Maintaining a functional kitchen sink involves more than just regular cleaning. Knowing what should never go down your kitchen drain is essential to preventing kitchen drain clogs.
Certain items can cause severe blockages and lead to costly plumbing issues. In this post, we’ll discuss four common culprits—coffee grounds, rice grains and pasta, flour, and fat, oil, and grease—that you should keep out of your sink.
Coffee Grounds
One of the most common misconceptions is that coffee grounds can be safely disposed of down the kitchen sink. However, coffee grounds are a major contributor to kitchen drain clogs.
When you pour coffee grounds down the sink, they mix with water to form a gritty sludge. This sludge doesn’t break down easily and can quickly accumulate in your pipes, leading to significant blockages.
As the coffee grounds build up, they combine with other substances in your plumbing, creating a dense, hard-to-remove mass. This mass can restrict water flow, causing slow drainage and even backups.
To prevent these issues, always dispose of coffee grounds in your compost bin or trash. If you’re brewing a large amount of coffee, consider collecting the grounds in a container for disposal rather than pouring them down the drain.
Rice, Grains and Pasta
Rice grains and pasta are another common culprit in kitchen drain clogs. Both rice and pasta expand when they absorb water, which can cause serious problems in your plumbing.
When these foods are washed down the sink, they continue to swell and become sticky. This swelling can lead to clogs that are difficult to clear.
The expanding rice and pasta can create a gelatinous mass in your pipes, trapping other debris and restricting water flow. Over time, this can result in severe blockages.
To avoid this issue, always dispose of leftover rice and pasta in the trash or compost them if possible. Avoid rinsing these foods down the sink, especially if you have a garbage disposal.
Flour
Flour may seem harmless, but it can be surprisingly problematic when it goes down your kitchen drain. When flour mixes with water, it forms a paste that can quickly clog your pipes.
This paste can adhere to the inside of your plumbing, creating a barrier that traps other debris and restricts water flow.
Over time, this build-up can cause slow drainage and potentially lead to serious blockages. To prevent this, avoid pouring flour down the sink.
Instead, dispose of flour in the trash or compost it if you’re dealing with small amounts. If you spill flour, clean it up with a broom and dustpan rather than rinsing it down the sink.
Fat, Oil, and Grease
We are all guilty of this one. Ever cook bacon or anything using cooking oil, and end up instinctively emptying the contents down the sink before washing the dishes? This happens all too often. Majority of the drain cleaning calls we service are often caused by hardened grease.
Anything with a high fat content should never go down your drain. When cooled, they solidify, and can act as a binding agent for other materials that go down your drain. Forming a thick mass that coats piping, which overtime can completely block pipes in both your home’s plumbing system and sewage lines on City property.
You can find fat, oil, and grease in a variety of foodstuffs including:
- meats and bacon
- lards, shortening, cooking oil, butter and margarine
- scraps of food and baking goods
- sauces, salad dressings and gravies
- dairy products
- soups
- sandwich spreads
Best way to dispose of fat, oil, and grease is by allowing it to cool and solidify first, before tossing it out in the trash or organics bin if you have one.
Additionally, you can save and reuse cooking oil. For instance, you can freeze bacon grease for around a month. You can then use it later to add some extra flavouring to your fave dishes like sautéed veggies or pan fried grilled cheese sandwiches.
Drain Cleaning With True Service Plumbing
Clogged kitchen sink got you beat and it’s just too much for you to handle? No worries, leave the wet stuff to us!
Our licensed plumbers will assess your home’s plumbing system and determine the root cause of your issue, and perform the services necessary to get your clogged drains running again.
From clogged kitchen sinks, plumbing future installation and replacement, to a total kitchen makeover – True Service Plumbing has your back when it comes to all things plumbing.
Contact True Service Plumbing today to schedule a free estimate and consultation.
