Postal Service Alert – Make These Changes to Your Mailbox Now

(KMDL-FM) For decades, the mailbox has been your connection with the world around you. Every day, workers of the United States Postal Service deliver letters, parcels, packages, and bills to mailboxes just like yours across the fruited plains. And no matter where you live, the Postal Service has a request concerning you and your mailbox this week.

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Now through May 24th has been designated as Mailbox Improvement Week. I was not aware that we had a week to celebrate that, or to remind us that our mailboxes are leaning, rusted, bent, or inundated with insects, so it's probably not a bad thing that we are given the "tap on the shoulder" and asked to pay attention.

Why Your Mailbox Isn't Just Another Decoration - It's Got to Function As Well

David Steiner is the Postmaster General of the United States, and, in speaking on the subject of Mailbox Improvement Week, he offered this quote.

A well-maintained mailbox isn’t just about curb appeal; it’s a partnership in efficiency and precision, helping our carriers continue to deliver for you – every day.

Mr Steiner obviously takes mailboxes way more seriously than I do, but he isn't wrong. The mailbox isn't just a decoration for your home; it's a functioning communications hub. You never thought of it that way, did you?

Can The Postal Service Deny Service if Your Mailbox Isn't Up to Standards?

You do realize that if your mailbox isn't up to certain standards, the postal service can deny delivery to your address until the situation has been rectified. But, since most of us are on at least a "kind wave and a head nod" relationship with our letter carrier, it usually won't come to that.

Here are some suggestions on how you can improve your mailbox for Mailbox Improvement Week.

Check for loose hinges on the front door and make sure the box itself is tightly fastened to its supports and the supports are tightly fastened to the pole. Remember that the box is going to be opened and closed quickly, so anything loose will just get looser over time.

Perhaps a fresh coat of paint is in order? This could really help the curb appeal of your home, or if you want to get your HOA all in a tizzy, you could paint your box bright orange. Let me know if you do that, so we can cover the cacophony of HOA carnage and complaints.

Unless you live in Pisa, Italy, nothing about your mailbox should be leaning. Now is the time to reset the box, the pole, and add some bricks to the bottom. Just make sure that your box is basically standing straight. Remember, the added weight of parcels and packages could create a tipping problem if you don't.

This Is The Most Important Thing You Can Add to your mailboxes' appearance

Does your mailbox even have your house number on it? If it doesn't, please, for the love of DoorDash and all things Postal, make that happen. Okay, in the event of an emergency, you don't want fire and ambulance missing your place, right? Put the numbers on the box and make sure people can read them.

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Those plants look nice around your mailbox, but they are kind of in the way. Make sure you keep that area trimmed and clean for easy access by your letter carrier. Now is the time to check the inside of the box, especially if you have a brick enclosed mailbox, for ants, wasps, and other alien life forms that could be making your mailbox their home.

And one more thing, why not leave a little water or something cold and refreshing out for your letter carrier from time to time? A little kindness today could help keep your packages out of the rain tomorrow.