These 15 Things You Should Never Put Down The Drain
After cooking a meal, it is tempting to simply wash leftover food down the drain. Unfortunately, many of those leftovers can cause clogged pipes. Here are fifteen things that should never go down the drain.
1.
Fats
such as lard or grease should be put in a trash bin. Grease sticks to the inside of pipes and can clog the drain as it solidifies.
2.
Fatty meats and gristle
should not go down the drain either. The fat can clog the drain and a disposal cannot grind up gristle.
3.
Stringy vegetables
such as celery or lettuce should not go down the drain. This stringy food can wrap around the blades of a disposal and cause it to malfunction.
4. Similarly,
egg shells
should not be put into a disposal. The membrane of the egg can also wrap around disposal blades.
5.
Pits from peaches or cherries
should go in the trash. The disposal blades are not sharp enough to grind up pits.
6. Bones
should not go down the rain either.
7.
Pasta
should not be rinsed down the drain as semolina continues to swell once it is washed into the pipes.
8.
Rice
also swells when it is sent down the drain.
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9. While the rinds of
lemons and oranges
may make your drain smell fresh when put into the disposal, eventually the thick peels can clog the drain.
10.
Paper towels
should go into the trash can. Unlike toilet paper which is designed to break up easily, they will clog the drain.
11. Although
coffee grounds
are fine particles, they can clog the drain over time.
12.
Tea leaves
, like coffee, will also clog the drain.
13.
Flour
should also go into the trash. It thickens and hardens inside the pipes.
14.
Jellies
that contain gelatin will continue to swell inside the pipes and can clog the drain.
15.
Sand and dirt should
not go down the drain. Rinse off sandy shoes or rags outside.
While broken disposals and clogged pipes are a concern, it is also important to remember that many of these items are toxic and will end up in a water system. Why not eliminate the hassle of clogged pipes and help protect the environment as well?
