Never, ever dispose of cooking oil, fat, or grease by dumping it down your drains.

With Halloween just a week away, you’re busy cooking holiday-themed goodies for your family and friends. You’re also beginning to think about the big holidays that are just around the corner – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. One of the joys of the upcoming holidays is cooking for others.

But cooking can be hazardous to the health of your plumbing if you’re not careful about what you do – and don’t – put down your drains.

“Never pour oil or grease of any kind down the drain,” southernliving.com says. “When hot oil cools down, it solidifies and sticks to the inside walls of your kitchen pipes. Over time, the solids will build up and eventually clog your pipes, leading to backups, flooding, huge plumbing bills, and lots of headaches.”

That’s all well and good but what do you do when you’re standing there with a pan of hot grease or oil?

Southernliving.com explains: “You should first allow any oil to cool down after cooking … . After it is cooled completely, use a funnel, and pour the oil into a metal can or plastic container (empty milk carton, original oil bottle, etc.), secure the lid and put the container in the trash. Be sure the oil is room temperature before pouring it into a plastic container or any residual heat from the oil will melt the container.