Even if you have a garbage disposal, there are certain substances that should be properly disposed of. To avoid clogs and problems with your system, take a moment to refresh yourself on these troublesome clog culprits and water polluters.
1. Rice
Never pour leftover rice or pasta down the drain because they may expand and clog your drainage pipe.
Instead, please scrape the excess from your plate onto the trash before rinsing it.
2. Coffee grounds
Most people assume that coffee grounds are small enough that they won’t stick around in your pipes, but that’s not the case. In fact, most plumbers say that coffee grounds are one of the most likely sources of a clog in your kitchen pipes.
3. Grease and Oil
The next time you cook bacon, think twice before you pour the grease down the drain. First, you can reuse bacon grease in other recipes. And second, when grease or oil congeals, it can cause a clog in the pipe.
4. Butter and margarine
Even when melted, butter and margarine can congeal and build up over time creating water-resistant barriers.
5. Pasta and noodles
Since pasta and noodles absorb water, they will continue to expand with more exposure to water each time you run the faucet and the sticky flour can gum up the pipes or fill the disposal trap.
6. Flour
Clumped flour can clog your sink drain and will require a professional plumber to solve the issue. Therefore, you should never dump flour into the drainage pipe.
7. EGGSHELLS
Not only are the shells hard on disposal blades, the egg shell membranes can wrap around the grinding device. Once ground, the tiny bits of the shell can compound other blockages.
8. Bones
Bones must never go in the garbage disposal because they can cause blockage or dull the blades.
Moreover, they often have animal fat, thus they can solidify in the sink drain.
9. Mashed Potatoes
Mashed sweet potatoes and other dense foods can quickly separate in water. However, they can clog the drainage pipe; therefore, you should throw them in the trash can instead.
10. Fibrous Vegetables
Leftover veggies, such as asparagus and celery, can cause plumbing problems that block the garbage disposal blades, requiring expensive professional repair.
