What NOT to Put Down Your Drains This Holiday Season

Between all of the holiday cooking, cleaning, and the chaos of company coming over to camp out, the holidays are prime time for plumbing problems.

Our team at Bell Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical has seen it all, from clogged kitchen sinks to jammed garbage disposals, and backed-up drains that strike right before dinner is served. If you’d rather skip the emergency drain cleaning in Denver or beyond this holiday season, here’s what not to put down the drain this season (or any season)!

Grease and Cooking Oil

It might look harmless when it’s warm, but once grease and cooking oil cools, it hardens and clings to the inside of your pipes like glue. The more it builds up, the slower your sink drains, until it doesn’t drain at all. That grease will also start catching other food scraps, coffee grounds, and debris that goes down your sink. 

Pour leftover grease into a disposable container, let it solidify, and toss it in the trash instead.

Potato Peels, Pasta, and Rice

These holiday food staples may keep your family fed, but are plumbing nightmares. Potato peels quickly wrap around your disposal blades, while rice and pasta expand with water and create a sticky paste that clogs your pipes. 

Scrape them into the trash or compost bin before washing dishes.

Coffee Grounds

You would think coffee grounds would simply wash down your pipes easily, but they actually clump together in drains. Over time, they form a dense, sludgy blockage, especially if grease is already in your pipes. 

Toss coffee grounds in your compost pile instead, and your plants will thank you.

Bones, Shells, and Fruit Pits

Remember, your garbage disposal is not a grinder. Hard items like turkey bones, shrimp shells, and cherry pits will dull or break the blades and jam the motor. The results are needing a brand new garbage disposal and potential plumbing problems.

If you can’t chew it, don’t feed it to your disposal.

Stringy Veggies and Starchy Foods

Celery, onion skins, corn husks, and pumpkin guts are prone to wrapping themselves around your disposal and gum up the works. Starchy foods, including mashed potatoes or turkey dressing, will turn into a thick paste once wet, which is just as bad. 

Keep a strainer over the drain to catch debris before it slips through.

Flour and Dough

Flour might seem harmless, but when you mix it up with water, it turns into a sticky cement that can block pipes fast. The same goes for bread. cookie, and pie dough. 

Keep your baking mess in the trash, not the drain.

Wipes and Paper Towels

Even wipes that are marketed as “flushable” will not break down the way toilet paper does. Instead, they collect in sewer lines, creating massive clogs that can lead to expensive repairs. 

Stick to toilet paper only and everything else belongs in the trash.

Call Bell Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical When the Holidays Get Messy

If your kitchen sink does clog up in the middle of a holiday meal, don’t panic. Serving homes across Denver, Centennial, and the surrounding area, Bell Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical has been keeping Colorado drains clear since 1926.

Our drain and plumbing experts are here for quick drain cleaning to hydro-jetting and full sewer inspections. We can clear blockages, repair damaged pipes, and make sure your drains are ready for the next round of leftovers!