A clog-free holiday is a good holiday! There is no worse time for a plumbing emergency than when trying to relax and enjoy the holidays. However, around the holidays, plumbing emergencies increase, because of an increase in use by visiting relatives. There are a few precautions you can take to decrease your chances of calling a plumber and having a clog-free holiday season.

Avoid Using the Garbage Disposal

It may seem like a bummer not to use the garbage disposal during the holiday season, but avoid it as best you can. With so much extra traffic to the garbage disposal, your chances of a clog-free holiday season go down. Scrape almost all waste into the waste bin. Water and soap should be the only thing going down your sink for a while. Gunk in the garbage disposal stacks up as it is. With holiday dinners, treats, and extra family in the house during the holidays, it will only pile up faster. That is why it is best to avoid using the garbage disposal as much as possible during the holidays.

More Garbage Disposal Tips

There are a few other things you can do for your garbage disposal for a clog-free holiday. Mesh strainers for your sink help you avoid any utensils or pieces of food from getting to your disposal. If someone forgets to clear their plate into the trash, then the strainer has you covered. While cleaning up, you should also run plenty of cold water through your disposal to wash through any fats or oils that may have snuck in. Coldwater will help keep fats solid enough to wash through the plumbing in pieces without melting and sticking to the pipe.

Prep the Bathroom

If you know guests are coming over, it is best to prep the bathroom ahead of time for a clog-free holiday. To ensure that no one tries to flush anything they are not supposed to, place a waste bin in clear view. Guests are more likely to flush something if they cannot find a proper waste receptacle. Another thing you should have out and easy to find is a plunger. That way, if a clog does occur, it can be taken care of right away and potentially spare guests from some embarrassment.

Sometimes, clogs are inevitable. If a clog-free holiday season was not in the cards and you find yourself with a plumbing emergency, call Valley Fire Protection & Plumbing! We have 24/7 emergency service that can help you anytime (even over the holidays).

Related Topics: Plumbing Tips // Residential Plumbing

By: Tom Hartel

I acquired my expertise by directing day-to-day operations of the business for over 20 years. Continuous hard work helped me become a nationally recognized speaker and expert on fire protection, fire sprinklers, special hazards, and plumbing systems. In this blog, I share my knowledge that will hopefully help you make better decisions for your projects.