What You Should and Shouldn't Pour Down the Drain
 

As a homeowner, it is your responsibility to make sure that all waste materials are properly taken care of in and around your home. This means that trash needs to be bagged and placed in a can that is taken to the curb for garbage day. Recyclable materials must be sorted and placed into proper bins for recycling. What about liquid waste materials? Should you put them into the trash? Should you pour them down the drain?


Check out the list below of things that you should never pour down a sink drain:


  • Lard (bacon grease)
  • Leftover food scraps from plates
  • Dairy products (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, heavy whipping cream, ice cream or cheese sauces)
  • Butter or margarine
  • Cooking oils or shortening
  • Items used for baking (flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar, granulated sugar, icing or salt)
  • Cuts of fat from meat
  • Dough (pizza, biscuit, pretzel or bread)
  • Coffee beans
  • Egg shells
  • Medications
  • Corrosive substances
  • Anything flammable
  • Nail polish or polish remover
  • Makeup remover pads
  • Paper towel or tissue
These items contain a lot of grease and particles which may potentially be dangerous, and they are difficult to dissolve with water. They can slowly create a build-up on your drain pipes, and this may lead to total blockage. The only things you should be pouring down the drain are the following: water, dish detergent, soda, juice, and other liquids that are not corrosive, flammable or greasy/oily.