It’s the time of year for traditions, family gatherings, overnight guests and delicious meals. While the holiday season is synonymous with all things joyous and festive, we also know anything can happen with a house full of guests.
Many of us have stories of holiday disasters…Remember when Uncle Joe stopped up the guest toilet only to redirect everyone to your master bath for the weekend? Or the time Aunt Mary shoved pounds of turkey skin down the kitchen sink resulting in a complete regurgitation of the disposal? How about when Grandpa thought he knew how to start the gas fireplace…with wood logs?
A houseguest’s slipup can turn into a homeowner’s costly emergency repair. While you can’t control all kitchen mistakes and bathroom messes, you can be prepared for any emergency that comes your way.
Preventing bathroom blunders
Instead of those fancy and festive disposable cloth napkins for hand drying, opt for towels that won’t accidentally end up in the toilet. Keep a trash can in every bathroom for trash and tissue. Make sure you have a plunger handy in the event of a clog. You can’t supervise people’s bathroom habits, but you can provide some basic necessities to make embarrassing accidents less likely. Also, if you’re having overnight guests, crank up the water heater to ensure no one gets caught in a cold shower.
Controlling kitchen catastrophes
Make sure the trash can is easily accessible for tossing food scraps. Obvious things like bones, corn husks and skins have no business in the kitchen sink. Even the smallest amounts of coffee grounds, egg shells and grease can wreak havoc on your garbage disposal. The holidays mean many hands in the kitchen, so it’s impossible to oversee everything that happens at the sink. You can take precaution by using a sink strainer to act as a catch-all for food that should be transferred to the trash.
Related: Flushing out your garbage disposal
Eliminating fireplace fiascos
It’s makes sense that a homeowner or someone who knows what they’re doing should operate a fireplace. That doesn’t mean a guest won’t attempt to do it too. Even if the fire gets lit properly, accidents can’t still happen. Garland and stockings on the mantle, wrapped gifts on the floor nearby and a Christmas tree positioned too close all pose fire hazards. Use caution and common sense when operating your wood or gas fireplace this holiday season.
Know your home, know your plumbing and have a plan
Knowing your plumbing and being prepared for mishaps is critical for getting through the holidays unscathed. Familiarize yourself with the location of shutoff valves, keep a plunger and fire extinguisher handy and simply plan ahead. If you’ll be away from home over the holidays make sure to prepare accordingly—prevent frozen pipes, adjust indoor heat, etc.
R.J. Tilley offers prompt and reliable emergency service for all of your holiday plumbing and heating disasters. Contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for any repair, and we’ll get you back up and running so you don’t miss a beat this holiday season.
