As Thanksgiving and the winter holidays approach, we all start to use our kitchens more and more. From dinner parties to holiday soirees, our drains are put to the test.

With an increase in home cooking, there is an increase in food scraps going down your kitchen garbage disposal. And, when these items are incompatible with your plumbing, your garbage disposal can break, your sink can clog, and flooding can occur. Avoid plumbing damage with our holiday home tips!

Here are the major holiday clog creators that should never be rinsed down your garbage disposal.

Holiday Kitchen Drain Clogging Culprits

Appetizers

The classic charcuterie board—nuts, cheese, and crackers—are a drains worst nightmare. Nuts, when ground up and spun, form a paste. This paste is sticky and thick and it is a nightmare in your pipes, as it grabs on to other food particles that are rinsed down your drain—and a clog is formed. Additionally, cheese is greasy and has a high-fat content, both of which wreak havoc on your kitchen plumbing. Grease and fat coat your pipes, become sticky and then collect food scraps that will block your pipes. Contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Morganton for drain cleaning if this occurs.

Turkey, Ham, and Brisket

The rule of thumb here is to throw all leftover meat into your kitchen trash can. Small food scraps can go down your drain; however, never throw bones down your disposal. Meat bones can break your disposal’s motor, and you’ll have to replace your garbage disposal. Avoid a holiday nightmare by simply keeping your poultry bones out of your sink.

Stuffing and Potatoes

When you introduce starch to water—it expands. When your stuffing, mashed potatoes, or latkes make their way down your drain, they undergo this process, expanding in your pipes until your water flow is completely obstructed. In addition, peeling potatoes in your sink is a risky business. If peels slip down your disposal they can end up in your drain pipe and inhibit drainage. You will need to contact a professional plumber, here at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Morganton, to remove your clog. It’s best to peel your potatoes over your trash can this season to avoid drain disasters such as this!

Dressings and Gravies

Oil, grease, and fats are the main ingredients in dressings and gravies, and they pose serious threats to your piping. When the above items are poured down your sink, they line your pipes, catching subsequent foods coming down your disposal. You don’t want to have to deal with a clog at the end of your dinner party, simply throw any leftover grease and oils into your trash.

Holiday Side Dishes

The holidays are not exactly the epitome of health; however, there are a few vegetable side dishes that even out all of the pie and potatoes. Yet, these may be the worst options for your pipes. The traditional supplementary dishes made with holiday dinners are very fibrous—green beans, spinach, eggplant—which all become extremely stringy when shredded. These stringy vegetable strands then group together in your pipes, forming blockages. Keep any vegetable peeling out of your sink.

The Pits Before The Pie

In charge of the pie this year? What will it be—peach, apple, cherry? Well, when you are de-pitting these fruits, make sure to place the pits into your trash can. Pits that cannot be easily cut with a dull knife do not belong in your garbage disposal, as they can get lodged between the blades, brake the blades, or cause the disposal system to breakdown completely by getting into the motor. Contact professional plumbers to resolve your drain debacle.

Coffee Before Departing

Never put coffee grounds down your sink. When wet, coffee grounds become dense and stick together. Rinsing coffee grounds down your sink will cause a clog, and your holiday meal clean-up will get a whole lot harder.

For all of your garbage disposal needs, contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Morganton at (800) 259-7705. We have your back!