Don’t Throw Your Thanksgiving Dinner Down the Drain: How to Prevent Clogged Drains This Holiday

Thanksgiving is meant to be a relaxing holiday, full of delicious food and conversations with family. Of course, all that good company can only mean one thing: many dirty dishes crowding up your kitchen sink. All of those food scraps—from turkey skin to potato peels—can sneak their way into your drains, creating mayhem for your plumbing system.

The day after Thanksgiving is known as “Brown Friday” to plumbers since this is the busiest day of the year for plumbing services.

Would you rather go shopping on Black Friday instead of calling a plumber? Follow these tips to prevent clogged drains this Thanksgiving.

Throw It in the Trash

The first step in keeping your kitchen sink clog-free is to avoid dumping Thanksgiving food down the drain. Some of the worst culprits when it comes to clogged drains include:

• Oils, fats, and grease
• Coffee grounds
• Corn husks
• Poultry skins (turkey/chicken)
• Starches (potato peels)
• Turkey bones
• Eggshells
• Stuffing

If you’re worried about your guests dumping these foods down your sink, consider purchasing sink drain covers from your local hardware store. Some of these covers come with grates that will still allow liquids to pass through.

Clean Pots & Pans The Right Way

You now know to avoid throwing Thanksgiving food down the drain, but what other preventative measures should you take? Next, turn to your grime-covered pots and pans.

While they may seem harmless at first, fats, oils, and grease (also known as FOG) can harden in your pipes, significantly affecting water flow. Before you start scrubbing away on your cookware, wipe off all excess FOG with a paper towel. This way, you can rest assured that no unwanted grease can harden and create clogs in your drain lines.

If there’s more grease than you can manage with a paper towel, it’s a good idea to collect it in a jar before throwing it in the trash. Prevent clogged drains this Thanksgiving with these simple—yet worthwhile—steps.

Use Your Garbage Disposal Properly

The chaos of a Thanksgiving dinner can get the best of anyone. In years past, the best practices for using your garbage disposal may have slipped your mind. However, this year, keep these tips in mind when using your garbage disposal to prevent a plumbing problem:

• Keep the cold water running when to avoid clogs using the disposal.
• Don’t overwhelm your disposal with scraps all at once.
• Don’t put non-food items down the disposal.
• Don’t throw Thanksgiving foods down the drain.

Additionally, remember to keep your garbage disposal well maintained; to do this, you can try grinding ice cubes to help sharpen your disposal’s blades. If your garbage disposal stops working when you need it most, this problem could spell trouble for your kitchen drain.

Protect Your Bathroom Drains

In doing your best to prevent clogged drains this Thanksgiving, don’t forget your bathroom drains. 

During a large gathering like Thanksgiving, you’ll be sharing your home with countless guests. Make sure people have easy access to a bathroom trash can, so garbage can be disposed of properly. Toilets are only meant to flush human waste and toilet paper—anything else can result in a blockage. You’ll be surprised what what our plumbers have found clogging the toilet drain. 

Make sure your guests keep any clog-forming items out of your drains and toilets. If not, you might find yourself searching the internet for Charleston plumbing companies.

Schedule a Drain Cleaning

While you now know not to dump Thanksgiving food down the drain and other helpful tips, you might still be stressing over a potential plumbing disaster. However, you don’t have to worry about preventing drain clogs all by yourself.

The expert plumbers at LimRic offer preventative drain cleanings in Charleston for your peace of mind. When you schedule drain maintenance with a professional, you can prevent clogged drain cleanings this Thanksgiving while still enjoying the day with friends and family.

For more information about our professional drain cleanings or to schedule a service, reach out to LimRic today!