Before you toss that banana peel down your kitchen sink drain and turn on your garbage disposal system, read on! Although garbage disposals are very convenient and simply to use, they’re not designed to chew up all uneaten scraps. In fact, there are many items that homeowners wouldn’t even think are damaging for their garbage disposal system or their kitchen sink drain, however, they can do a lot of damage.
So, we’re here this week to provide homeowners with a quick guide on what should and should not go down the kitchen sink drain. Hopefully, you and your family can avoid some plumbing catastrophes with these tips.
What NOT to Put Down Your Kitchen Sink Drain
- FOG: FOG stands for fats, oils, and grease. They should never be put down your kitchen sink drain! These cooking byproducts aren’t going to break your garbage disposal system or anything, but they can do a lot of damage otherwise. What happens is that they congeal as they cool off, easily clogging up the drain and enabling other food particles to get caught up in it. It’s better to let these liquids cool in a separate container and then dispose of them in your trash can.
- Anything Unchewable: It’s a good rule of thumb that if you cannot chew it, neither can your garbage disposal—and so it shouldn’t be thrown down the kitchen sink drain. This can include things like popcorn kernels, meat bones, and other solid or fibrous food products like celery stalks.
- Food That Expands: We’re talking rice, pasta, and coffee grounds. These are all things that expand with water. They seem harmless enough, but they can get trapped in the drainpipe and clog it up, plus make it easier for other particles to get stuck on the way down.
- Actual Garbage: We get it, your garbage disposal seems like something you’d be able to throw small pieces of garbage down, right? Things like candy wrappers, napkins, etc. should be fine. Unfortunately no. Your garbage disposal won’t break this up enough and it can get stuck in the drainpipe.
What’s Left?
Maybe you’ve read this blog post and are now wondering what you can put down the sink drain. We get it! Here’s what’s approved:
- Non-fibrous vegetable and fruit scraps
- Citrus peels (in fact grinding this up with your garbage disposal can help with odors!)
- Soft foods
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our professional plumbers for more information about your kitchen sink, garbage disposal system, or any section of your plumbing. Knowing the difference between what can and what shouldn’t go down makes a huge difference in the overall performance of your kitchen sink.
Remember, the best way to avoid a problem with any part of your plumbing system is to invest in routine plumbing maintenance and drain cleaning. This allows our plumbers to use tools such as video pipe inspection to spot problems before they grow into big emergencies.
For professional Glenview, IL garbage disposal and kitchen plumbing services, contact Reliance Plumbing Sewer & Drainage, Inc. Our knowledgeable plumbers serve the North Shore and Northwest Chicago suburbs. Rely on Reliance!