Three Quick Tips for Maximizing Residential Mailboxes

Because of its proximity to the home, many homeowners fail to maximize the potential of their residential mailbox.  Here are three quick tips that will allow any homeowner can get the most out of their residential mailbox.

Step One:  Address Your Mailbox

The first step to maximizing your residential mailbox is to affix your home’s address on it with Mailbox Address Plaques or Mailbox Address Numbers.  By affixing an address to residential mailboxes, you help ensure that your postal carrier places the right mail in the right mailbox.  Additionally, by placing your address upon your residential mailbox, you provide a helpful and easy-to-spot guide to your home for guests and service personnel who are unfamiliar with where to find your home. For instance, this is a great added benefit should you ever put you home on the real estate market.

When placing mailbox address numbers on your residential mailbox consider placing them along the side of the mailbox or along the top (using a mailbox topper). This is preferable to placing mailbox address numbers on the door, as opening the mailbox door makes the numbers invisible.

Placing mailbox address numbers on both sides of home mailboxes is ideal, as this ensures they are visible from either direction. However, if you choose to place numbers on only one side, select the side facing the nearest traffic to your mailbox.

As with any mailbox alteration, it’s always best to contact your local postmaster to see if there’s a community standard for where to locate the mailbox address and what height or sizes the mailbox address numbers should be.

Step Two:  Locking Mailboxes

Due to the rise in mail theft over the past decade, one of the most important upgrades homeowners can make to their home mailboxes is to install a locking mechanism or to invest in new Locking Home Mail Receptacles.

Step Three:  Maintain Your Residential Mailbox

The first impression given to guests, neighbors and those driving by your home is your residential mailbox. To keep your residential mailbox looking top-notch, focus on three primary maintenance tasks:

First, once every season (four times a year), follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and clean your mailbox.  Many recommend using a mild cleaning solution and a wet towel so just take those items out with you when you go to retrieve your mail.  Then wipe down the exterior and interior to keep your residential mailbox looking its best.

Second, after the residential mailbox is cleaned, take a few moments to check all moving parts.  Often, when we retrieve mail, we are in a hurry or we send a child to retrieve the mail and we don’t really look to see if the mailbox is in good working order.  So, once you clean your residential mailbox take a look to see if any parts need to be replaced or sprayed with a lubricant such as WD-40.  If a part needs to be replaced, you can order a new one thru The MailboxWorks, the web’s largest supply of mailbox replacement parts.

Third, in late Spring or early Summer, check to see if your residential mailbox is plumb.  You don’t need a plumbline, just look at your mailbox from three or four directions and ensure that it is standing tall.  If you find your residential mailbox leaning to one side or another,  the late Spring or early Summer is a good time to correct it as the ground is no longer hard from the winter ice nor hard from a summer drought.

By considering these three quick tips, you can maximize the use and effectiveness of your home’s residential mailbox.

Categorized in: Mailbox Tips & General Information