10 Things You Should Never Put Down the Drain
Drain Cleaning
Most clogs are preventable. They happen because we treat our plumbing like a garbage disposal. To keep your drains flowing freely, never flush or pour these items:
The "Never" List
- Grease/Oil: It pours like a liquid but hardens like wax inside cold pipes.
- Coffee Grounds: They settle like sand and create heavy sediment layers.
- Eggshells: The membrane wraps around disposal blades; the shells turn into sandy grit.
- Flushable Wipes: They do *not* disintegrate like toilet paper. They are the #1 cause of sewer backups.
- Rice/Pasta: These expand with water and turn into a sticky glue.
- Flour: Mixes with water to create dough that hardens in the pipe.
- Medication: Contaminates the water supply.
- Stickers: Produce stickers from fruit often end up in the drain and clog pumps.
- Paint: Latex paint coats the inside of pipes.
- Cat Litter: Even 'flushable' litter causes massive clogs because it is designed to clump.