Are you cooking during this holiday season and entertaining guests in your home? If so, you are more at risk than at any other time of the year for clogged kitchen drains, toilet back-ups, or clogged main sewer lines in addition to other plumbing issues. But, you can stack your odds to avoid the expense and inconvenience of these plumbing problems by following these “Do” and “Don’t Do” tips:
- Start regularly pouring a mixture of dish detergent and lukewarm water down your drains.
When you are finished cooking (or cleaning – as in the case of bathroom drains), pour about half a cup of dishwashing detergent down your drain. Then pour lukewarm water down the drain. This should help dissolve grease so it doesn’t build up in your drains. - Don’t ever pour grease down your drains.
As tempting as it is to do while you are busy cooking, don’t pour grease down any of your drains. Grease, fat, and oil congeal into a substance that absorbs anything you put down the drain and eventually causes a clog that blocks it. To avoid this, pour your cooking fats into a can that can be resealed and disposed of in the garbage. - Throw most food debris in the garbage – not down your garbage disposal.
Many foods can clog your drains and immobilize your garbage disposal blades. These include potato peels, pasta, eggshells, corn husks, rice, bread, bones, fruit pits, fibrous fruits and vegetables, and coffee grinds. Always dispose of them in your garbage, not down your drains. That is not the intended purpose of a garbage disposal. - Don’t flush any paper or clay items down the toilet – even if they are labeled as being “flushable”.
Items other than toilet paper flushed down your toilet cause clogs in the appliance – either immediately or over time. Many people make the mistake of flushing feminine hygiene products, hair, cotton balls, dental floss, paper towels, Q-tips, cat litter, and tissues. The result is often a clog in the drain connected to their toilets. This is an avoidable problem. - Regularly clean your drains’ overflow openings.
In many homes, these connect to “pop-up” assemblies that also need to be cleaned regularly. Pop-up assemblies are a system of drain stoppers that can be manually moved up and down to seal a sink bowl or bathtub; they get clogged with soap and hair on an ongoing basis. Cleaning the overflow openings that connect to them reduces the chances of this occurring. To do this, first close the pop-up system. Then, fill your sink or bathtub with water so that it is just above level with the overflow opening. Next, pour a cup of bleach into the water and allow your faucet to run for about 10 minutes.
As tempting as it is to do while you are busy cooking, don’t pour grease down any of your drains. Grease, fat, and oil congeal into a substance that absorbs anything you put down the drain and eventually causes a clog that blocks it. To avoid this, pour your cooking fats into a can that can be resealed and disposed of in the garbage.
FloHawks Can Help
We know that clogged drains and other plumbing problems during the holidays can often present a challenge and additional stress. These issues are often avoidable but when they occur, they should be handled quickly and professionally. Get back to enjoying your family and friends, call FloHawks and our team will take care of your plumbing issues this holiday season and all year long. Use our convenient online scheduling tool to schedule your appointment or call us today at (800) 356-4295.
