Thanksgiving is a time for good food, full tables, and family traditions. But it’s also one of the busiest days of the year for plumbing systems—especially garbage disposals. With more cooking, more prep work, and more people helping in the kitchen, it’s easy for the disposal to become overloaded or damaged.
Understanding what not to put down your garbage disposal can help prevent clogs, jams, and costly repairs during your holiday gathering. A little caution goes a long way toward keeping your kitchen running smoothly on the biggest food day of the year.
Why Thanksgiving Is Tough on Garbage Disposals
A garbage disposal is designed to handle small bits of leftover food, but it’s not meant to process the heavy load that a holiday meal can bring. Between turkey trimmings, vegetable peels, and a sink full of dishes, it’s easy to accidentally send the wrong items down the drain.
Thanksgiving tends to amplify common disposal mistakes. When a system is overwhelmed, it can lead to clogs, unpleasant smells, backups, and even mechanical damage. Knowing what to avoid will help your disposal stay in good working order throughout the holiday.
What NOT to Put Down Your Garbage Disposal
1. Fibrous or Stringy Vegetables
Items like celery strings, pumpkin guts, potato peels, and corn husks can wrap around the disposal blades and prevent them from turning. These fibres can also create stubborn clogs deeper in the drain line.
2. Fat, Oil, and Grease
Turkey drippings, gravy remnants, and cooking oils might seem harmless when warm, but they solidify as they cool. Once they harden inside your pipes, they create thick blockages that can stop water from draining properly.
3. Large Bones
While your disposal can handle the occasional small, soft food scrap, bones from turkey, ham, or chicken will damage the blades and motor. Bones are simply too hard and should always be thrown in the trash.
4. Eggshells
Eggshells may appear harmless, but the membrane inside them can stick to the sides of your pipes, encouraging buildup. When mixed with other holiday food waste, they can contribute to clogs quickly.
5. Coffee Grounds
After Thanksgiving dinner, it’s tempting to dump used coffee grounds into the sink. However, coffee grounds clump together inside the drain, creating dense blockages that are difficult to remove.
6. Pasta or Rice
These foods expand when exposed to water, even after cooking. When they collect inside the disposal or drainpipe, they become starchy, sticky, and prone to swelling—making them a common culprit of holiday clogs.
7. Fruit Pits and Seeds
Pits from cherries, peaches, or avocados are too hard for the disposal to break down. Smaller seeds may pass through, but larger ones will damage the blades or jam the unit.
Keep Your Kitchen Running Smoothly
A little care and awareness can help you avoid garbage disposal problems this Thanksgiving. Knowing what not to put down the drain protects your plumbing system and ensures your holiday meal goes off without a hitch.
Contact Regal Plumbing, Heating and A/C today for all your plumbing needs. Committed to Service, Committed to You, Since 1974.