing a lot on that, but again it's kind of
a sensitive meat product, it's recommended that you cut the
turkey into smaller pieces for storage so it can show
a little bit more quickly. You also want to make
sure you're checking your refrigerator and your freezer temperatures to
(32:25):
make sure they're kind of set at the right temperatures.
Your refrigerator should be at or below forty and the
freezer should be at or below zero. And that's also
going to help to make sure that if you take
the proper precautions to get the food in there, it's
at the temperature that it needs to be to safely
store the food. Yeah, and I don't know about you,
but I'm actually surprised at two hours because I'm telling
(32:45):
you right now, Yeah, if it's something that's supposed to
be hot and we're no longer eating it, I'm not
letting it set out for two hours before I take
care of story.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yeah, I agree to that seems like a long time,
but you know, maybe depends what it is.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
I mean snacks like cookies or chips and stuff that
doesn't matter. Yeah, that can be out all day for
people to kind of graze on. But anything that's got
you know, sour cream, it's not for two hours.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
No exactly.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
And you know, and then some other things you want
to pay attention to are maybe ciders and juice drinks
that are unpasteurized. And when I think of this, I
think of eggnog. If my eggnog in a store, it's
usually has past rise, but maybe someone's making homemade eggnog
and then it would not be pasteurized. So yeah, you know,
that's something to pay attention to as well.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
Are you an egnog person? You know?
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Actually I am?
Speaker 1 (33:34):
Are you?
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Yes? Yes, I never had it.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
Like growing up, but then after you know, you know,
marry my husband, his family was that.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
I got to do it. Not a lot, just a
little glass with some cinnamon.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
It's really good, but just at the holidays, you know,
just for me, it just reminds me of Christmas.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
You know, Yeah, because I, like you, I didn't grow
up with it. It wasn't something that my family did,
and so I've never really been able to turn the
corner and get into Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
Well, the funny thing is when my boys have their
friends over and I'll be like, oh, you want some
egg nog?
Speaker 2 (34:09):
You've ever had it?
Speaker 3 (34:09):
And the faces that the kids will make, you know, like,
what is this?
Speaker 2 (34:14):
No, I don't want to try that.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
It's a choir Today's but I mean, but you do
want to handle that appropriately because there's a lot going
on in that, you know, like you said, pasteurization, dairy products,
stuff like that. Yeah, Baking is also obviously popular during
the holidays, and I think we've all been known to
sneak a lock from the beat, you know, if you're
if you're making something. Depending on what you're making, something's
more enticing than others. But it isn't wise. Batter than
(34:40):
has flour or eggs can certainly contain some harmful germs,
and you want to avoid, you know, eating better from
you know, cookies, cakes, biscuits, pancakes, there's a lot of
things that you can make. Pancakes and biscuits don't do
it for me.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Chocolate chip cookie cookie dough is a little uh.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
That's one are the things might accidentally slip slip into
the ball. Finally, you want to be prepared in the
case of an emergency. Hopefully the tips that we've gone
through today you'll help prevent the fires and help prevent
all of you know, the bad things that can happen.
But it's best in case something does. You want to
be prepared and if you haven't recently, check your smoke detectors,
(35:19):
replace any old or dead batteries, and hook up any
disconnected batteries because I know some people get tired of
the beeping and they'll disconnect something to you know, kind
of like I'll deal with it later. Well, if that's you,
deal with it now before you have a house full
of people, and make sure that you've got those smoke
detectors working. You also want to know exactly where the
fire extinguishers are in your home and be sure they're
(35:41):
easy to get to. I think a lot of times
these can be things that you know originally were at
the front of a closet or a front of an area,
and they kind of get pushed back and put out
of the way, and then everybody's going to be screaming,
where's the fire extinguisher. You know it's going to be
hard to get.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
At sure, Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And then also discuss with
your family, you know, fire escape route just in case
something should happen, you know where you go, where's the
meeting point outside, and if there are small children, are
pets in your family, who is responsible for getting them?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah? Absolutely, again talking about I had time. Hopefully it's
one of those things that means you never have to
deal with it, but better to have a plan.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
That's right. Yeah, absolutely, Well, we hope.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
These holiday home safety tips have been useful. You know,
we know there's truly no place like home over the holidays,
and we want you to enjoy your home over the
holiday season. They have a great time, whether you're the
one entertaining or maybe you're going to somebody else's house.
We want you to have a great time. And you
know this is the time of the year. It's always helpful,
I think to do a little refresh of some things.
There's usually always one or two things that we'll take
(36:41):
and say, you know what, yeah, forgot about that, Yeah
I should be doing this. So we want to make
sure that you're you're having a safe holiday season. So
Pama's always. Thanks for being the guest today.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
For sure, thank you for having me, and.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
For those of you listening, thanks for listening. We hope
it's going to be a wonderful holiday season for you,
and take care and we'll be talking to you soon.
We hope you enjoy today's episode. Don't forget to subscribe,
write a review, or rate the show as it helps
us reach more people. You can also follow us on
Facebook and Instagram.
You are listening to the Remax real Estate Insights Show
where you get real talk by real agents. Walk to
you by Remas of Southeastern Michigan. Hello and welcome to
the Remax real Estate Insights Podcast. We're happy to have
you join us. There is truly no place like home
around the holidays, and today we're going to be focusing
on the importance of holiday home safety so that you
(00:22):
can enjoy your home throughout the coming weeks and throughout
the entire holiday season. Specifically, we're going to be talking
about fire safety, home security when you're gone, and other
general tips to help make sure that your holidays stay happy.
I'm your host, Janette Schneider, and joining me today in
the studio is Pam Blonte. Pam is the marketing director
with Remax of Southeastern Michigan. Welcome back, Pam.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, hi, er, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Oh my pleasure is as we're recording this Thanksgivings just
in our rear view mirror, right, so I think we
can safely wish our listeners a happy holiday season, right
surely there?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, absolutely, JE have.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
A nice Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, it was great, it was great, stuffed.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I guess that's appropriate, right, so we're going to start
off today. Well, you mentioned being stuffed. That usually means
we've eaten, right, and if you're eating that means somebody's
been in the kitchen. That's right, And so we're going
to start a discussion today around home fires. On average,
forty four percent of all home fires start in the kitchen,
So it's a good place to start our focus on.
(01:23):
And during the holidays that are there are variety factors
that increase. You know, are using of cooking appliances, maybe
we're using some unfamiliar equipment, and all of this can
lead to issues.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, so, yeah, it is really easy to
get into trouble in the kitchen, especially if you are
the one hosting a gathering. Reason being, you're most likely
monitoring several different items and your attention is being pulled
into different conversations. So you know, that's it's not surprising
that during Thanksgiving and Christmas, these kitchen fires kind of,
(01:54):
you know, increase. So there are two things that you
can do that will help you prevent some fires. The
first thing is never leave cooking food unattended, and the
second thing is to be very careful if you're going
to be doing any frying of foods. So if you
have to leave the kitchen, you know, for any reason,
make sure you point someone someone who's there to keep
(02:16):
an eye on things for you, and just don't point
and who they know what you're talking about, you know,
make sure hey, you you'm talking to you Those potatoes.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
On this dove well in this. You know, on one hand,
this isn't necessarily you know, new news. This is something
that we should we should do, whether it's the holidays
or not. And I'll admit I'm as guilty as anybody else,
you know, especially after work, get something started, run upstairs
to change change clothes, you know, come back downstairs. And
I think around the holidays it's even easier. Like you said,
with the house full of people, you think you made
(02:46):
eye contact with somebody, you know, you think, well, somebody
else is going to be watching this. I'm just going
to be gone. Yeah, exactly, like you said, you need
to be very specific with who you're who you're tagging
to be responsible exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
And the second thing you want to do, as I mentioned,
is you know, fry with care.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Deep fried turkeys really are a popular.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Thing now, yes they are and tasty too.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Have you had.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
I've never it's been a long time since I've had one.
I have had one, and they it was delicious.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Okay, yeah, yeah, okay good. So yeah, so those are
definitely become very popular. And you know, but there is
a little bit more of a risk to doing a
fried turkey versus you know, maybe just roasting your turkey.
So be sure to read all the instructions before you know,
you start doing your frying. And for this one, for sure,
don't leave it unattended. Make sure someone is always watching that.
(03:36):
And thaw your turkey before frying to prevent any splattering,
which I think could lead to you know, conditions ripe.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
For absolutely, And it's also a good idea before you eat.
You know, so you've been talking about frying, but it's
you know, let's take kind of maybe almost like a
step back and say, you know, if you're in your
kitchen before you start to cook, you know, are there towels,
are there, potholders, are there decorations? Is there anything that's
near the stove top you want to survey, you know,
kind of your landscape. If so, you want to move them,
(04:05):
and especially if you have people over, you know, did
a guess bring over a dish, did they sit it,
set it down in an inconvenient spot? You know some
people people will bring over dishes that are like kind
of wrapped in a towel or you know, something to
keep it warm, which is great, but if it's in
a place that's not conducive or could catch flame that fire, Yeah,
(04:26):
you don't want to do that. So you want to
move things out of your way. You want to make
sure that your workspace is really working for you. And
fire experts recommend to be proactive when cooking. When you
take out a pan to cook, grab the lid for
it as well, even if the recipe doesn't call they
have something covered, have it handy. So should a fire start,
you can quickly, you know, kind of throw the cover
(04:46):
on it and that might be just enough to put
the flames out itself. And you know the other thing is,
you know, don't pick too quickly under the lid. If
you did have a little something happening and you use
the lid to kind of douse some flames that are coming,
don't pull it right back up right again. It's kind
of like let it sit, yeah, let it put it out,
Let it be good and done. Before you you know,
reopen that yeah, and take it to check. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, I love that tip. I think that's a great tip.
I think, you know, all year round, that's a great tip.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
It is an an all admit something I don't do. Yes,
I mean I don't if I'm just you know, I
don't say boiling waters. They do that in the microwave.
But I mean if I'm just doing something in a pan,
I don't typically grab the lid. Yes, right, same reading this,
it's like, okay, easy to do. You know, you shouldn't
remember to do that.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Yeah, yeah, no, I agree, you know, And in the
event of a microwave fire, make sure you keep the
door closed to avoid adding any extra oxygen you know,
to to that fire. So keep the door closed and
unplug it if you can, and just kind of let
that fire burn itself out. And then if you have
an oil or grease fire, cover the flames with metal
lid or cookie sheet and turn off that heat source again.
(05:47):
And if it's small enough, you can pour baking soda
on it to try to douse those flames. So something
to keep in mind there, and also some really good
advice from fire experts is do not try to move
the pot or pan from the stove to the sink
or from the stove to outside. And you know, basically,
I think people, you know, they get their adrenaline going,
and you know you're trying to run with it, and
(06:10):
you might find yourself in a whole lot more trouble than.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I was just saying. And I think you know, I
can understand the temptation, right or like you said, I
need to take action. Yeah, I need to do something.
I need to get it off the stove and out
of my house, into the sink, whatever whatever you're thinking. Yeah,
but now, I mean now you're kind of maybe in
a panic, a little frantic. Sure, easy where you can see,
you can drop it. You could trip and fall. I mean,
there's so many things that could go wrong wrong, Yeah, right, right,
(06:37):
and don't be afraid to call nine one one. I mean,
if putting it out, you know, like Pam said, I mean,
if putting it out is something, you can do it
small and you've got baking soda in nearby, or a
cookie sheet or lid you can throw on it, do that,
but you want to keep your safety in mind. Sure,
if the flames are too high and you can't do
it safely, call nine one one. That is you know,
that is what they're there for. You don't want to
mean you may may need to turn your attention to
(06:58):
getting people out of the house. That may be the
better use of your time. So kind of understand what
you're working with and don't feel that you have to
be the firefighter.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Let the experts do it.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, let the experts do it right.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah. Keeping with the theme of preventing fires, another significant
fire hazard is candles. There's no doubt that candles can
make a cold winter night, and apparently we're having one
of those tonight as we're recording it. We have the
first of the season. It's a little bit cooler right now.
You know, it can make those nights seem cozier, more inviting.
There's certainly part of many holiday traditions. Lighting candles are
(07:31):
part of you know, Christmas and Hanukah and Kwanza. But
with candles comes aflame and that can be dangerous. If
you don't believe me, just listen to the stat Christmas
day has two point eight times as many candle fires
as an average day. So there's something to this.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
There is something to this exactly, and next to Christmas Day.
The top days for candle fires in the United States
are New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving Day, and
then Christmas Eve.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
And then here's a hint about why Christmas Day comes
first on that list.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Sixty percent of candle fires start when something combustible, like
discarded wrapping paper, is left too close to the candle,
and then beyond beyond discarded wrapping paper, candle fires are
also commonly started, you know, by decorations catching fire, which
I you know, if you think about that, can't you
see that, like the frenzy of you know, opening gifts
(08:25):
and tossing paper and then.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
It's yeah, I mean it's put me. Yeah, I mean
it's I look back at like especially my in laws,
there were more kids in the house, and like where
I grew up, it was just myself and my sister,
so it's not a big group of kids, you know,
opening yeah stuff. And my husband's family is much more boisterous,
shall we say, when they opened gifts. I look back, go,
I don't know how their house never caught fire. I
mean there was wrapping paper flying everywhere.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
It is a recipe, It is a recipe for issues. Yeah,
absolutely So here are some candle safety tips. First and foremost,
keep those candles out of the reach of children, and
kind of to what you were just saying, and I
think that you know, my kids are older. Now, I
did go through many years where I just stopped lighting
candles in the house because of the kids. That's just well,
that makes me too nervous.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
You were a good mom, yeah, at least in that
area kid, so, but.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
And then also use sturdy holders for any candles that
are lit. So if you have any holders that are
kind of improperly weighted, you know where the candle might
tip or something like that, you know that that could
cause an issue. So make sure you have sturdy holders
for your lit candles. And then also keep all your
candles on a sturdy, clear surface, you know, avoid wobbly tables.
Make sure there's no piles or paper on.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
You know, your Christmas cards that you've gotten sitting there
in a.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Pile, yeah, yeah, absolutely. And then you know, just a clear,
you know, steady area. Just make sure that candle is
going to stand upright, and then blow candles out before
they burn all the way down. And this is especially
important for those glass jars, which is yeah, my favorite.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Really I'd rather they're very popular. They're very popular gifts
this time.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah, great gifts and easy just to like, don't have
to worry about holders and that type of thing. But
if the glass can explode if it gets too hot,
and that would be if the flame gets too low,
so yeah, something to be aware of.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
No, absolutely, I mean, and it's like, I think of
all the teachers that get those candles, I mean this
time of the year, they're they're popular, I think teacher gifts.
So you've got all the teachers get going home with
all these they're they're really not being sent home as
a fire a fire, yeah, yeah, right right, And kind
of keeping on some tips, you know, much like the
kitchen when you're cooking, you don't want to leave candles alone.
(10:32):
You don't want to leave them unattended. And note that
kids don't count, like you know you had mentioned when
you had smaller children, you just stop using them all
to you together. But let's face it, kids aren't paying attention.
And teenage kids are on their phones, are on a
game or doing something else. They're not paying attention. So
you know, kids don't count as far as you know,
paying attention to what's going on. You also don't want
(10:54):
to be burning candles in room where somebody's going you know,
maybe it's going to fall asleep, or that someone could
be you if you're tired from all this and baking
and festivities. Eleven percent of candle fire spark because someone
fell asleep while the flame was still burning, and then
to your point, either burned down and got into something
or it got too hot and exploded. So if you're
(11:14):
going to take an ap of your prone when you
sit down to doze off, let's make sure the candle
gets blow it out first. Yeah, blows out first. And
like you said, you were talking about, you know, kind
of a clear surface. You want to leave twelve inches
ideally on every side of the flame. When you have
that type of clearance, it's far less likely that you know,
any flamama material is going to get into there or
anything's going to catch on fire. So that's kind of
(11:36):
a good rule.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Yeah, that's a good rule there.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yeah, and you know what with all this being said,
you know you can always consider those fake candles again,
especially if you have the pats and the kids. This
is kind of a safer way to go and actually
I have some.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Now do you have any?
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I yes, I do, Yeah, I do. I have to
stop and think, yeah, I don't use them very often,
but yes I do.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Yeah, I got them actually last year as a Christmas
did you I did get.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
As a Christmas Thank you to the listener that.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Got him exactly. But yes, they have come a long way,
I think.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
And they do flicker and add that ambiance that maybe
is just a little bit safer than a regular candle.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Well, and it's funny because my mom has a number
of those, like she'll have him like in the room
where she watches TV. She has some in the kitchen
just to kind of think, you have a little light,
not a night light, but something like that, you know,
this time of the year. And well, my dad's best
friend was a fire chief, so I know that they
were very aware of fire safety issues from things that
he saw and you know, during the course of his career.
So and my mom had a relative's house that did
(12:37):
burn down, not from a candle fire, it was electrical fire.
So she's always been very conscientious of anything that could
could spark. So sure, sure, So while we're on the
topic of I guess flames and candles and stuff like that.
Let's talk about fireplaces, because it is recommended that you
check and clean your fireplace if you've got one, once a.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Year, yep.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
And to keep your fireplace safe, don't burn any trees
or wrapping paper or wreaths in your fireplace, and use
that screen at all times whenever you're burning a fire
in your fireplace. There a lot of people might think
they're just for decoration, but they do serve a purpose,
you know, in terms of keeping the fire inside.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Absolutely, and whether it's candles or fireplaces, they both typically
unless it's a gas fireplace, you know need matches to
get things going. You want to keep those matches or
lighters up high or in the locked cabinets where you know,
kids cannot reach them because they're inquisitive. They see you
do something and.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, they want to imitate it.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
And my mom must have been really good at keeping
those away because to this day I have trouble lighting
a match.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Oh yeah, yeah, I manchine lighters. Actually I went again.
Those flameless candles coming really handy.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Yeah, because I have the little bic you know thing.
I'm a jig and my husband always telling I'm in
the kitchen because it makes that clicking noise when you're
trying to get a nail coat. Seriously, I guess I
didn't play with those yts.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Well, we can't have a conversation about, you know, holiday
home safety and not talk about Christmas tree and decoration safety.
Before we got out a ere, I was just telling Pam,
we cut down our tree on Friday. It's my family's
tradition that we do that the Friday after Thanksgiving. So
I've got a real tree. We just cut it down
a few days ago. Pay your artificial tree.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I'm artificial, yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Growing up we always did real trees, and you know,
when I first got married.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
We did real trees. But over the years, at some
point I switched. I don't think I'm going to go back.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
I can say that there's I mean, there's a convenience
factor for me for sure. Yeah, and you pay for
it once and you have it for many years like me, Yes,
paying every year. But whether you have a real or
an artificial tree, you can minimize the chances that your
tree is going to go up in flames by following
some of these Christmas tree safety tips.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Yes, so for a live tree, cut about two inches
off the bottom of it before putting it in the stand.
You want to expose that fresh wood to help it
absorb the water better. And then and then keep it watered.
So once it's in the stand, keep it watered. And
you know, because in the event of a fire, a
water tree is going to burn much slower than a
dry tree, which increases the odds that you'll catch the
fire and put it out before any serious damage it's done.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
So that's good advice there.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
And then this is interesting, a shocking twenty one percent
of Christmas tree fires happy between February and November, possibly
because trees are still lingering around by February, and of
course they're getting dry and the more dry, the more
flavable they are getting. So you know, get rid of
that tree by mid January. And then if you are
(15:27):
an artificial tree user, make sure that it is labeled
as fire resistant.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yep. And I would assume that nowadays, if you're buying
a tree now, they probably are. But if you have
a tree that's maybe been passed down, you know it's
from you know, parent to child or something like that,
maybe you just want to double chuck and make sure
that it meets today's standards if you will. Yeah, and
for any Christmas tree, and this goes whether it's live
or artificial, pay attention to the wires. Forty percent of
Christmas tree fires happen because of problems with electrical distribution
(15:55):
or the lighting that you're putting on the tree. If
you're not sure is what, I don't say, it's too much.
What you probably are the problem. You probably are putting
too much on there. But read and follow the instruction
you know of the lighting packages that you're using. Make
sure you have a surge protector. You'll follow the directions
for the number of lights that you can have plugged
(16:16):
into one socket. I mean, these are all things that
you do need to think about. You don't think those
little lights put off much, but they do put off heat.
You know, they are potentially overloading a circuit. And you
don't want anything bad to happen. And you know, I
would say, if you're you know, the Clark Griswold in
your family or neighborhood. You know who you are, Yeah,
you know, you know who you are. You know, just
make sure you're not overdoing it on things.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Yeah, And it's a good I mean if you are,
that's great, you know, more more power to you.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, win the contest.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
And then make sure you keep your trees away from
heat sources. About a quarter of tree fires happen because
the tree is too close to a heat source. We're
talking like a fireplace, space heat or radiator, that type
of thing. When you when you finally find that perfect
place for a tree, and you know, make sure it's
clear of things that get hot. Experts do recommend that
you keep your tree three feet away from fireplaces, radiators,
(17:08):
and make sure that it is not blocking a doorway.
And also when you're talking about the lights, do not
put on lights that have been broken or have cracked sockets,
you know, freight or bear wires or loose connections because
that could cause a problem as well. And then turn
off all tree lights and decorations when you go to
bed or leave the house.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Yep. And you know, just like you had mentioned, you
want to have like a flame resistant you know, frame retired,
you know type tree to kind of you know, if
something does happen in the house, you know that the
tree is less likely to go. You want to do
the same thing with your decorations that because that also
can make a big difference in the event, you know,
a fire does start and you want to also choose
the right lights. I know, a lot of packages say
indoor outdoor, I mean a lot of them nowadays are
(17:49):
going to say that they can be used for either.
But there are some, you know, that are just indoor
only or outdoor only used. And again I'm going to say,
if you're using like old lights that have been passed down,
or you at a garage sale or you know whatever, Yeah,
you know, if they come in the original box, pay
attention to that to make sure you're using the right
light for the right useage.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
So for many folks, it isn't the holiday season unless
you travel somewhere, unless you hit the road or the
airport and you're going to go to see family. So
let's talk about ways that you can keep your home
safe when you're away so that your time away doesn't
lead to unplanned problems.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Yeah, right, exactly. Nobody wants that.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
So safety experts always recommend that you don't share your
travel plans online. So don't post from the airport or
post when you're leaving your home. I mean even if
you have high security levels on your social media platforms,
sharing too much information.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Can put you at risk. And then think about your mail.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
You know, pause your mail or have a neighbor collect
it for you, because pile the mail can signal to
thieves that nobody's home, you know, so you can easily
pause it by going to the USPS website, which I
that's what I usually do whenever we travel, super easy
to do. They'll just hold it to you come back,
and I think you actually give the date that you're coming.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Back, and then you tell them to deliver itever.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Soon you have to go pick it up or anything,
you know, or consider asking a neighbor to bring it inside,
you know every day or so every day or two.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Yep, you know, reaching out to that you know trust
the neighbor, like you just said, can be really nice.
Even if they're not going to be the ones maybe
picking up your your nail, your mail, per se, it's
nice to have them just keeping an eye in the house.
You may not know that somebody's sending you a gift.
I mean, so realistically the mailbox may be taken care of,
but that doesn't mean the Amazon driver or fat Ex
driver isn't going to leave a package on the porch. Yeah,
(19:32):
so you know, if you're not expecting it and you're
not tracking it, you don't know this. And so yeah, again,
having a neighbor you know, can help you out. Now
if you are tracking packages, if there is something that
you've been waiting on but yet you still have to
leave town, you know, get those notifications. You can use
that smart technology or package tracking to adjust delivery. Maybe
you send it someplace else, you know, or send it
(19:53):
to the neighbor's house or you know, something like that,
so that again things aren't piling up and kind of
make a very obvious notification would be doesn't appear these
people are home.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, they'll go pick up their own No
Christmas gets right off your porch. And then talking about
you know, saying along the same lines, consider hiring a
shoveling service if necessary, you know, either a service or
maybe you know a neighborhood kid, just in case it
does snow while you're away. Obviously, this is gonna make
(20:23):
your home look more lived in, so there's not leaving
a clue that no one is home. But then also
when you come home, if we if you there was
bad weather while you're traveling, it's going to make it
easier for you to get back up in your driveway
and into your to your home and everything. So so
it's a good idea, I think. And then if you
don't have a security system already, uh, you know, getting
one might be something to consider, you know, especially there's
(20:46):
all these smart systems now they send you real time
updates or some of them alert a central monitor, and
that can just help deter any would be thieves and
ensure that any attempt at Burgley is addressed as soon
as possible.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
And a thing especially this time of the year when
so many of the you know, i'd say daylight hours,
but that's kind of not some of the hours that
were awake, you know, are are dark, you know, at
this time of the year. Having some timers or motion
sensor lights for the exterior home can certainly help keep
it looking occupied. And the other thing you want to
do is keep the gifts out of sight. I know
(21:19):
that there are some very organized people who like to
have wrapped gifts under the tree. You know. Once the
tree goes up and it looks really really pretty and
it sets a nice scene. But if your tree is
by a window, and most typically are, and there's gifts
underneath there, and people have established that your comings and
gold patterns have changed and they see everything there, it
can be a big temptation. Yeah yeah, so you maybe
(21:42):
want to keep that. And it could also be that
you just wrapped empty boxes and put them under their
front decoration. But a thief doesn't know that, right, and
it's good it could be. It could be enticing as oh,
look I smashed this window, I grab and go, and
you don't want that to happen.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Yeah, good points already.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Our next topic is some general kid, family and pets.
Snow and ice can lead to guests falling before they
even get into your home, and be certain that's not
good for anybody. If you are hosting the family gathering
and snow is on the ground, be sure you shovel
put out an ice melt to help make sure that
guests have a safe route to walk from their cars
(22:16):
to your front door. That's a good way to start
a family function.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And don't put any holiday light extension
cords across the sidewalk or any walkways you know, so
again you're outdoor decor make sure, you know, be careful
of your extension cords there. If your home has a
tendency to get icicles, you know, remove them from over
the front door. Also turn on the lights so guests
can easily see the path and navigate any stairs if
(22:42):
you have any. And then once your guests get inside,
have a non skid mat for guests to remove wet
boots and shoes and then just kind of monitor the
area and wipe it up if it gets wet, so
you don't have any slip or slip and fall in
your in your home there, you.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Know, Yeah, because that can easily happen, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
That can easily them.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
And then also speaking of chords, you know with your
indoor decorations, make sure that you don't have any extension chords, uh,
going across any walkways or that type.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Of thing in your house.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Yeah. Absolutely. Well the other thing and if you're if
you're kind of slapping up that you know, water you know,
as it's coming in. It also helps socks stay dry
because I know, there's nothing worse than taking off the
shoes and then you step into somebody else's residue snow puddle.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Yeah, and then you've got cold, but feet you're tramping
it all through the house too.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
It becomes a cleaning issue. So well, I had mentioned
before that, you know, and I'm not picking out of them.
I love that his that his side is so like
I said, they have so much fun with gift opening.
They rip it off. There's a flurry of activity. But
wrapping paper itself can be slippery. You know a lot
of that I mean, and you know some of it.
You know it has that foil, you know, kind of
tuture and look to it. You know, that can really
(23:48):
be slippering. If it's left on a on the floor,
it can be a culprit for many slips and falls.
You know, for kids, it's probably not going to end
in an er visit. They'll lay on their backside and
laugh it off and move on. But for elderly folks
it can. It can be dangerous. And trust me, you
don't want to an ambulance coming to your family function.
We had that happen once and you know you don't
(24:08):
want I'm.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Sure that probably ended ended the party.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
It puts a damper on it when when you've got
one of the senior members of the family heading off
in an ambulance to the local hospital because their heads
bleeding because they took a fall.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
So yeah, there you go.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Yeah right, and I mean, I guess. And the reason
in that one it was it wasn't on wrapping paper
and it was in summer, so completely different set of circumstances.
But side note is in our house from the kitchen
to go into the family room, there's that one steps
which is popular in some you know, home styles, and
you know, it's always been there, We've lived there twenty years.
This was not new. But somebody just you know, forgot
(24:44):
they don't live in the house, they weren't paying attention,
fell off, it nailed their head on a table goodness,
and cracked it open.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
And so if you do have a house that has
like a step that like maybe not everybody else's house
that's visiting has, maybe you do point it out. It
maybe get pointed out, you know, don't forget there's a
step down, especially for those that may be a little
bit older, you know, that aren't estruty, you know, study
on their feet.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, yeah, I agree, so true.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
And so if possible, another thing to do, and this
again probably is helping maybe those that are a little
bit older in your family, try to leave a little
extra space around the table, especially for you using some
of those lightweight folding chairs. Most of us don't ever
have enough chairs to accommodate you. If you're hosting, we
don't have enough chairs to accommodate you know, the twenty
or thirty people that are you know, that are coming over,
(25:29):
and those chairs, you know, they can be a bit
of a tripping hazard when you're trying to move them,
so just be cautious to them as well.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Yeah, good things to think about for sure.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
And when it comes to gifts and toys, you want
to be sure that any toys you give are age
appropriate to the child who's receiving the gifts. So you know,
kids under three should not be getting anything with small
pieces which could end up becoming a choking hazard. And
if you are giving scooters or other riding toys, you know,
consider giving the safety gear that works with it, that
goes along with it, like your helmets and pads and
(25:58):
that type of thing.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Well, and I was thinking about that, and I'm thinking,
all right, so one family member gets to be the
fun relative that gets the fun gift, and then somebody
else gets to be the one that buys oh, great
helmets and paths. This is exciting. So like maybe if
your you know, cousins or aunt and uncles or something
like that, you go in together and the entire package
comes from everybody. That way, somebody's not getting better billing.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Than the other.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
The other one and we don't want to forget our
furry family members. You know, all the entertaining during the
holiday season, it can be a lot of commotion for pets.
And you know, most households aren't that rambunctious, even if
you have a number of kids. It's not the same
as holiday. You know, the holiday activity in the house
and the atmosphere. You want to make sure that your
(26:43):
pet has a place to escape all the noise and excitement.
If their bed or creator, you know kind of wherever
they hang out their scratching post is, you know, kind
of in a common area that's going to be full
of people. Maybe you move it to another room along
with some of their toys and their water so that
they can just kind of have a place to get away.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Absolutely, and you know, you may want to or need
to remind guests to not feed your pet people food,
which I give that with my mother in law all
you're around, to be honest with you, you know, very some
people I think just oh, you know they yes, yes,
but that could cause problems, especially if there's chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions.
(27:23):
Those are the things that are hazarded hazardous to your pets,
So you.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Know, keep an eye on that.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
And also think about that mistletoe or holly or maybe
some other holiday plants. Keep those away from pets because
those can be poisonous, you know, to pets as well.
And if you have a cat, you don't think about
leaving the tinsel off your tree because that could potentially
help the cat from not wanting to jump into your tree.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
But I don't know, I've seen a lot.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Of pictures of cats, and yeah, well I never had
a cap at. My mother in law has two and
my husband was just up there this week and I
was not there, but you know, she'd ask him could
he please get the you know tree out of the
basement for her. It's like a table top, you know tree.
It's not a real real big one and it's artificial
and he forgot that. I guess this one. When you
(28:08):
plug it in, it it does a slow spin, right, Okay,
it's just one of those. Yeah, And he said, no,
the one cat you never see. I don't care if
it's one person that comes over, you just never see
him came out because the trees out and use both
the cats were just you know, like sitting there cosmerized.
You know. Buy it. So a tip is maybe hanging
like a lemon scented car ear freshener in the tree
as an ornament. You can kind of maybe hide it
(28:29):
in there. It doesn't have to be real obvious that
it's there, but something that's got to maybe have a
little bit of a stronger scent, at least initially. We'll
keep the cat also, okay, Yeah, or at least on
the thought whether whether it works or not, I can't try.
It is worth it to give it a try, all right.
So talked about some family and pat safety, Let's go
into another thing that could kind of protect your family,
(28:51):
because nothing's going to ruin a family gathering faster than
about a food. Point about food poisoning. It may not
happen right while they're there, but nobody wants to have
the reputation to sending everybody home with something something a
little extra.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
It's a little extra, a little extra gamp.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
After the party, gift that keeps giving, as they say,
and estimated one in six people get food poisoning every year,
and the chances go up during the holiday season.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Oh my good.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
And you don't want to be the house that's known
for this.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yes, yes, you do not want that.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
And so there are a lot of easy things that
you can do to prevent food poisoning. Good food safe
safety starts with good food preparations.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
So make sure you wash your hands.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Frequently when handling food, and keep your raw meat away
from fresh produce. And then think about using separate cutting boards, plates,
and utensils for cooked and uncooked meats to avoid any.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Of that cross contamination.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
And then be sure to read all your food labels
and follow you know, any cooking instructions because that will
help as well. And then thought, if you're going to
do a turkey, make sure you know thaw your turkey safely.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
According to instructions.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
So I just find that with those turkeys, there are
some it's a little bit more than just.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
It's looking like chicken or something well, and it's more
it's it's more specific process and to me, more delicate food.
You want to get this right.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Yes, yeah, yeah, absolutely, And if you're buying unfamiliar foods
for the holidays or cooking for a bigger group than usual,
you know, read your ingredient list and be on the
lookout for common allergens.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
And if you know someone in your group has a.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
Food allergy, you know, make sure that you you let them,
you know, just be aware of it.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Let other people know.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
I know, a big thing is especially I remember this
more like when my kids were younger. It seems like
a lot of friends and stuff they have those peanut allergies,
you know, and then chocolate chip cookies can the chocolate
chips or manufacturing plants for there's peanuts, And even as
simple as like I have a cookie, know that kids
with those peanut allergies can't always have those chip cookies.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
So just you know, be aware of things like that.
Speaker 3 (30:52):
And invest in a meat thermometer because that undercooked meat
can cause food poisoning. And then if you are cooking
meat this holiday season, again if it's the large animal
like a turkey, use that meat thermometer to ensure that
it's thoroughly cooked and safe to eat. So that I
think like you are cooking the like a big piece
of meat, like a turkey, or sometimes we do like
(31:13):
that like a beef ten right, you know, really you
want to make sure that you got that temperature.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
That to me, that's the safest way to know.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Well, it's the safest way, and especially if it's something
that you don't do. I mean most of us aren't
cooking turkeys regularly. Once a year is not necessarily regular,
but the annual, but it's not regular, yeah, you know,
and see and like you said, saying with some of
the others, I mean, if you're trying out, and sometimes
we do, we go to do you know, do something
a little different, a little fancier, you know, whatever it
might be, and you're not as familiar with cooking it.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
And you know, because what the package says doesn't always
match what your oven cooks at right or the time
you know, I mean it might say, you know, and
most of the times are going to say, well, you know,
we're gonna say it's going to be X number of hours,
but you know, cooking times may vary. Well, yes, because
every oven is different and every oven has a different
age and how fast it actually gets to that temperature.
Meat thermometer is a great, a great safety net.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Spe Yeah, yeah, absolutely well.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
So once the meal is over, experts recommend that you refrigerate,
you know, hot and cold food within two hours of
being served. And for a meat like turkey, and we're
focusing a lot on that, but again it's kind of
a sensitive meat product, it's recommended that you cut the
turkey into smaller pieces for storage so it can show
a little bit more quickly. You also want to make
sure you're checking your refrigerator and your freezer temperatures to
(32:25):
make sure they're kind of set at the right temperatures.
Your refrigerator should be at or below forty and the
freezer should be at or below zero. And that's also
going to help to make sure that if you take
the proper precautions to get the food in there, it's
at the temperature that it needs to be to safely
store the food. Yeah, and I don't know about you,
but I'm actually surprised at two hours because I'm telling
(32:45):
you right now, Yeah, if it's something that's supposed to
be hot and we're no longer eating it, I'm not
letting it set out for two hours before I take
care of story.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yeah, I agree to that seems like a long time,
but you know, maybe depends what it is.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
I mean snacks like cookies or chips and stuff that
doesn't matter. Yeah, that can be out all day for
people to kind of graze on. But anything that's got
you know, sour cream, it's not for two hours.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
No exactly.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
And you know, and then some other things you want
to pay attention to are maybe ciders and juice drinks
that are unpasteurized. And when I think of this, I
think of eggnog. If my eggnog in a store, it's
usually has past rise, but maybe someone's making homemade eggnog
and then it would not be pasteurized. So yeah, you know,
that's something to pay attention to as well.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
Are you an egnog person? You know?
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Actually I am?
Speaker 1 (33:34):
Are you?
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Yes? Yes, I never had it.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
Like growing up, but then after you know, you know,
marry my husband, his family was that.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
I got to do it. Not a lot, just a
little glass with some cinnamon.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
It's really good, but just at the holidays, you know,
just for me, it just reminds me of Christmas.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
You know, Yeah, because I, like you, I didn't grow
up with it. It wasn't something that my family did,
and so I've never really been able to turn the
corner and get into Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
Well, the funny thing is when my boys have their
friends over and I'll be like, oh, you want some
egg nog?
Speaker 2 (34:09):
You've ever had it?
Speaker 3 (34:09):
And the faces that the kids will make, you know, like,
what is this?
Speaker 2 (34:14):
No, I don't want to try that.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
It's a choir Today's but I mean, but you do
want to handle that appropriately because there's a lot going
on in that, you know, like you said, pasteurization, dairy products,
stuff like that. Yeah, Baking is also obviously popular during
the holidays, and I think we've all been known to
sneak a lock from the beat, you know, if you're
if you're making something. Depending on what you're making, something's
more enticing than others. But it isn't wise. Batter than
(34:40):
has flour or eggs can certainly contain some harmful germs,
and you want to avoid, you know, eating better from
you know, cookies, cakes, biscuits, pancakes, there's a lot of
things that you can make. Pancakes and biscuits don't do
it for me.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Chocolate chip cookie cookie dough is a little uh.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
That's one are the things might accidentally slip slip into
the ball. Finally, you want to be prepared in the
case of an emergency. Hopefully the tips that we've gone
through today you'll help prevent the fires and help prevent
all of you know, the bad things that can happen.
But it's best in case something does. You want to
be prepared and if you haven't recently, check your smoke detectors,
(35:19):
replace any old or dead batteries, and hook up any
disconnected batteries because I know some people get tired of
the beeping and they'll disconnect something to you know, kind
of like I'll deal with it later. Well, if that's you,
deal with it now before you have a house full
of people, and make sure that you've got those smoke
detectors working. You also want to know exactly where the
fire extinguishers are in your home and be sure they're
(35:41):
easy to get to. I think a lot of times
these can be things that you know originally were at
the front of a closet or a front of an area,
and they kind of get pushed back and put out
of the way, and then everybody's going to be screaming,
where's the fire extinguisher. You know it's going to be
hard to get.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
At sure, Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And then also discuss with
your family, you know, fire escape route just in case
something should happen, you know where you go, where's the
meeting point outside, and if there are small children, are
pets in your family, who is responsible for getting them?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah? Absolutely, again talking about I had time. Hopefully it's
one of those things that means you never have to
deal with it, but better to have a plan.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
That's right. Yeah, absolutely, Well, we hope.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
These holiday home safety tips have been useful. You know,
we know there's truly no place like home over the holidays,
and we want you to enjoy your home over the
holiday season. They have a great time, whether you're the
one entertaining or maybe you're going to somebody else's house.
We want you to have a great time. And you
know this is the time of the year. It's always helpful,
I think to do a little refresh of some things.
There's usually always one or two things that we'll take
(36:41):
and say, you know what, yeah, forgot about that, Yeah
I should be doing this. So we want to make
sure that you're you're having a safe holiday season. So
Pama's always. Thanks for being the guest today.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
For sure, thank you for having me, and.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
For those of you listening, thanks for listening. We hope
it's going to be a wonderful holiday season for you,
and take care and we'll be talking to you soon.
We hope you enjoy today's episode. Don't forget to subscribe,
write a review, or rate the show as it helps
us reach more people. You can also follow us on
Facebook and Instagram.
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