No Clog Holiday

Kitchen Stress


Do you celebrate the holidays in your home? Do you have family staying at your house for an extended visit? Do you have a large party scheduled in your home during the holidays? If you answered yes to any of these questions, please keep in mind these simple solutions to have a no-clog holiday.

Holidays are stressful for you and your appliances. The best way to cut down on your stress is to make sure your garbage disposal is dependable and your bathrooms are operating efficiently.

Kitchen Solutions

You expect your garbage disposal to instantly and safely remove your household food garbage. But did you know there are some dos and don’ts to ensure its optimum performance for not only your day to day needs but also the holiday super needs?

Dos for your garbage disposal

  1. Do run COLD water for 15-20 seconds before and after you run your garbage disposal to keep your lines flushed and flowing freely. Use a medium to a strong flow of water. Cold water keeps small amounts of grease and fat in a solid form so the garbage disposal can break them into small pieces and move them down the line.
  2. Exercise portion control. Small amounts of food at a time are ideal.
  3. Do remove all oils, fats, bones, fibrous foods (like cornsilks and artichokes)and stringy foods (including turkey skins, carrot skins, potato skins, and cheese). These can be put in plastic bags and disposed of with the normal trash or composted.
  4. Do occasionally use a small amount of ice to help clean out the inside of the grinding area. Use the drain stopper to keep small chips from flying out.
  5. Keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh with a manufacture authorized degreaser or disposal cleaner. An occasional lemon or orange peel or slice will also keep your disposal smelling fresh and the natural acidity suppresses bacterial growth.

Don’ts for your garbage disposal

  1. Do not use HOT water. It can cause stoppage further down the line.
  2. Never put large amounts of food in the garbage disposal at a time. It can clog and stop all kitchen progress. Feed the scraps slowly into the disposal while running plenty of cold water.
  3. Never put bones, oil, fats, skins, or fibrous food in the garbage disposal. They can break or clog the disposal and create a stinky mess.
  4. Never use harsh draining cleaning chemicals. They can harm you, your appliance, and your pipes. Always tell your plumber if you have used chemicals so they can take appropriate precautions.

Bathroom Preventative Solutions

Shiny and clean homes are important to us when we are having company. We often forget how important it is to make sure the toilet and shower are ready for company too.

Most guest bathrooms are not used often. A week before your company arrives, start flushing the guest bathroom toilet daily to make sure it is working properly and is company ready.

Showers, sinks, dishwashers, and water heaters get used more frequently during holidays too. Think about increasing the temperature of the water heater (no higher than 120 F to avoid the risk of scalding) and spread out the usage during the day and night to ensure hot water for all of your needs.

Take a few minutes now to think about your plumbing for the holidays and how to avoid plumbing disasters. If your disposal is getting old, it may be the perfect time to replace it. We would be happy to provide a whole house plumbing inspection to prepare for the holidays.

Call Emory Garland Plumbing for all of your holiday plumbing needs. We are a licensed and bonded Tampa plumbing company available for plumbing emergencies or preventive plumbing maintenance.