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What Shouldn’t Go Down Your Drain

Whether you are tired or your child has been getting into shenanigans, your toilet, shower, and kitchen drain have likely seen a few items that it should not have seen. However, far from being a simple mistake, these objects and materials can cause substantial damage to your plumbing if you do not monitor the drain. It is critical to note what materials should not go down the drain to keep your plumbing safe and clear.
 
All grease and oil should not go down the drain. If you are cooking with oil, making bacon, or producing oil of any sort, place it in a can or glass container rather than pour it down the sink. It will congeal and cause a clog in the pipe. Coffee grounds, another common household item, will build up in the drain and cause a clog. Rice is another food that should not be allowed down the drain as it can expand and cause a clog. Try composting these materials.
 
Although you would not expect them on a list of what not to put down your drain, flushable wipes should not be often listed as flushable. They do not disintegrate easily, and so, if your home has an older plumbing system, these wipes can be difficult on these piping systems. To be perfectly safe, simply throw out flushable wipes as you would normal baby wipes. As well, do not flush cleaning wipes and any other cleaning products or harsh cleaning chemicals. If you are genuinely concerned and have bleach or ammonia, call a local Hazardous Household Waste collection center and inquire about them.
 
Other foods that should not be put down the drain or garbage disposal include eggshells and flour, or its finished product, dough. Eggshells have an inner membrane known to cause clogs, so they should always be either composted or placed onto the trash. Flour often clogs drains, and the dough does a much faster job of clogging the piping below your kitchen sink. The mix of water and flour creates a dough that will mean an expensive visit from the plumber. 
When you accidentally put something down that should not go down the drain, you will quickly need a Maitland plumber. From eggshells to grease and oil, these materials will, over time, wear down the working condition of your plumbing and cause extensive damage, leading to expensive repairs. You must monitor what goes down your drains to avoid this kind of costly repair.