A Drainage Minute: The Reid & Pederson Drainage Blog

The holiday season is here, which means that gatherings with family and friends become the highlight of our calendars.

If you’re hosting any gatherings, you know that a lot of planning and preparation are needed to successfully pull it off. So while your guest list and meal may be all planned out, one uninvited guest you certainly don’t want showing up to the festivities is a sewer or drain backup.

Read on for five easy tips to prevent a holiday backup and keep things flowing all holiday season long.

1) Mindful Meal Cleanup

Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce…the list of holiday foods on your dinner table is endless. Throw unfinished plates and meal prep scraps straight in the garbage can, not down your garbage disposal.

Items like potato peels or other starchy vegetables do not break down easily and cause havoc on the blades, while fibrous veggies like celery or rhubarb wrap around blades, causing them to not work as efficiently. Leftover bones spin around and do not go anywhere. And don’t even think about throwing that grease down there, as it can harden in your disposal and cause a major backup.

Holiday feasts bring delectable dishes, but proper disposal of food remnants is essential. Learn more about garbage disposals and your kitchen sink!

2) Efficient Disposal Operation

After disposing of food scraps, run the disposal for at least 20-30 seconds with a continuous flow of water. This ensures thorough clearing without overloading the disposal. It’s best not to pack the disposal first then turn it on as this causes the disposal to work harder than usual and oftentimes leads to clogs.

3) Smart Toilet Paper Choices

If you’re hosting the holiday, you know that extra guests in your home equals extra use of the facilities in your home. Although the plush, thick toilet paper is tempting, instead, choose a nice, mid-range thickness toilet paper to accommodate for all of those extra bathroom trips. This can save you from a possible backup – and your guests from possible embarrassment.

It’s also a good idea to use this kind of toilet paper year round, even when you aren’t hosting extra guests. Read another one of our blog posts to learn about other things you shouldn’t put down your drains!

4) Proactive Drain Checks

Prior to hosting guests, it’s a good idea to call in a professional to take a look at any slow drains in your home. The increased water usage and bathroom usage could become a minor or major catastrophe if not taken care of before your guests arrive.

5) Time Between Showers

Encourage a 15-minute interval between showers. This will help prevent hair clogs and the build up of soap residue, and will allow drains to clear efficiently. Doing this not only ensures there’s enough hot water for all guests, it also ensures that the shower drain is fully drained and cleared of all hair and soap residue from the previous user, so things don’t begin to build up and eventually cause a backup.

Help from the Drain & Sewer Pros!

Hosting a holiday party can be stressful, so give yourself one less thing to worry about by following our helpful tips. And if you do experience a backup or need sewer or drain cleaning? Give us a call! Our drain and sewer service pros are always ready to swing by and save the day!