How can you avoid a post-Thanksgiving Day call to the plumber? If your family will host the holiday meal, take a look at what you need to know about the worst Thanksgiving foods for your home's plumbing system and what you can do if you need a holiday-time repair.

The Turkey

Even though the hours you spent on turkey prep paid off when it comes to taste, the clean-up can cost you in unexpected plumbing charges. That is, unless you know how to carefully clean after your turkey dinner.

How can the leftover turkey pieces damage your home's plumbing system? In most cases, incorrect disposal can cause serious clogs and backups. The primary culprits behind turkey-related plumbing problems include:

• Turkey skin . Oily, fatty turkey skin (like other oil-based products) can clog your kitchen sink's drains. The fat can coat the interior parts of the pipes and lead to messy backups.
• Turkey juices and gravy . The juices and turkey-made gravy are also oily enough to cause sink drain problems. Like the skin, these can also cause clogs in drains and garbage disposals.
• Turkey bones . A bone trapped in your drain can catch other leftovers and eventually clog your sink. Beyond clogs, bones can also damage the blades of your garbage disposal and cause it to malfunction.

To prevent turkey-related plumbing problems, throw leftovers in the trash. Pour hot liquids, such as drippings or gravy, into a heat-safe container until they cool. Throw the solidified fat away in the garbage as well. If you do accidentally clog or damage your drain or disposal with turkey parts, contact a plumber for the repair.

Mashed Potatoes

Soft mashed potatoes may not seem like a drain-clogger, but starchy, fibrous foods can cause serious problems in your home's plumbing system. While a spoonful of leftover potatoes probably won't cause a complete clog, larger quantities can:

• Expand inside the drain . A drain or disposal filled with potatoes leaves no room for water or other substances to fit through. This can result in clogs and backups.
• Turn into a sticky paste . As the leftover mashed potatoes sit in your drain, the starchy food can turn into a sticky paste that narrows pipes and causes clogs.
• Cause disposal issues . If you leave some of the skins on or try to wash the skins down your garbage disposal, they could wrap around the blades. This can damage the disposal, stop other food from moving through properly, or cause a backup in your sink.

Like turkey, dispose of mashed potatoes (and the skins) in the garbage can. If you do have potato-related plumbing problems or the skins stop your disposal from working properly, a plumber can remove the clog and repair the sink appliance the right way the first time. This can save you much-needed time and money during your busy holiday weekend.

Salads and Dressing

Mashed potatoes aren't the only starchy, fibrous food that could go down your drain during the post-Thanksgiving cleanup. Lettuce and high-fiber salad vegetables can also expand in your drains or wrap around the blades of your garbage disposal.

Before you spoon leftover salad into the sink, consider:

• The dressing . Oily salad dressings can coat the pipes and cause clogs. Never pour plain dressing or dressing-covered vegetables down the drain.
• The toppings . Sharp croutons and seeds (such as sunflower or pumpkin) that often top salads can also damage garbage disposal blades.
• The types of vegetables . Vegetables such as asparagus and celery are highly fibrous. The stringy fibers can cause problems for your kitchen's plumbing — especially the garbage disposal.

Salads and leftover dressing also needs to go into the trash. Failure to dispose of these items could result in a call to the plumber. Never attempt to remove oil from your drains, clear major clogs, or repair the blades of your disposal on your own.

Do you need help to clear a clog? Contact Complete Plumbingfor more information.