4 Holiday Foods That Can Clog Drains

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If you’re hosting a holiday dinner this year, you’re going to want your kitchen in tip-top shape—plenty of space in your fridge, freshly sharpened knives and a drain that isn’t clogged. However, a lot of the foods prepared, cooked and disposed of during the holidays can clog your drain if not handled properly—causing you to spend money on plumbing repairs rather than on holiday shopping. Thankfully, the drain professionals at Fosh Plumbing & Heating have identified four foods to keep out of your drain when cooking all of your holiday dinners so it won’t clog—or add to your holiday stress.


Pouring Fat Drippings Into Your Sink is a Bad Move
Pouring the hot, liquidy drippings from meat (AKA fat, oil and grease) into your drain may seem like a good idea, but that hot liquid eventually solidifies—and when it does, it can cause a serious clog in your drain. Instead, pour the drippings into a glass container, wait for it to cool and then throw it into a garbage bag.


Keep Potato Peels Far, Far Away
Whether you’re whipping up mashed potatoes, roasting potatoes in the oven or baking a sweet potato casserole, keeping the potato skins out of your sink is a must. When the skins go down a drain, they form a starchy paste that can severely clog it—so if you’re peeling up a storm this holiday season, it’s best to do it far away from the sink.

Here’s a tip! Before peeling the potatoes, lay some paper towels or a piece of newspaper down and peel the skins directly onto that instead of the counter or a cutting board. That way, you can just fold all of the messy skins up into that paper and throw it away when you’re done, making for a super easy clean up!


Rice and Pasta Stick to Your Drain Like White on Rice
If you’ve ever cooked rice or pasta, you know that they absorb water and expand whilst cooking. Now think about a handful of rice or pasta going down your drain and into your pipes—it’s not a pretty thought (or a pretty problem to have to pay for). Luckily, this can be easily avoided by scraping food scraps into your garbage can before placing plates into your sink.

 

Don’t Let the Holiday Grind Make You Neglect Coffee Grounds
Between all the prepping, cooking, baking, cleaning and entertaining that goes into holiday dinners, it makes for an exhausting day. So when it comes time to wrap your holiday dinner up with freshly brewed coffee, you may be too tired to want to deal with spilled coffee grounds. However, coffee grounds typically accumulate in your drain and become a sludgy, sediment-like mess—so rather than wiping them from the counter into the sink, simply wipe them into your garbage can instead.  

 

Accidents happen, so if some (or all) of these foods find their way into your sink’s drain over the holidays, there’s no need to stress—simply call the plumbing experts at Fosh Plumbing & Heating at 610-496-5700. At Fosh, we know that plumbing issues are a time-sensitive issue—that’s why we offer 24/7 emergency service–so your drain can be back in mint condition before you have to host the next holiday gathering.