If you have ever had to deal with a clogged sink, you know that it can be a messy, frustrating (and often disgusting) experience. One of the more common causes of clogged sinks is forbidden food -- fats, very hard items, and so on. These either congeal in the drain or jam the garbage disposal, blocking the drain in the process. If these items eventually make it into the sewer system, they can cause further backups that affect more households. Prevention is best, so here are three ways to avoid letting forbidden foods go down the drain.
Wipe Down, Not Rinse Off
Even little bits of fat and grease can add up -- and there are more foods that can be a problem in terms of fat than you realize. The City of Deland Wastewater Division in Florida notes that the fat and grease that can clog drains is also present in ice cream, milk, and yogurt. Make it a habit to wipe down dishes first, before starting to rinse them. That will remove excess oils, fats, and other foods that are clinging to the dishes.
Net Stops
Have you ever taken a bunch of grapes out of a bag only to have a few fall off and roll into the sink? Have you ever dropped a piece of hard, raw carrot down the drain by mistake? Rather than letting foods fall into the sink and drain, where they could cause a clog, block the drain's opening with a drain net. These metal mesh cups will stop foods from rolling into the drain and disposal. Also, with the net, you no longer have to worry about trying to fish things out of the disposal.
Forget You Have a Garbage Disposal
If you do have a garbage disposal, try not to use it that often. You do still want to use it occasionally to clean out any little bits of gunk, but if you pretend you don't have one, you may be less likely to try to stick foods down there that could cause a problem, such as stringy vegetables and lumps of pasta, both of which should not go down into a disposal because they'll cause a jam.
It's also a good idea to give the drains in your home a good, thorough cleaning every so often. While you can take care of the drain openings with vinegar and baking soda, deeper cleaning should be done by a professional drain cleaning company. Click to read more on drain and sewer cleaning.
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