As holidays approach, the Weekly is flooded with special tips from police, fraud fighters and others who want to prevent shoppers from being scammed or burglarized.
But as family members from all over gather in your home this long holiday weekend, we present an more special alert . . . concerning your toilet.
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See also:
Dos Chinos to Feed the Homeless This Thanksgiving!
Five Stupidly Awesome Thanksgiving Recipes
The Feast Days of Summer: And Winter and Fall and Spring! Where to eat, drink and be merry during the most important holidays
Crandall's Plumbing of Huntington Beach warns that the mix of too much turkey, stuffing and other delights over-stuffing family members who are likely sharing bathroom facilities not used to such use, doubled and tripled with the over-use and misuse of disposals and drains can spell disaster.
And there's no relief in sight as the family flushing will likely only increase through Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's.
It's not just the bowl that will get overuse but baths, showers and garbage disposals, too.
And so, Crandall's passes along these tips:
- Take the time to run the garbage disposal ahead of time to ensure it is free of food before adding more. Run hot water 15 seconds before and after use. Take care not to deposit stringy, fibrous or very tough materials (such as potato peels, pumpkin pulp and celery). Set a waste basket easy enough for children to access so they can scrape food off their plates, and take the trash out before retiring.
- Avoid pouring oils or fats down the drain. Wipe out pans with a paper towel and toss it in the trash. Keep hot grease away from guests.
- Treat all drains with this eco-friendly mixture: one cup salt; one cup baking soda; 1/4 cup cream of tartar. Pour down drains followed by two cups of boiling water.
- Cut plastic six pack holders so wildlife does not eventually become entangled in them.
- Spread out showering among overnight guests. Wait at least 10 minutes between showers so drains can clear.
- Test water faucet temperatures with a thermometer to ensure they don't surpass 120 degrees. Hotter than that runs the risk of being scalded.
- Check shower pressure, and if it is weak pour a cup of vinegar in a plastic bag and place it over the shower head so it may soak. Use a twist tie to hold it in place overnight, and the next morning use a toothbrush to scrape away deposits.
- Consider using a humidifier as guests will feel more comfortable and warmer without you having to turn up the thermostat.
- Run appliances that generate heat at night, as ovens and washers and dryers running all day tax the system.
“With these simple tips,” Crandall's promises, “we can keep the holidays a time for rejoicing and not plunging.”
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.