Quick, what did you just wash down your kitchen sink? We really hope your answer is just water! Your home’s drains are simple. They aren’t built to handle much more than water, soap, shampoo, and proper toilet paper. You might have gotten away with sending other things down the drain before. But all it takes is one wrong item to create a blockage. Suddenly, you’re looking at a backed-up sink and mountains of repair bills coming your way.
Want to prevent it? These five things should stay far away from your drains forever.
That Leftover Cooking Grease and Oil From Dinner Is a Ticking Time Bomb for Your Plumbing
You just finished cooking, and you have a pan full of hot, liquid cooking grease or oil. Pouring it down the sink seems like the easiest way to get rid of it. The problem is that this hot liquid doesn’t stay liquid for long. As it travels down your pipe, the grease cools and solidifies. It clings to the inside of your plumbing, building up a thick, waxy layer.
Imagine pouring melted candle wax into a tube. That’s exactly what happens inside your drain. Over time, this buildup narrows the pipe until nothing can pass through.
This isn’t just about a slow kitchen sink; it can cause a major blockage deep in your home’s plumbing system. The right way to dispose of oil and grease is to let it cool, pour it into a sealable container, and throw it in the garbage.
Those Starchy Foods Like Pasta, Rice, and Potato Peels Will Swell With Water
Washing leftover pasta or rice down the sink or using your garbage disposal for potato peels is a recipe for disaster. These starchy foods act like sponges. They absorb water and expand significantly. What starts as a few loose grains of rice can quickly turn into a thick, heavy paste inside your drain.
This starchy sludge doesn’t move easily. It settles in the P-trap (the curved section of pipe under your sink) and hardens. Eventually, it forms a concrete-like blockage that water can’t penetrate.
Your best bet is to scrape these food scraps into the garbage can before rinsing your plates in the kitchen sink.
So-Called “Flushable” Wipes and Feminine Hygiene Products Are Designed to Be Absorbent and Strong
Simply put, they will not break down in your pipes like toilet paper.
The packaging might say “flushable,” but these wipes are a plumber’s nightmare. Unlike toilet paper, which is made to disintegrate quickly in water, these wipes are built with strong fibers to hold them together. When you flush them, they don’t break down. The same goes for all feminine hygiene products.
These items travel down your pipe until they snag on something, like a tree root or a buildup of grease. They then act like a net, catching other debris and forming a massive clog. This is a primary cause of sewer line backups, which can be a messy and expensive situation to fix. The only thing that should ever be flushed is human waste and actual toilet paper.
Your Morning Coffee Grounds and Leftover Eggshells Act Like Sand in Your Plumbing System
It seems harmless to rinse coffee grounds down the sink. They’re so small, right? The issue is that they don’t dissolve in water. Instead, they clump together and settle in your pipes, much like sand or silt. Over time, this creates a dense, heavy sludge that is very difficult to clear.
Eggshells are another problem. Even if your garbage disposal grinds them up, the tiny, sharp particles get caught in any existing grease or sludge in the pipe, adding to the blockage and making it even more solid. Both coffee grounds and eggshells are fantastic for a compost pile, but they should never go near your drain.
Fibrous Fruit and Vegetable Scraps, Like Celery Stalks and Banana Peels, Can Wrap Around Your Garbage Disposal Blades
Your garbage disposal is strong, but it isn’t invincible. Fibrous and stringy waste from fruits or vegetables, such as celery, corn husks, or onion skins, can wrap around the disposal’s blades. This can cause the motor to jam and potentially burn out.
Even if the waste gets past the disposal, these stringy pieces don’t flow smoothly down the pipe. They can easily get caught, forming a net that traps other food particles from your dishwasher and sink. A more effective approach for managing this type of kitchen waste is to add it to your compost bin.
Your Drains Are Not a Magic Portal for Garbage, But We Can Fix Them When They’re Treated That Way
With professional plumbing services to fix stubborn drain clogs and main line trouble, Henley’s Plumbing & Air helps homeowners fight back against those clogs and stubborn items in their drains. With modern solutions like pipe bursting, we can even replace a damaged main line without tearing up your whole yard. Just give us a call, and please keep that litter out of your pipes!
We proudly serve the communities of Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Yorba Linda, Placentia, Anaheim, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Upland, Fontana, San Bernardino, Redlands, Highland, and Yucaipa. Call today!
