Drain clogs are common in the days leading up to Halloween. Many pumpkin carvers like to do the job in the kitchen sink and push the pulp down into the garbage disposal. Unfortunately, sticky pumpkin pulp, or pumpkin guts, will gum up your garbage disposal and clog the drain.

WHAT WILL IT DO TO YOUR PLUMBING?

First, pumpkin guts will choke a garbage disposal. And any pulp and seeds that get past the disposal will stick to the inside walls of the drainpipes. When the water stops running, the pulp dries and hardens like concrete. That’s right. Kitchen sinks and pumpkins are not a good match. Watch our funny Halloween video to see what we mean. Don’t even think about liquid drain cleaner. In most cases, it is powerless against pumpkin guts. No sir, your household over-the-counter defenses are useless. You’re going to need a professional drain cleaner to power through a pumpkin pulp clog. Even a plumber with all his heavy duty drain cleaning equipment may face a formidable battle to open a drain clogged with pumpkin guts. Oh, and your disposal may never be the same or it may have to be replaced.

HOW STICKY IS IT?

In case you haven’t gotten the point, pumpkin pulp is so sticky that we wonder if it isn’t the secret ingredient in super glue. If they could have grown pumpkins on Gilligan’s Island, the professor could have used pumpkin pulp to patch up the SS Minnow and the skipper would have been sailing her back into Honolulu Harbor before the end of the first season. Pumpkin pulp is so sticky, you could probably use it to patch a fiberglass fender on a Corvette. Yes, it’s that sticky and it hardens that much. Do not let it near your drains, including the toilet. Ever!

Instead of carving your jack-O-lantern in the sink, Roto-Rooter suggests carving it on a thick bed of newspapers. When you’re finished carving, wrap up the mess in the newspapers and then toss it into a compost pile or a trash can. Don’t forget that the seeds make a delicious snack. Just separate them from the pulp, put them on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with margarine and salt before roasting them for 45 minutes, or until golden brown, at 300 degrees F.