New Year’s Resolutions: 10 Plumbing Habits to Break Before January Ends

New year, new you…and new plumbing habits, please. If we’re dropping bad habits in January, your pipes deserve a seat at the table right next to your gym membership, budget app, and that vow to stop doom-scrolling at 2:00 a.m.

This is the time of year when your plumbing systems are working double-time: holiday dish chaos, winter showers, more people home, colder temps, and all the “I’ll fix it after the new year” procrastination hitting at once.

So here they are—the 10 plumbing habits to kick to the curb before January makes its dramatic exit. High-energy, in-the-know, punchy, and powerfully practical…just how we do things.

🚫1. Treating the Garbage Disposal Like a Trash Portal

Let’s say this again for the people in the back: your garbage disposal is not a food chute. It’s a crumb catcher. A backup singer. A safety net. It was never meant to be a lead vocalist.

New Year’s Resolution:
Absolutely nothing goes in the disposal.

Not potato peels, not rice, not pasta, not coffee grounds, not “just a little scrap.” Scrape every plate completely into the trash first. Let the disposal catch the tiny crumbs that escape, and let your pipes live another day.

🧊2. Ignoring Slow Drains Until They Become Full-Blown Nightmares

If your drain is moving slower than a toddler putting on shoes, that’s your first red flag. Slow drains turn into standing water, backups, and “Why does my sink smell like the inside of a forgotten lunchbox?”

New Year’s Resolution:
Address slow drains at the first sign. Stop waiting until it becomes a crime scene.
Use safe DIY troubleshooting, clear the P-trap, check the stopper linkage, remove debris—but do not pour chemical drain cleaners, ever.

💦3. Letting Small Leaks Become Big Emergencies

That tiny drip-drip-drip from your faucet? It’s not “just annoying.” It’s gallons—literal gallons—of wasted water each week. And if the leak is anywhere hidden (like under a sink), congratulations, you now have the beginnings of a moisture problem.

New Year’s Resolution:
Investigate every drip the same day you notice it.

And if it’s an older faucet, remember: swapping individual parts often shortens its life or creates new problems. Replacement is often your best long-term play.

🧻4. Flushing Things That Should Never, Ever Be Flushed

We need to talk about the “flushable” wipes marketing scandal. If we could put one habit on a giant billboard along I-15, it would be this: Flush only toilet paper. Nothing else. Ever.
Wipes? Nope. Cotton products? Nope. Hair? Nope. Tissue? Surprisingly, also nope (it doesn’t break down the same way).

New Year’s Resolution:
Keep a trash can next to every toilet, especially if you have kids, roommates, Airbnbs, or that one guest who treats your bathroom like a science experiment.

🌡️5. Cranking Your Water Heater to Lava Levels

If your water heater is set above 120°F, you’re basically turning your utility bill into a bonfire. Excess heat also shortens the lifespan of the tank and makes scalding more likely.

New Year’s Resolution:
Check your water heater settings today. 120°F is the sweet spot—comfortable, safe, energy-efficient, and good for your system’s longevity.

🔧6. Forgetting to Test Your Shutoff Valves (Until It’s Too Late)

Imagine a pipe bursts in the middle of winter, and you sprint to the shutoff valve… only to find it’s frozen in place like a villain mid-monologue. Valves that never get turned become stiff, stuck, or nonfunctional.

New Year’s Resolution: Test every shutoff valve—main, sinks, toilets, washer.

Turn them gently once or twice a year. If one refuses to budge, address it now, not during the Great Indoor Flood of 2026.

🧺7. Overloading the Washing Machine Like It’s a Contest

We know you’re busy. We know laundry never ends. But stuffing the washer full creates strain on the appliance, increases flood risk, and sends lint and debris into your drain lines at warp speed.

New Year’s Resolution:
Stop treating your washing machine like a clown car.

Small, manageable loads keep your pipes, hoses, and appliance in far better shape.

🥶8. Forgetting About Outdoor Plumbing in Winter

Winter in the Salt Lake Valley and along the Wasatch Front has one mission: find your weakest point and freeze it. Unprotected hose bibs and outdoor lines love to burst when the temperatures plunge, often without you noticing until spring.

New Year’s Resolution:
Disconnect every hose.
Use hose bib covers.
Know where your exterior plumbing lines run.

If you’re already seeing frost damage—don’t wait.

🧽9. Treating the Shower Drain Like a Hair Cemetery

Hair, conditioner, beard trimmings, bath flakes, and “mystery shower gunk” are the primary contributors to slow showers in any home. It doesn’t matter whether your place is big, small, new, or old—this menace knows no boundaries.

New Year’s Resolution:
Install a high-quality drain catcher.
Clean it consistently.

Do not, under any circumstance, push the hair blob down the drain “just this once.” It always comes back for revenge.

🛠️10. Putting Off Routine Maintenance Because “Everything Seems Fine”

Your plumbing system is quiet because it’s working. It’s not quiet because it’s invincible. Homeowners often wait until something fails—loudly, expensively, inconveniently—before they check their systems.

New Year’s Resolution:
Give your plumbing an annual checkup.
Look at your water heater age.
Check exposed pipes.
Inspect for moisture, corrosion, or staining.
Review faucet and fixture condition.
Replace worn supply lines before they burst.

A little attention now prevents a startling amount of drama later.

🎉 The January Plumbing Glow-Up Starts Now

New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be grueling. Sometimes the most impactful changes are the tiny, quiet shifts: scraping food into the trash instead of the disposal, clearing hair from the drain, testing a shutoff valve before it’s urgent.

Breaking these 10 plumbing habits protects your home, reduces stress, cuts water waste, and makes the entire year run more smoothly. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes upgrade that actually matters—and that your pipes will thank you for.

Ready to start strong?
Your plumbing system is.