Thanksgiving + Your Home's Plumbing

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! If you’re hosting a holiday get-together at your house, then you’re likely already stressing out about making sure everything is spotless and in tip-top shape for guests. This is, of course, in addition to any food prep you need to do to get ready for the biggest eating day of the year.

One often overlooked area when it comes to getting things ready for Thanksgiving is your home’s plumbing — Turkey Day can put a lot of extra strain on this critical system. Read on to learn more.

Your kitchen — sinks, dishwashers and garbage disposals

Regardless of whether you prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey, stuffing, potatoes and all the fixings — or you choose to prepare a vegetarian, gluten-free or “healthier” meal instead — you’re still going to likely spend much of your day in the kitchen getting ready to feed your family and guests.

When you’re busy doing prep work in the kitchen, be mindful of what you’re putting down your kitchen sink and/or garbage disposal. The easiest way to remember what not to put down the drain is the acronym “FOG” (fats, oils, greases) — never put turkey skins, cooking oils, or frying pan grease down the drain, as these things will congeal in your pipes and ultimately lead to clogs and blockages.

When you’re finished with your fats, oils, or greases, pour them into a jar and toss the jar in the trash. Then, wipe down the cookware with a paper towel before putting the pot, pan, baking sheet or utensil into your sink or dishwasher to be cleaned.

Additionally, here are some other things that should never be put down your sink or garbage disposal:

• Egg shells
• Fibrous vegetables like asparagus or celery
• Gravy
• Coffee grounds
• Cooked pasta
• Starchy foods like potatoes
• Bones
• Fruit pits or seeds

These items could cause clogs or pipe damage to your kitchen’s plumbing. Not just that, but good luck finding an affordable plumber on Thanksgiving to help you fix a sink that won’t drain!

Also, it’s important to note that your garbage disposal and dishwasher likely share the same drain line. So if you’re using your garbage disposal and things are backing up, it’s best to wait to use your dishwasher since the food debris in your disposal could get pushed into your dishwasher. Yuck!

Your bathroom — sinks, toilets, and tubs

When you have friends and family over at your home for Thanksgiving, sooner or later they’re going to need to use your bathroom. Unfortunately, all this extra use of your bathroom plumbing fixtures could lead to problems.

When you have extra people in your home, they’re going to need to use your toilet. Not all toilets are made the same, and what your guests consider a normal amount of toilet paper to use in their own home may not be the same as what should be used in yours. This could lead to situations with clogged or overflowing toilets and water-damaged floors. It’s best to remind guests to be mindful of their toilet paper usage with your toilet.

If you have younger guests at your home, be sure a parent is monitoring their bathroom use so that toys and other knick-knacks don’t get accidentally flushed down the toilet.

Also, if you have a line of overnight guests taking showers back-to-back in your home, it could lead to a number of drain issues. The extra hair and soap scum flowing down your drain could lead to a blockage, which could cause water to stop draining or even lead to an overflowing shower or tub. This isn’t just annoying to deal with (and to clean up!), but it could also cause serious water damage to your bathroom’s flooring and cabinetry.

The easiest solution to this problem is to pick up some drain strainers from the grocery or hardware store. Once folks are finished showering, ask them politely to please clean out the strainer and remove the built-up hair and soap scum for the convenience of the next user (and your plumbing).

Bonus bathroom tip!

While many wet wipe containers will state that they are “flushable” and can safely be flushed down your toilet, that’s not the case! These wipes don’t break down easily once they’re flushed. This could lead to clogged toilets or even blocked sewer lines. So, don’t believe the misleading information on the packaging labels that may indicate that they’re “flushable” — they’re not!

If you have questions regarding how to improve your home’s indoor air quality that go beyond the few tips provided here, please speak with an indoor air quality expert in your area.