Items That Should Never Go Down the Drain

Unfortunately, homeowners get lazy when it comes to what they are putting down the kitchen sink. After dinner, it can be tempting to pour down fat from a meal. Perhaps you have been painting a bedroom and need to clean the paintbrush. Why not wash it in the sink?

However, these simple things can actually do a lot of hidden damage to the plumbing system in your home. In the future, those mistakes could cost you when they cause a blockage or they corrode the pipes. Let’s take a look at all of the items that should never go down the drain.

Coffee Grounds

Every morning, you make your cup of coffee. This is how most people start the day and how they prepare for the morning ahead. You have some left-over coffee grounds. So, what do you do with them? You simply wash them away in the kitchen sink. It is a quick way to dispose of the grounds. However, homeowners do not realise that one of the main culprits for blocking kitchen drains is coffee grounds. You may be surprised to hear that these small grounds can stick to the pipes in your system. Over time, they can build up and cause a blockage. The best thing you can do with coffee grounds is put them in the bin.

Grease and Fat

Grease and fat are liquids, they are ok to put down the kitchen sink, right? Unfortunately, this is not true. These substances really can cause you a lot of problems and think includes blockages. While they may appear as liquids, they can actually become very sticky and cling to the inside of your pipes. They will harden too, and this is going to cause a blockage that will not let water through. In order to safely discard of grease and fat, it is recommended that you allow them to harden and then you can throw them away in the bin. If you do experience a problem with your drainage due to grease and fat, you can use an unblocking service in Essex. A professional team will come to your home and solve the problem,

Eggshells

Again, another substance that can seem harmless but cause a lot of trouble is eggshells. While they seem like tiny pieces that are not going to cause a problem, they can actually get stuck with other substances down the kitchen drain. This can build up and cause a problem later on, which is the last thing you want. Think about the way an eggshell can get stuck on your hands when you are peeling an egg. This is what can happen inside a drain when there are other substances like grease and fat. The eggshells will get stuck to them and cause a lot of problems.

Cotton Balls

Now, there are other items that can end up down the drain and this happens in the bathroom. For example, let’s take a look at cotton balls. They are soft and small pieces of cotton that seem as if they would not be a problem. However, this is not true. They can actually clog a drain quite easily. They can cling to other substances. A lot of people think that because they can be biodegradable they are not a problem. However, they do not dissolve straight away and this takes time. In the meantime, they can cause a blockage.

Feminine Hygiene Products

Other items that can end up disposed of in bathrooms is feminine hygiene products. They can often get flushed down the toilet. But, this is something that should not happen. These items can cause blockages quickly for your home, as well as travel down the system and cause bigger problems later down the line. Always keep a bin in the bathroom and this is the best way to dispose of feminine hygiene products.

Paint

Last but not least, you do not want to be putting paint down the sink. This is something that a lot of people do. They can try to dispose of the last of the paint down the drain or spend time cleaning all of the paintbrushes in the sink. However, this is something you should avoid doing. Paint has the ability to cling to the pipes and cause major problems. What’s more, you do not want to be rinsing away paint since it can have a lot of toxins in it. This is not really something you want ending up in your water supply.