Never Put These Things Down a Drain

Introduction: Understanding What Should and Shouldn’t Go Down Your Drains

Understanding what you put down your drains is essential to avoid clogs and environmental harm. Disposing of inappropriate items down sinks or toilets can result in clogged pipes, obstructed drains, and environmental harm. At St Ives Plumbing, we want to help homeowners understand what can and can’t be safely introduced into their plumbing system.

Common household items such as fats, oils, grease, disposable wipes, and paper towels often find their way into drains, clinging to inner pipe surfaces. Food scraps, hair, and other debris can also get trapped when put down your pipes, causing nasty clogs. Over time, this build up strains your entire plumbing network.

Blocked drains may escalate to a blocked sewer, causing unpleasant odours, sink backups, and potential risk of bursting pipes and water damage when unsuitable items enter your plumbing. Knowing the consequences of improper disposal helps prevent emergency calls and hefty repair costs.

As your local Sydney plumbers, we’ve seen it all when it comes to clogged drains. In this article, we’ll highlight the top offenders to avoid when you put down drain in your kitchen, bathroom and laundry sinks. We’ll also explain why these items cause problems, and offer advice on the best and safest disposal methods.

Kitchen Culprits to Avoid Putting Down Drains

Numerous items, particularly common household ones, should never be discarded down your kitchen drain. You should avoid disposing items in your sink that swiftly cause blockages. In fact, fats, oils and grease account for around 75% of blockages in wastewater systems according to Sydney Water.

For smooth kitchen plumbing function, refrain from putting these items down your drains:

• Fats, oils, grease (FOGs) - is a combination found in cooking oil, bacon grease, butter, margarine, food scraps, and sauces or gravies should never go down the drain. Never treat your drain as a waste bin for FOGs; they solidify inside pipes and can completely block your drain. Over time, this greasy buildup catches other debris floating by, which can cause a nasty clog.
• Egg shells - It’s tempting to wash crushed shells down, but they don’t break down well. Egg shells can accumulate and clog pipes.
• Coffee grounds - Despite seeming benign, coffee grounds can expand and block drains.
• Food waste - Fruits, veggies, rice, pasta, tea bags and leftover scraps should go down into your compost bin, not flushed down your sink.
• Hair - Hair strands can tangle in pipes, trapping debris and impeding water flow. Utilise drain catchers to get rid of hair buildup regularly.

By ensuring substances like a paper towel don’t enter your plumbing system via the sink, you’ll avoid costly repairs from blocked drains down the track. Be sure to also check out Sydney Water’s tips on proper FOG disposal too.

Food Items That Can Clog Pipes and Drains

Many everyday food items can wreak havoc on pipes if they go down your kitchen sink.

Fibrous fruit and vegetable scraps such as pasta rice, corn husks, onion skins, and celery sticks should not risk going down your septic system as they can tangle and complicate drainage. Starchy foods like rice, pasta, oats, potato peels and even bread may seem soft - but over time they swell with moisture and make their way into the pipe walls.

For your garbage disposal’s longevity, items like meat bones, eggshells, fruit stones and nut shells should go into your garbage as they don’t break down at all, preventing them from collecting and causing nasty blockages.

It’s essential to avoid pouring fats, oils, or greasy residues down your drains. Even when washed down with hot water, fats and oils cool, prompting responsible homeowners to find ways to dispose them properly to prevent solidification and clogging. Items you should never put down drain include those that easily clog plumbing; instead, direct them to your compost bin or council bins.

Oils and Greases Cause Major Pipe and Drain Issues

Fats and oils should never make their way to the sewer line via your kitchen or bathroom drains. As liquid fats cool and solidify inside your drain pipes, they congeal into solid fatty deposits that stick to pipe walls. Over time, thick layers of grease accumulate. Food remnants, hair, and various debris can become ensnared in this greasy accumulation, resulting in blocked pipes.

According to Sydney Water, Blocked drains caused by oils grease introductions result in a significant portion of sewer overflows in the Sydney region. Annual costs for clearing blockages from fats, oils, and grease are substantial.

When grease clogs your household pipes, you will most likely experience gurgling sink drains, water backing up into sinks or toilets overflowing. Left unchecked, compacted grease deposits can also lead to sewage leaks and pipe damage requiring expensive repairs.

To prevent clogs linked to fats, oils, and grease, refrain from pouring these substances into the drain. Safely dealing with oil and grease waste is easy though - simply:

• Decant cooled oil or grease into an empty container for bin disposal, rather than risking a blockage in your drain.
• Place the container into your rubbish bin for regular waste disposal once full.

By keeping FOGs out of your pipes, you prevent nasty clogs forming over time. Contact St Ives Plumbing if you have a blockage in your shower drain, as we have advanced equipment to clear even severe grease blockages quickly.

Other Problematic Kitchen Products to Keep Out of Drains

In addition to food waste, there are other items that should be kept out of your kitchen sink drain:

• Cleaning sponges - Sponges that easily break down and clog your pipes should be disposed of properly.
• Plastic packaging - Items like six-pack rings, candy wrappers, and fruit stickers don’t decompose, which can lead to them clogging up drains when flushed.
• Cigarette butts - Never stub out cigarettes in sinks. Filter fibres and residue can compact inside pipes.

All these items are better disposed of in the rubbish bin. And remember, your kitchen isn’t equipped to handle certain liquids either.

Never pour leftover paint, chemicals, motor oils or other hazardous liquids down any household drain or into your disposal. These substances can harm waterways or potentially damage your plumbing structure, challenges that standard disposal units are not designed to manage. Instead, check with your local council about proper disposal methods.

Make sure to keep drains clear of things that can clog drains or contaminate waterways, to avoid plumbing emergencies and help protect the environment too.

Hazardous Substances to Never Pour Down Any Drain

Many common household chemicals should never be poured down sinks or drains. Substances like paint, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, oils, and cleaning products can cause damage to pipes and pollute waterways if allowed to enter indoor drains.

Oil-based paints and stains with volatile compounds and heavy metals may corrode pipes. Oil-based paints and stains with volatile compounds and heavy metals may corrode pipes. Oil-based paints and stains with volatile compounds and heavy metals may corrode pipes.

Even small amounts of hazardous liquids can significantly damage your pipes over time.

Hazardous liquids should be disposed of via your local council’s chemical cleanout services. Programmes are also in place to properly dispose of other worrisome wastes like asbestos and medical sharps.

Most councils offer free drop-off days several times per year to safely dispose of substances like paint, pesticides, motor oil, solvents, batteries, light bulbs and liquid poison.

Check your local council’s website for disposal days—fast and straightforward. And by knowing how to dispose your hazardous chemicals properly, you keep drains and pipes protected while preventing environmental contamination too.

Chemicals and Cleaners Damage Pipes and Pollute Water

Always prevent common household chemicals, including bleach, from entering indoor drains. Substances like bleach, drain cleaner, oven cleaner and other harsh products can eat through pipes over time. Corrosive substances can endanger wildlife by entering waterways.

Instead of putting these products down sinks or down toilet drains, check your local council’s website for safe disposal days and locations. Most councils offer free drop-off for hazardous household chemicals several times per year.

A baking soda vinegar solution, followed by boiling water, can be an effective eco-friendly drain cleaner too. A baking soda and vinegar mix decomposes organic matter harmlessly for pipes and waterways. Just pour a cup of the solution down, let it sit for 5 minutes, then run hot tap water down to clear it out.

By keeping harsh chemicals out of drains, you safeguard your plumbing and help to keep our waterways clean. If you have a blocked drain or notice gurgling noises, contact St Ives Plumbing for professional drain assessments, repairs and cleaning.

Medical and Personal Items Should Not Enter Sewage

Several items, including common medical and personal hygiene products and any non-biodegradable paraphernalia, should never be flushed or rinsed down bathroom sinks.

Next time, consider that things like unused medications, cotton buds, condoms, dental floss and sanitary items often contain plastics and other materials that don’t break down. These items make their way into our wastewater systems, eventually entering natural waterways and impacting the environment.

Studies indicate pharmaceutical residues enter waterways through sewage systems. Flushing extra medicines adds to this pollution, harming aquatic life. Wastewater high in microplastics can contaminate vital water sources with plastic particles.

Instead of risking blockage by putting them into your plumbing, items like these should never be put down your drains:

• Take unused medications back to your local pharmacy for disposal
• Seal cotton buds, floss, and sanitary items in bags before binning them.
• Ensure condoms are disposed of properly in the rubbish bin, not flushed down your toilet

Keeping medical and personal waste out of drains help avoid sewage contamination. Contact St Ives Plumbing if you experience blocked drains or notice gurgling noises from bathroom sinks.

Proper Disposal Methods for Household Items

Proper disposal of household items is fundamental for maintaining clear drains in your St Ives residence. There are safe and sustainable ways to throw out common cloggers instead of putting them down sinks and toilets.

Here’s the optimal way to handle garbage disposal:

• Food scraps, pet waste like cat litter and compostable items like fruit peels, vegetable scraps and eggshells can go straight into a compost bin, council organics bin or onto your garden compost heap.
• Fats, oils, grease, meat scraps and leftovers should be sealed and thrown out with your usual household waste disposal.
• Hair should be collected with drain catchers and sealed in bags before rubbish bin disposal.
• Wet wipes, along with other sanitary products and toilet paper that aren’t designed to be flushable, must go in the rubbish bin, not down toilets.
• Ensure paints and hazardous fluids such as motor oil and solvents are dropped off safely at council or hazardous waste sites—not disposed of at home.

Proactively sorting items can prevent plumbing issues and reduce wastewater contamination. Contact St Ives Plumbing if you have a blocked kitchen or bathroom drain - we provide prompt, reliable drain cleaning and repairs across the St Ives area.

Preventing Future Drainage Issues

There are several steps you can take to help prevent future drainage problems in your St Ives home:

• Install drain strainers in sinks to catch food scraps, hair and other debris before they enter your pipes they can cause clogs.
• Consider biofilters for kitchen sinks to help break down organic waste naturally.
• Use enzyme drain cleaners monthly to dissolve buildup inside pipes.
• Avoid pouring fats or harsh chemicals down any drain.
• Schedule annual plumbing inspections to identify and address minor issues before they become costly problems.
• Regularly clear gutters and overflow points to prevent stormwater blockages.

Preventative measures keep you ahead in maintenance and ensure drain functionality. This saves on emergency callouts while extending the lifespan of your plumbing.

As your trusted St Ives plumbers, contact St Ives Plumbing to inspect troublesome sinks or fittings. Our drain cameras check for developing clogs, allowing us to clear issues early and discuss preventative strategies to avoid future problems.