We’ve all been there. You’re tired and in a hurry to rest and recover after a long day of work so, instead of properly scraping your dinner plates, you simply wash all those fats and food particles straight down the kitchen sink. Unfortunately, the truth is that not taking the extra time could end up costing you dearly later down the line.
Simply put, there are a number of things that you should never let go down your drains unless you enjoy the idea of having to regularly call out a plumber for costly sink repairs, and this is true even for homes that have a garbage disposal. In fact, one of the best and easiest ways to avoid clogged drains and sink repairs is by simply making sure that none of the following items ever go down your drains.
Fat, Grease and Oil
These three items are undoubtedly among the worst offenders when it comes to drain clogs, and some estimates even show that they account for nearly 50 percent of all drain clogs and sewer backups. The reason is that both plant and animal fats and oils tend to stick to the inside of your pipes and often solidify as they cool. Worse still, these substances also act as a binder that can trap food particles and other substances until your drain is completely blocked. In fact, the only way to prevent this is by running enough hot water down your drain to ensure that they are flushed completely out of your home’s sewer system.
Since this is both impractical and virtually impossible, your best bet is to make sure they never make it down your drain in the first place. Instead, simply pour any hot oil, grease, and fat into a heat-safe canister and then toss it into the trash once it’s fully cooled.
Flour, BreadandPasta
The thing that all three of these substances have in common is that they tend to swell up when they get wet. As a result, they can quickly become too big to easily fit down your drain and thus lead to a major clog. This is especially true if your pipes are already coated with fat or grease, which will grab ahold of the pasta or flour and allow it to swell as you try to rinse everything down. For this reason, it is vital that you make sure to always toss these items in the trash instead of attempting to flush them down the drain.
Rice
The same is true for rice as for flour and pasta. However, rice can actually be an even bigger problem since it also tends to get extremely sticky as it absorbs more and more water. Therefore, it doesn’t take a genius to see why this is another thing you’ll definitely want to keep out of your drains.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are another huge culprit as far as drain clogs are concerned. You’re surely familiar with how coffee grounds tend to become compacted as they get wet, and this tendency could lead to those grounds getting stuck and compacting themselves inside your pipes as you attempt to flush them down the drain. Once these pool up and collect together, they are hard to get out.
Egg Shells, Bones and Fruit Pits
Many people with garbage disposal wrongly believe that it will completely grind up larger items so that they can easily be washed down the drain. However, the real truth is that even the best disposal can’t completely take care of harder items like bones, egg shells and fruit pits. Instead, the disposal will simply grind them into smaller pieces so that they can more easily fit down the drain. The problem is that these pieces can still combine with fats and other food particles to quickly create a mass that completely clogs your drain.
Having a clogged kitchen sink can be incredibly annoying, but the fact is that it is also extremely easy to avoid. Nonetheless, if you do find yourself facing a clogged drain, you may still be able to avoid expensive sink repairs by contacting a professional plumber like Before & After Plumbing and Drain. No matter how careful you are, clogs can and do still happen, but the professional drain cleaning services from Before & After Plumbing and Drain can be the key to getting your kitchen sink back up and running in no time.
