10 Holiday Plumbing Tips

The holidays are a time for families to come together and enjoy good company and good food. Unfortunately, an untimely clogged drain or toilet can quickly bring the festivities to a halt. By keeping a few important plumbing tips in mind, you can help ensure that holiday plumbing problems won’t put a damper on the merriment.

• 1. Leftovers in the Trash, Not the Drain: Resist the urge to scrape leftovers into your sink. Use a simple, inexpensive sink strainer and dump the collected waste in the garbage or compost.
• 2. Know What Goes in the Disposal: Avoid putting fibrous or stringy foods, rice, pasta, bread-based products, animal bones and fat, eggshells, cooking oils and grease, or paper/metal/plastic materials down the drain.
• 3. Wait 10-15 Minutes Between Showers: This allows your hot water supply to replenish and gives your drains an opportunity to clear out. A strainer over the drain helps keep it clear of hair.
• 4. Toilets Are For Waste and Toilet Paper: Make sure guests know not to flush sanitary napkins, feminine hygiene products, cleansing wipes, facial pads, cotton balls and swabs, paper towels, or cigarette butts.
• 5. Dispose of Grease Properly: Grease congeals when it cools and hardens into a major clog. Pour it outside or into a can or plastic bag that can be tossed into the garbage.
• 6. Wait to Use the Dishwasher: The dishwasher and garbage disposal typically share the same drain, so running the disposal while the dishwasher runs can push waste back into the dishwasher.
• 7. Only Cooks in the Kitchen: Keeping kitchen traffic to a minimum helps you avoid costly plumbing accidents.
• 8. Prepare Your Drains: Pour a brine solution (strong salt water) into your sink to eliminate odors and keep grease from building up.
• 9. Buy a Drain Snake: Keep a plumber’s snake handy and learn how to snake your own drain should a plumbing emergency occur.
• 10. Be Proactive with Professionals: Scheduling a plumbing inspection to check your drains for clogs can help prevent unexpected headaches.

At Water Doctor of Washington, we know you’d rather focus on making your holiday one to remember than dealing with plumbing issues. If you encounter a problem that’s too much to manage on your own, our team of seasoned professionals is ready to help!