Don’t Be Haunted by These Mistakes: Holiday Plumbing Tips
Pumpkin Guts: A Kitchen Sink Nightmare
Ok, so you know how after you’ve finished cutting up a pumpkin you’re left with that sticky squash glue on your fingers that’s just impossible to remove? Well imagine this, but in your drain, slowly catching seeds, coffee grounds, and food scraps in its sticky web. Pumpkin guts is the biggest reason we’re called out to unclog kitchen drains during this time of the year. Even with a powerful garbage disposal, the stringy pumpkin tangle will usually win. Prevent clogged drains and play it safe by disposing of pumpkin and squash seeds directly into the compost.
A Horror Worse Than Skibidi Toilet: An Overflowing Toilet
What’s scarier than a singing head inside a toilet bowl? A toilet backed up and overflowing with from someone’s DIY toilet paper mummy outfit. If you’ve fallen victim to a “trick” or if you just find yourself with an excess of toilet paper after the decorations have been taken down, here are a few safe ways to prevent clogged drains and deal with the tissue in a way that won’t have you damaged controlling a blocked toilet:
Reuse where possible.
If the tissue is fairly clean, consider folding it neatly and using it for its original function.
Compost it.
According to the Napa Recycling & Waste website it’s safe to add unused toilet paper to your compost bin. It is also interesting to point out that they do not recommend recycling unused toilet paper as the fibers are too short to be processed and recycled properly.
Bust the Drain Monsters: Powerful DIY Plumbing Tips
If, despite your best efforts, you still find yourself victim to the drain clog curse, we’ve put together a few foolproof steps to purge your home and pipes back to health again.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
That’s right, there’s a good reason why this is a winning combo. This potent potion is best used for superficial blockage of fatty buildup and bad odors. You’ll want to clear out your sink as much as possible and pour half a cup of baking soda, followed by half a cup of vinegar, down your drain. Wait a minute or so and follow up with a kettle full of boiling water to further flush the solution through your drain.
Wire Coat Hanger
This is the kind of trick that’ll make you feel like Macgyver and, used carefully, can be very effective at clearing a blockage. Sometimes something, like a chicken bone, just ends up sliding down the drain and gets caught at the wrong angle. Grab one of those flimsy wire coat hangers that you keep in the guest bedroom wardrobe and unwind it, leaving a very small hook at the one end. Gently insert through the plug and dislodge whatever may be causing the clog.
