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Kitchen Sink Clogged? What Not To Put Down Your Drain

09/29/2021
Clogged kitchen sink

Is your kitchen sink clogged? Are you cautious about what you pour down your sink drain? Well, if you aren’t you probably should be. There are some items that you may be washing down your drain that you didn’t even realize could be harmful and/or causing your clogged drain.

Here’s what not to put down your drain:

  1. Grease & Fats – Oils, and leftover cooking fats/grease should never be put in your sink and washed down the drain. While it may seem harmless in liquid form, these fats can congeal within the drain, leading to buildups and allowing for other debris to cling to it, causing blockages.
  2. Pasta & Rice – A few noodles and some grains of rice may seem harmless, but did you know that noodles and rice expand when continually exposed to water? This means that pasta and rice within your drain pipes will expand when they absorb water. They will also soften and get sticky causing a gum-like buildup on your pipe walls. The stickiness can attract other debris, leading to an even larger buildup.
  3. Clogged drainEggshells – If you have a garbage disposal, you’ve likely washed eggshells down your kitchen sink drain. But, this may not be such a great idea, because eggshells can create granular waste that can attach to other drain waste to form clogs.
  4. Coffee Grounds – This one may come as a surprise, as many homeowners have no idea that putting coffee grounds down your drain could be why your kitchen sink clogged in the first place. In fact, coffee grounds are actually a top contender in causing household drains to clog. The reason for this, is that coffee grounds are not completely water soluble, so when they mix with oil or grease within the pipes, it could cause a buildup.
  5. Product Labels – If you are grabbing your apple or banana on your way out the door, it may be easiest to quickly dispose of your sticker in the sink. However, this isn’t a good idea, because they can get stuck in your drain and/or pipes and attract other particles that are coming down your drain.
  6. Flour – As you’ve noticed when doing any sort of baking, the dry ingredients are always mixed with the wet ingredients to form a sticky dough. So, that means when water mixes with flour, is it going to do the same thing. Washing flour down your drain is essentially creating glue inside of your pipes and could be a why your kitchen sink clogged.

While these common practices can lead to a clogged kitchen sink, they can also cause other, larger issues, backups, and blockages depending on the severity of the clog/buildup:

KitchenIf you are regularly, or even occasionally, washing any of these items down your kitchen sink, it is recommended that you stop. Even if you haven’t noticed a clog, these items could potentially be building up in your piping, and a major blockage could be just around the corner. If you suspect that your kitchen sink clogged due to the disposing of these items down your drain, you’ll want to contact a plumber to ensure that all residue is removed from your pipes. If you are contemplating using a chemical clogged drain solution to clear the clog, read THIS ARTICLE before doing so.

Clogged drains are one of the most common indoor plumbing problems in households. You’ll want to avoid washing these everyday household items down your drain to help prevent these potentially damaging buildups from forming. But, if you are experiencing a clog or backup, Kulk’s Plumbing & Heating offers drain cleaning solutions. Contact us today for your free plumbing estimate. If your clog is serious enough to require immediate assistance, we offer 24.7 emergency services.