Your home’s drainage system plays a critical role in ensuring a sanitary household environment. If wastewater containing food particles, grease, soap, hair, and dirt can’t flow away from your home, it can affect your plumbing system and cause damage.
Save yourself the annoyance of calling for service and the cost of a repair or replacement with these 8 things you should never put down the drain.
1. Grease
Grease is gross, it’s sticky and hard to get rid of, and putting it down the drain means it is just going to stick to the inside of your pipes (as well as the pipes in the street!) This can cause your pipes to become clogged over time. Other greasy, oil-based products should also not go down the drain, including butter, cooking oil, mayonnaise, salad dressing, etc.
2. Flour
When mixed with water, flour coagulates, it becomes a thickened mass. It will clog your pipes by coating the inside of the pipes, which then creates a system that will catch all other bits trying to make t heir way down the drain. Always throw flour mixed with water in the garbage can and never down the drain.
3. Produce Stickers
Forgetting to remove the sticker before rinsing off your orange or squash is easy to do, however these little stickers don’t dissolve in water. The stickers will block screens and filters and can clog your pipes. Always remove the sticker and toss in the garbage can before rinsing your produce.
4. Coffee Grounds
Many plumbers will tell you coffee grounds are the most common cause of drain problems. The grounds build up in the pipes and can cause a blockage. Best to toss the grounds into the garbage or use them for composting.
5. “Flushable” Products
Products claiming to be flushable, like toilet wipes, can create a high risk for clogged drains. Those flushable wipes often don’t break down properly and can clog pipes or get caught and cause clots in the pipes.
6. Paper Products
Paper not designed to specifically break down and disintegrate in water can create a clog. Toilet paper is the only paper acceptable to go down drains. Other items like paper towels, napkins, feminine products, cotton balls, etc. should always be disposed of in the trash can.
7. Pasta & Rice
Pasta and rice expand when mixed with water, these two foods can lead to a block by expanding in the pipes. Additionally, pasta is made with flour, and it will become sticky and catch other things going through the pipes, which can cause a clog.
8. Eggshells
Tiny, little broken eggshell bits may seem like they are fine to flush down the drain, however these little bits will not go down smoothly. The sharp, hard edges of the shell can collect other items coming down the drain and can clog the drain and pipes.
Help for Clogs and Slow Drains
It’s not always easy to know if you have a blocked drain, especially if the blockage is still in the process of forming. We recommend that you clean your lines at least once every two years to get rid of any build-up in your drain system. The team at TR Miller Now can help. Contact us if you have a slow drain, clogged pipes or just want to do some preventative maintenance.
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