Managing Kitchen Waste: How to Protect Your Pipes This Holiday Season

While retailers gear up for their busiest day of the year on Black Friday, plumbers know it by a less glamorous name: Brown Friday.

The day after Thanksgiving is just as hectic for wastewater professionals who are busy unclogging kitchen sinks, disposals, and toilets.

Cincinnati-based Roto-Rooter experiences a surge in service requests during the holiday season, with calls the day after Thanksgiving rising 50 percent compared to a typical Friday and 21 percent compared to any other Thursday-to-Sunday period throughout the year, according to the company.

"Houses full of holiday guests take extra showers and flush more toilets, so that alone puts a strain on residential drain systems," stated Paul Abrams, Roto-Rooter spokesperson, in a press release.

He added that, "once the kitchen gets busy and the sink and disposal receive peelings, rice, poultry skin and oily turkey drippings, things start clogging up fast."

Explore the slideshow for six simple tips to prevent plumbing issues this holiday season.