Decoding the Drain: What Not to Put Down Your Kitchen Sink
The kitchen sink is one of the most used fixtures in any Cheyenne home. It’s where we wash dishes, rinse food, and dump leftovers. Because of its convenience, it often becomes a catch-all, and that convenience can lead directly to a stubborn, costly clog.
While your garbage disposal is a powerful tool, it is not a magic black hole. Putting the wrong things down your kitchen drain can lead to buildup, backups, and eventually, the need for an emergency call to Marv's Plumbing & Heating for drain clearing.
To keep your plumbing flowing smoothly and avoid a messy situation, here is our definitive guide on what should never go down your kitchen sink.
The Major Culprits: Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG)
This is the number one enemy of kitchen drains. When hot, FOG is liquid, and it seems harmless. But as soon as it hits the cooler pipes, it congeals and sticks to the walls of the pipes. Over time, this sticky residue traps other passing debris, creating a severe, concrete-like blockage.
Solution: Pour cooled grease and cooking oil into an empty jar, can, or disposable container and toss it in the trash. Wipe greasy pans with a paper towel before rinsing them.
Foods That Don't Break Down
Many organic items that seem soft enough to flush through are actually major offenders, especially when processed through a disposal.
Coffee Grounds: They may look granular, but coffee grounds clump together in water and form a heavy sludge that doesn't easily move through pipes.
Pasta, Rice, and Bread: These foods expand significantly when they absorb water. What seems like a small amount of leftover spaghetti can swell and plug a pipe completely.
Egg Shells: The thin membrane inside the eggshell does not grind down. It wraps around the disposal blades, and the fine, abrasive shell particles can cling to pipes, contributing to clogs.
Bones and Hard Pits: Any object that the disposal can't fully pulverize—like small bones, fruit pits, or corn cobs—will sit and accumulate until a blockage occurs.
Solution: Scrape all food scraps into the trash or compost bin before rinsing plates.
Non-Food Items
These items should be strictly banned from the drain as they are guaranteed to cause problems, regardless of whether you have a disposal or not.
Flour: When mixed with water, flour creates a glue-like paste that is a recipe for a solid, hard-to-clear clog.
Chemicals and Paint: Never dump paint, paint thinners, solvents, or cleaning chemicals down the drain. These not only cause plumbing damage but also contaminate the water supply and wastewater treatment systems.
Stickers and Labels: Those tiny stickers found on produce are plastic and paper, and they often peel off in the sink. They are notorious for catching on drain grates and sticking to the inside of your pipes.
Pro-Tip: The Running Water Rule
Even when using your garbage disposal, the amount of water you use is crucial. Always run a strong stream of cold water before you turn the disposal on, during the time it is running, and for at least 30 seconds after you turn the disposal off. This ensures all the ground particles are flushed completely out of the trap and into the main sewer line.
Protecting your plumbing is one of the easiest ways to protect your home. By keeping FOG, expanding starches, and hard particles out of your sink, you can dramatically reduce the need for emergency service.
However, if you do find yourself facing a stubborn clog that a plunger won't fix, the experts at Marv's Plumbing & Heating are ready to help.
Don't wait for the water to back up! If your sink is slow to drain, contact us today for professional drain cleaning service in Cheyenne.
