How to Avoid Clogs During the Holiday Season

When the holiday season arrives, plumbing systems across Temple, TX start working a lot harder than usual. Families cook more, host more, and run appliances like dishwashers and disposals far more frequently. That means a surge of grease, food scraps, water usage, and flushing. And with that surge comes the perfect recipe for clogs.

Most homeowners don’t think about their plumbing when the holidays are approaching—but this season is actually one of the top times when drains back up, disposals jam, and toilets clog. The extra holiday workload can expose issues you never noticed before, and suddenly your kitchen sink is slow, your disposal is humming but won’t drain, or your toilet is bubbling when you flush.

Being proactive matters. With some smart prevention, homeowners can protect their drains and avoid expensive or embarrassing plumbing problems during their celebrations.

Know the Top Holiday Culprits

Many holiday clogs come from a handful of common sources. This time of year tends to generate waste that, unfortunately, is the worst possible thing to send down a drain.

The biggest offenders include:

• grease or cooking oil
• coffee grounds
• fibrous vegetables like celery or carrot peels
• pasta, rice, or starchy foods that swell in water

Here’s the problem: even if the garbage disposal grinds those items up, they can still cling to the pipe walls or thicken as they cool. The result? Very slow draining or a full, stubborn blockage. And if guests are tossing things like wipes or napkins into toilets—problems arise fast.

Be Mindful About What Goes Down the Disposal

If you’re hosting, you're likely cooking more and washing more dishes than usual—so it’s easy to get careless with the disposal. But the disposal is not designed to handle everything.

A good rule to follow: if it’s not soft, small, and easily dissolvable, it’s better off in the trash.

Avoid sending these common holiday items into the disposal:

• fats, oils, or shortening
• onion skins
• eggshells
• potato peelings
• fruit peels or rinds

These are the items plumbers see most frequently this time of year—and they’re the backbone of major kitchen drain clogs.

Use Gentle Maintenance Throughout the Season

Even if you’re careful, it’s smart to do small maintenance steps regularly. Those small preventative cleanings can help keep drains flowing smoothly. For example, grinding a handful of ice cubes in the disposal can help knock off buildup on the blades and help remove stuck debris. And a natural cleaner like baking soda followed by vinegar (let sit, then rinse with very hot water) can safely flush away greasy films.

Homeowners can also keep drains safer with simple tools like drain screens, especially if you have multiple people rinsing dishes or prepping food in the kitchen. A small mesh screen can catch debris before it slips down the drain—saving time and saving money.

Don’t Overload Sinks and Dishwashers

Holiday hosting usually means dishwashing marathons. But overloading a dishwasher or piling the sink too high means more food scraps, more grime, and more materials getting trapped in the system. It’s helpful to pre-scrape plates into the trash and to rinse lightly before loading. Simply adjusting those habits can drastically reduce the odds of a clog.

Also, try to spread out heavy water usage. Running the dishwasher back-to-back while also showering or running the washing machine adds extra pressure on your plumbing system.

Be Prepared—and Know When to Call for Backup

Every homeowner should keep basic tools like a plunger and small drain snake on hand—but also know when DIY isn’t enough. If a drain is repeatedly slow or a disposal struggles, that’s a sign of buildup deeper in the system. Waiting too long can make the situation worse—and can lead to a full emergency right in the middle of a family gathering.

The holidays are stressful enough. Calling a plumber early—before guests arrive—can prevent a disaster.