Christmas and New Year’s are just around the corner. It’s a busy time of year for many people who find themselves at home more, baking and cooking more, and having more guests over than at perhaps any other time of year.

All that extra activity means that your plumbing system will also be used a lot more than it usually is. From hosting out-of-town visitors, to cooking a huge meal for the family, the last thing you want is for your plumbing to suffer a major breakdown during the most wonderful time of the year.

Here are some tips on how to keep your plumbing system running smoothly during the ho-ho-holidays. In fact, these tips could be applied to just about any time of year.

This is an important conversation to have before having friends or family stay at your home. After all, they might be able to “get away” with putting things down their sinks and toilets at their homes that could wreak havoc at your house. 

Let your visitors know with a nicely worded post-it note or a quick conversation that these things shouldn’t be put down your home’s drains or toilets.

• “Disposable” wipes: Friends with infants or small children might try and flush a “toilet safe” antibacterial wipe down the toilet. Just because it says they’re flushable doesn’t mean they are. They can cause a potential health hazard if a toilet backs up.
• Paper towels: They might seem similar to toilet paper, but paper towels are much more durable and meant to take care of hefty messes. Therefore, they don’t break down well in toilets.
• Feminine hygiene products: Again, these items are meant to absorb fluid and can quickly cause a blockage.
• Q-Tips and cotton balls: Despite being made of cotton, these don’t break down easily.

The holiday season is all about baking and cooking. From cookies and pies, to turkey and gravy, if you’re spending a lot of time in the kitchen, you’re going to be using a lot of fats.

The tricky thing with fats, oils, and grease is that they’re in liquid form for a short time. You may think that that frying pan full of bacon grease or tray full of turkey drippings is liquid now, but just wait until it enters the cold depths of your kitchen drain. It’ll solidify faster than you can say “Son of a nutcracker.” 

You may even be tempted to rinse greasy cookie sheets and baking trays, but keep in mind that if you’re doing a lot of baking and cooking, you’re generating a more greasy waste than usual. 

The safest way to dispose of all that fat and grease is to wipe down any cooking and baking materials with a paper towel and throw those into the trash. If you have a lot of grease, pour it into an aluminum can, let it solidify, and dispose of it that way.

For professional plumbing services in Yelm, WA, contact Brooks Plumbing Co. today!

The post Plumbing Tips for the Ho-Ho-Holidays first appeared on Brooks Plumbing Co..