CHE Chemed Corporation

Why Halloween Jack-O'-Lanterns Attract Plumbers: Roto Rooter's Advice on How to Avoid Clogged Drains CINCINNATI, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns has been a Halloween tradition since Victorian times. Centuries ago, many believed that jack-o'-lanterns protected homes against evil spirits or goblins. Unfortunately, jack-o'-lanterns cannot protect a home against plumbers. In fact, they attract plumbers in large numbers year after year because many Halloween pumpkin carvers make the mistake of dropping pumpkin pulp and seeds down sink drains and into garbage disposers. Roto-Rooter, America's largest provider of plumbing and drain cleaning services, wants to remind jack-o'-lantern carvers that sticky pumpkin pulp should never be put down drains or into garbage disposers. Such materials are ideal for clogging household drains. "The slimy, stringy material dries and hardens inside pipes and disposers causing all sorts of problems," said Paul Abrams, spokesman for Roto-Rooter. "It's amazing how many families actually carve their pumpkins in the sink then just push all that material right down the garbage disposer." To guard against Halloween drain disasters, Roto-Rooter recommends carving pumpkins on a thick bed of newspapers and throwing all pumpkin-related materials into the garbage can. The seeds can also be separated and roasted for a tasty treat or they can be air dried and planted late next summer or early fall by anyone wanting to grow his or her very own pumpkin patch. Tens of millions of pounds of pulp is scraped from pumpkins throughout the Halloween season and Roto-Rooter removes a fair amount of it from clogged kitchen drains in the two-week period leading up to Halloween. "Pumpkin pulp might look orange to most people but to Roto-Rooter, it's green like money," said Abrams. For those who find themselves with clogged drains following a family pumpkin carving adventure, Roto-Rooter will have a full staff of plumbers and drain cleaners standing by ready to help ... and they promise not to say "I told you so." Roto-Rooter was established in 1935 and is the largest provider of plumbing and drain cleaning services in the U.S. and Canada. Roto-Rooter operates businesses in more than 100 company-owned territories and more than 500 franchise territories, serving approximately 91 percent of the U.S. population. Roto-Rooter is a subsidiary of Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE). For more information about Roto-Rooter and to see a selection of current news releases, visit our on-line pressroom at http://www.rotorooter.com/ Contact Paul Abrams O) 513-762-6434 DATASOURCE: Roto-Rooter CONTACT: Paul Abrams of Roto-Rooter, +1-513-762-6434, or Web site: http://www.rotorooter.com/

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