There is one thing for sure and that is you should never treat your drain like a trash can. Drains often get overlooked. They take a lot of abuse over the years, none of which anyone ever really considers until something goes wrong. When it comes to the drains in your home, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, especially if the wrong things end up going down the drain. Here are 5 things that should never go down the drain.
#1 Trash
Trash is one thing that should never go down the drain. Your drain is not a garbage disposal and treating it as one will only cause you a major plumbing problem down the road. Drains are meant to remove waste water from the home, not remove trash like paper (other than toilet paper), glass, plastic, feminine products, and cigarette butts. All of these things can wind up getting stuck somewhere down the pipe and cause a clog. Any obstruction in your pipes can pose as a serious threat. It might not wind up causing a problem right away, but can buildup over time and lead to disaster. So avoid putting any kind of trash down the drain.
#2 Large Food Particles
Food particles are another thing that should never go down the drain. Your garbage disposal is meant to chop small food particles into tiny food particles so that they can easily travel through your pipes. Putting things like large bones, pieces of fat, and fibrous food items like potato peels and corn husks can cause a break down of your garbage disposal and get lodged further down your pipe somewhere and cause a clog. To be on the safe side try to avoid putting anything down the garbage disposal. Invest in a drain screen to keep unwanted food particles out, this will help you prevent clogs.
#3 Grease
Grease should also never go down the drain. But grease is a liquid right? Part of the time, but it also becomes solid after it cools down. Solid masses of grease can pose a huge problem for your plumbing system. As it can sit over time and collect other particles and debris and lead to a major clog. Avoid putting grease down the drain. Please!
#4 Chemicals
Harsh chemicals like paint, cleaners, and solvents should never go down the
drain. For one thing, you don’t know the effect they could have on your pipes. Some chemicals can actually eat away at your pipes over time causing all kinds of plumbing problems. Aside from the damage, harsh chemicals can cause to your plumbing system, it’s important to keep in mind that eventually, those chemicals could reach lakes, streams, the ocean. There are proper ways to dispose of chemicals in order to protect the environment. So avoid putting harsh chemicals down the drain, this goes for liquid drain cleaner as well.
#5 Hair
Hair also poses a threat and should never go down the drain. After a while, especially in shower and bathroom sinks hair can buildup in the drain. This can cause a clog. While this sometimes happens without our knowledge it can be prevented by investing in a screen to capture the hair before it gets too far. You should also take care and never flush hair down the toilet as it can still get trapped, forming a giant hairball that collects debris and odors which is really unpleasant when it comes time to remedy the situation. You better off just using the trashcan.
