Keep These Items Out of Your Drains
It’s just obvious that some things don’t belong down your drain –– bacon grease, anyone? And chances are you also know to steer clear of putting chunks of food or feminine hygiene products down your drain or toilet. But you’d be surprised at the number of things that can cause plumbing problems over time.
Let’s talk about the top 10 offenders our Maple Grove plumbers see that leads to clogged up drains.
10 Things You Didn't Realize Can Clog Up Your Drain
Rice, pasta, and other foods that expand
You wouldn’t put, say, a sponge down your kitchen sink. So don’t put the food equivalent of that down there either! Foods like rice, pasta, lentils, anything that expands in water shouldn’t go down your sink. Once they’re down there, they’ll soak up anything that comes along and get bigger and bigger, increasing the likelihood of a clog. Plus, if you’re putting something like pasta down there, it can break down into a sticky paste, basically coating the sides of your pipes with a glue-like substance. As you can imagine, that’s not great for avoiding clogs.
Stringy Fruits and Veggies
Normally you wouldn’t put food down your sink at all, unless you have a garbage disposal. But avoid stringy or high-fiber foods like pumpkin and zucchini even if you do have a garbage disposal. The fibers in the bits of food can act like ropes or hair down a shower drain, catching on anything that’s already in your pipes and grabbing onto other little bits of food as they wash down the sink. Throw that stuff in the trash or compost instead, along with any other food waste.
Eggshells
Eggshells are one of the most common reasons we get called out for clogs (other than coffee grounds, more on that in a sec!) You wouldn't think so to to look at them, but little pieces of eggshell are a nightmare for causing clogs. The sharp edges on them are hard on your pipes, and they tend to act kind of like fish hooks, snagging other things and getting caught up in clogs. They’re especially bad for getting stuck in bends and pockets, and then dragging a whole bunch of other stuff in there with them. Always put your eggshells in the trash or compost, never put them down the sink!
Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds seem like they’d be no big deal, but the number of times we’ve been called out to unclog a sink and ended up pulling out a massive amount of coffee grounds is just wild. Those little things can build up and get stuck together, causing really stubborn clogs that seriously mess up your pipes. They’re also abrasive, and so even when they’re not actually clogging up your pipes they can scrape them up and weaken them. Some people think a garbage disposal can help out with this, but unfortunately they’re just too small for the blades to properly work with, and so they’ll bypass that disposal and go right into your pipes. Try to throw your grounds in the trash or compost instead of putting them down your sink, your pipes will thank you (and you won’t have to see us as often!)
Flour
Ever made bread and then washed big chunks of flour off your hands and down the sink? Or maybe you’ve had a sourdough starter you don’t need anymore, so wash it away? Either way, not the best idea. Flour mixes with water to form a kind of sticky paste, and so once it’s down your pipes, it can actually coat the walls, making them smaller and providing a long, sticky surface for things to get caught on. The next time you’re making bread, put any extra flour in the trash instead, and try to scrape your hands off over the trash and then wash any final extra bits off in the sink if you have to.
Paint
This one might seem a little weird, because paint is obviously a liquid, and it will definitely pour very smoothly down your sink or toilet. But you still shouldn’t put it down your pipes, because even though it starts out liquid, it might not stay that way once it gets down there. Paint can dry or change consistency once it’s in your pipes, and it’s sticky, so it can also trap other things in there, leading to clogs. Plus, it’s bad for the water supply, since it pollutes it with all sorts of chemicals that make paint great for walls, but bad for consumption. Instead of pouring it down the drain, take it to a hardware store, a lot of them will recycle it or dispose of it for you.
Lots of Harsh Cleansers
Have a habit of putting Drano or other harsh cleansers down your pipes? Let us encourage you to reconsider. They generally won’t clog up your drains, but they will damage your pipes over time, which can then lead to other costly problems. Instead, dispose of chemicals according to the instructions on the bottle, and don’t put things like Drano or other unclogging mixes down your drain unless you have an actual clog. And, if you’re regularly getting clogs or having a slow drain, then call a plumber instead of doubling down on the chemicals. It’s much better to get to the root of the problem and get it fixed than to end up accidentally damaging your pipes and then ending up with a much more expensive problem.
“Flushable” Products
Just because something says it’s flushable on the pack doesn’t mean you actually want to put it down your toilet. In fact, you can generally just go ahead and ignore any of those “flushable” labels. Technically they’re fine, but they do have a habit of getting stuck or catching other things that go down the pipes and then causing clogs. Just like with feminine hygiene products, you want to keep all paper towels, baby wipes, kitty litter, and anything else that might say it’s flushable out of your pipes.
Floss
Every flossed and then tossed the used up string in the toilet? It might be convenient, but it’s a recipe for disaster with your pipes. See, floss will eventually break down, but it takes a long time. In the meantime, that hard string can get wrapped up in all kinds of knots, trapping anything else that comes along the pipe. If it does make it all the way out to the sewers, it can help encourage the formation of fatbergs, which are just as disgusting as they sound. (Fatbergs are like mini-icebergs made up of fats, non-biodegradable materials, and other things that get flushed down into sewers. They can get really big, and end up clogging up sewer lines.)
Minerals
OK, so chances are you’re not just pouring salt down the drain (and if so, it probably won’t do all that much harm). But if you live in a place with hard water, minerals and scale can build up in your pipes over time, leading to clogs and other issues. If you do have hard water, consider installing a softener. It might be a little more expensive up front, but it’ll definitely save you in the long run when it comes to pipe maintenance and repair.
Bonus: Medications
These won’t clog up your drain, but you shouldn’t put them down the sink or toilet anyway. It might get those old pills out of your medicine cabinet, but it’ll also put those meds right into the water supply, where they can be eaten by animals or filtered back into drinking water. Be responsible, and throw the meds in the trash, or take them to a pharmacy so they can be disposed of properly.
What if a clog does happen?
Sometimes you’ll do all the right things and still end up with a clog. It’s not the end of the world, and a lot of times you can take care of it yourself. We’ve got an in-depth article about it here, but the long and the short of it is, try to figure out what caused the clog, and if it’s something grease-related, try hot water, then drano. If it’s an actual blockage, like something stuck down there, then try a plunger then a drain snake. And if none of that works, give us a call!
Keeping your drains flowing free and clear isn’t rocket science –– with a little knowledge and common sense, you can take good care of your pipes, keeping them working efficiently for years. And, whenever you do encounter a problem, we’re always here to help.
Got a clogged drain in the Twin Cities?
We’ve provided affordable drain cleaning in Bloomington and the entire Twin Cities area for decades and would love to help keep your pipes functioning just as they should. Find out more about how we can help by giving us a call below!
