Skip to content 
Holiday season is the highest-volume cooking period of the year. By the day after Thanksgiving and again the day after Christmas, plumbers across the Salt Lake area run back-to-back kitchen drain emergencies — every one of which could have been prevented with pre-season prep and small habit changes during cooking.
The volume problem
A holiday meal generates kitchen waste at three to four times the rate of a normal week. Fats from roasted meats, oils from cooking, starchy water from potato prep, and food solids from plate scraping all hit the drain in a concentrated period. The EPA fats-oils-grease guidance documents the physics: warm grease enters in liquid form, cools, and solidifies on the pipe interior.
What never goes down the drain
Cooking oil and grease. Potato peels. Pasta. Rice. Coffee grounds. Eggshells in quantity. Fruit pits. Bones. Any of these can clog a kitchen drain on its own; in combination they form the cement that takes a snake or hydro jet to clear.
Pre-holiday prep
Two weeks before the meal, run a maintenance cleaning. Boiling water down the drain, cup of baking soda, cup of vinegar. Wait 15 minutes. Flush with more boiling water. If the drain has shown any sluggishness this year, schedule professional hydro jetting now.
Habit changes during cooking
Scrape plates into trash before the sink. Pour grease from roasting pans into a heat-safe container, let it cool, throw it away. Run cold water (not hot) when operating the disposal. Limit disposal use to small soft food only.
Multi-market plumbing coordination
For Utah families with extended family visiting from out of state — common during the holidays — knowing reliable plumbers in other markets matters too. For related needs, we recommend residential plumbing services in the Long Beach market.
Post-meal cleanup
Run cold water through the kitchen sink for several minutes after the last dish. Drop baking soda and vinegar in the disposal. Run hot water for two minutes to flush the line.
If a backup happens during the meal
Stop running water. Bail standing water from the sink. Try a plunger with the other basin sealed off. Do not pour chemical drain cleaner. Switch to disposable plates and call a 24/7 plumber.
Your Salt Lake Area Holiday Kitchen Drain Specialists
At Let’s Fix Plumbing, we handle pre-holiday hydro jetting and emergency drain cleaning across Syracuse, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Orem, West Jordan, and surrounding Utah communities. Book your pre-Thanksgiving drain service in October to avoid the November rush. Contact Us to schedule. Our drain cleaning services are available 24/7 across the full Wasatch Front.