Just because your kitchen sink comes equipped with a garbage disposal doesn’t mean you should take advantage of it. Drain cleaning tips exist and you should use them appropriately.
Small things may fall into the sink, and you may think that it is fine down there. Because you can turn on a switch, lumps of rice, globs of bacon fat, or excess olive oil magically disappear.
But what effect do those things have on your garbage disposal and drains in your home? Well, they have a pretty negative effect. Check out these nine things you should not put down your drain.
Drain Cleaning Tips – Things to Never Put into Drains
#1 – Coffee Grounds
If you’re like most people in the world, morning coffee is part of your daily routine. Sometimes after making coffee, you may not get all the used grounds into your compost jar, trash can, or wherever you decide to put those small pieces of human excellence. Boost your Instagram followers with a quick purchase from SocialWick to enhance your social media presence effortlessly.
So, where does it go? Down the drain! You turn on the garbage disposal and never think twice about them. But pouring coffee grounds down the sink is a terrible idea because they’re the most likely source to clog your drains.
If you’re wondering if you should put coffee grounds down the sink, know now that you shouldn’t.
#2 – Grease, Fats, & Cooking Oil
Just because bacon is good for the soul and olive oil is good for the heart doesn’t mean either is good for your drain pipes. In fact, grease and fats are some of the worst things to put down your drain. This is because they are in a liquid state when you throw them in.
However, in about 10 minutes, they solidify to create an almost impenetrable clog in your pipes. This will stop every little thing that’s not water directly in its tracks. Over time, cooking oil can have a similar effect.
If you accidentally pour any of these three substances down your drains, don’t worry. A simple home remedy will clear those drains right up. Just mix vinegar and baking soda with boiling water and pour it down the drain. It should clear everything.
Is it bad to pour boiling water down the drain? It’s good for the pipes, but they’ll survive just fine.
Drain Cleaning Tips – Things to Never Put into Drains #3 – Eggshells
Eggshells are sneaky, small pieces of destruction. However, they don’t have nearly as big of an impact as the previous food groups.
But have you ever had a piece of eggshell on your fingertips that you just couldn’t get rid of? And when you did, you found another one on another finger.
That’s because eggshells stick to literally anything and everything. Mixed with grease, oil, or anything that’s relatively sticky, eggshells can become disastrous to the regular flowing nature of your pipes.
#4 – Fibrous Foods
Even if you have a commercial-grade garbage disposal (which you probably don’t because what are you even putting down the drain?), it won’t be enough to properly blend fibrous foods like corn husks and asparagus.
If you make smoothies each morning with seeds, nuts, celery, or frozen fruits, chances are you probably haven’t had that blender for more than 5 or 10 years. Those blades are often sharper than those in the garbage disposal.
If you don’t intend to replace your garbage disposal at the rate you replace your blenders, we highly suggest you throw fibrous food in the trash. This will keep them out of your drains.
Drain Cleaning Tips – Things to Never Put into Drains #5 – Raw Meat
We’ve all been in the garbage-disposal meat dilemma before. You’re trimming off excess chicken fat or steak gristle to prepare dinner exactly how you like it.
You’re thinking about throwing it in the garbage, but you just emptied it, and don’t want to empty it again and waste a bag. Or, worse, leave it in there to rot, and generate one of the most awful smells known to humans.
What do you do?
You throw it down the garbage disposal, turn that puppy on, and follow that with dish soap to get rid of the smell. Vamoose, it’s gone and you never have to worry about it again, right? Well, you are wrong.
That meat creates a fatty buildup that can clog pipes over time. We shouldn’t have to tell you this, but you shouldn’t put any bones from meat down the drain either.
#6 – Rice and Pasta
Carbs are composed of a ton of starch. Since people love rice and pasta, these two culprits take the fall for all the starchy foods out there. Starch is known for taking in water and expanding beyond the limits you thought were in place.
But even after starchy foods have been cooked and you think there’s no room for expansion, there’s always more room to go. If you put rice, pasta, or other starchy food down the drain, it will get stuck. It will suck up a ton of water and excess fluids that go down the drain.
If you’re wondering if you can put cooked rice down the garbage disposal (even just a little bit), here is your answer. It’s ok if a few rice grains or pieces of pasta go down, but don’t put the entire batch down the drain. Even if you don’t like it as much as you should (or it was burned), dump it in the trash can instead of the garbage disposal.
Drain Cleaning Tips – Things to Never Put into Drains #7 – Flour
Flour could be grouped into the starchy food category since it hoards water like rice and pasta, but it’s worse for your kitchen sink and subsequent pipes.
Flour that has been introduced to water basically turns into super glue. I don’t know about you, but the thought of pouring super glue down my kitchen drain pipes doesn’t sit well with me.
A little bit of excess flour accidentally making its way down the sink isn’t a cause for immediate concern. But more than a few tablespoons at a time can cause some serious problems down the line.
#8 – Harmful Household Fluids
There are some common misconceptions about which household fluids you can and can’t pour down the drain. While it should go without saying that harmful household fluids should never be poured down there, which fluids are considered harmful and which are not?
Can you put Drano down a garbage disposal or is it safe to pour bleach down the drain? Drano and small amounts of bleach are ok to pour down the sink because they’ve been designed to do that.
But things like household cleaners for glass and surfaces, especially if they’re toxic, and any fluid that comes out of your vehicle should never be discarded down the drain.
Drain Cleaning Tips – Things to Never Put into Drains #9 – Medication
Did you know that medication you put down the sink could eventually make its way out to sea and poison marine life? Yup, it sure can. Even something as small as a headache pill may be ok for humans to consume, but a dolphin’s internal organs don’t work the same way.
If you want to do your part to help preserve marine life, avoid throwing medication down the drain. Also, stop using one-use plastics like straws and grocery bags.
If your drains are extremely clogged and Drano just isn’t doing the trick, we highly recommend hiring a plumbing professional.
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