Holiday Hosting Plumbing Prep: Avoid the #1 Kitchen Sink & Disposal Disasters

The holidays are made for full tables, extra guests, and big meals—which also means your kitchen sink and garbage disposal are about to work overtime. Every year, one of the most common plumbing issue we see around holiday hosting season is the same: clogged drains and jammed disposals caused by a few common “oops” foods.

 

A little prep (and a few simple rules) can keep your celebration from turning into a sink full of dirty water right when you need it most.

Why Holiday Clogs Happen So Often

During normal weeks, your kitchen drain handles small amounts of food residue and soap. During holiday cooking, you have:

  • More cooking grease and pan drippings

  • More scraps from peeling, chopping, and prepping

  • More dishes, more starches, and more “let’s just rinse it down” moments

  • More people unfamiliar with your sink/disposal habits

Even a drain that’s been “mostly fine” all year can get overwhelmed fast.

The Big 3: What Not to Put Down the Sink or Disposal

1) Grease (the #1 culprit)

Turkey drippings, bacon grease, gravy remnants, oily marinades—grease is sneaky. It goes down warm as a liquid, then cools and hardens inside your pipes, trapping other debris until you’ve got a full blockage.

Do this instead:

  • Let grease cool and solidify in a disposable container (can, jar, foil-lined bowl), then throw it away.

  • Wipe pans with a paper towel before washing.

  • For extra greasy pans, scrape into the trash first, then wash.

Pro tip: If you’ve ever had a slow kitchen drain, grease buildup is often part of the story.

2) Fibrous foods (stringy = cloggy)

Your disposal doesn’t “digest” food—it chops it into smaller pieces. Fibrous foods can wrap around the blades and jam the unit, or create a tangled mess in the trap and drain.

Common holiday offenders:

  • Celery

  • Onion skins

  • Corn husks

  • Potato peels (also starchy)

  • Asparagus ends

  • Artichoke leaves

  • Coffee grounds (not fibrous, but clump like wet sand)

Do this instead:

  • Toss fibrous scraps in the trash or compost.

  • If you must use the disposal, feed tiny amounts slowly with plenty of cold water—but the safer move is: trash it.

3) Bones and hard items

Garbage disposals are not designed for hard materials. Small chicken bones, turkey bones, fruit pits, seafood shells—these can chip components, jam the impellers, or damage the unit.

Hard “no” list:

  • Bones of any kind

  • Fruit pits (peach, avocado, etc.)

  • Shells (shrimp, crab, oyster)

  • Metal, glass, twist ties, utensil slips (it happens!)

Do this instead: Trash can—every time.

“The Disposal Is Not a Trash Can” (Seriously)

A garbage disposal is best used for tiny remnants, not as your primary food-waste system.

A good rule of thumb for holiday hosting:
✅ Scrape plates into the trash first
✅ Then rinse lightly
✅ Use the disposal only for what you can’t scrape easily

If you treat the disposal like a blender, your plumbing will eventually disagree—loudly.

Best Practices During Holiday Cooking (Quick Checklist)

Before guests arrive

  • Run hot water and see how fast the sink drains. Any slow draining now will be worse later.

  • Check for gurgling sounds, bad odors, or water backing up on the “other side” (like one basin filling when the other drains).

  • If your disposal has been noisy or sluggish, don’t ignore it before the big meal.

While cooking & cleaning

  • Always run cold water when using the disposal (helps grease stay more solid so it can move through better and keeps the unit cooler).

  • Turn on water before disposal, and let it run 15–20 seconds after turning it off.

  • Feed scraps slowly —never dump a whole bowl in at once.

  • Keep a mesh strainer in the drain to catch stray bits.

After the meal

  • Don’t rinse gravy, grease, or oily soup directly down the drain.

  • Avoid sending large amounts of starch down (mashed potato remnants, rice, pasta). These can swell and stick.

Signs a Clog Is Starting (Catch It Early)

If you notice any of these, your drain is waving a red flag:

  • Water draining slower than usual

  • Gurgling noises when the sink drains

  • Bad smells that keep coming back

  • Disposal humming but not grinding

  • One side of a double sink backing up into the other

  • Water backing up into the sink when you run the dishwasher

Catching a clog early can mean the difference between a quick fix and a full backup during the busiest week of the year.

What To Do If Your Disposal Jams (Safe Steps)

If your disposal stops working mid-cleanup:

  1. Turn it off and don’t keep flipping the switch.

  2. Unplug it(or turn off the breaker).

  3. Look inside with a flashlight(not your hand).

  4. Press the reset button on the bottom of the unit.

  5. If your model has an Allen-wrench slot underneath, you can gently rotate it to free a jam.

Avoid: chemical drain cleaners. They often don’t solve grease clogs and can make a plumber’s job more dangerous.

If it’s still not clearing, it’s time to call in help.

We’re Here If the Sink Fights Back.

Holiday plumbing problems always show up at the worst time—right when the kitchen is full and the dishwasher is running.

If your sink is slow, your disposal is acting up, or you’re dealing with a backup, Todd Brothers Plumbing  can help you get back to celebrating (instead of bailing out a sink).

 

Need help fast? Give us a call and we’ll get you taken care of.