What Should You Avoid Putting Down Your Kitchen Drain
Your kitchen drain and garbage disposal are a hardworking duo, but they're often overlooked when it comes to home maintenance. While you might believe that your kitchen drain and garbage disposal can handle all of your everyday food waste, there are plenty of things that it shouldn't be assigned.
"Homeowners should avoid putting grease, oils, coffee grounds, fibrous foods (like celery or potato peels), eggshells, pasta, rice, and large chunks of food down their kitchen drain," shares Deborah Albero-Darata, franchise owner of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Virginia Beach, a Neighborly company.
A smoothly flowing drain pipe does more than manage small food particles and soft food items, it keeps your kitchen in good working order—and prevents serious plumbing headaches. Albero-Darata adds, "These items can contribute to severe clogs and expensive plumbing issues over time. Instead, dispose of them in the trash or compost heap to maintain a healthy and efficient drain system." Plumbing experts agree, that with a bit of knowledge and regular care, you can avoid unexpected garbage disposal repair and help your kitchen perform its best.
What to Do With Grease and Oils
Pouring grease and oils down the kitchen drain lines may seem convenient, but it's a recipe for plumbing disasters. As these substances cool, they solidify, leading to clogged drains and potentially costly pipe blockages. Even small amounts of buildup over time can cause persistent issues.
Instead: Pour excess grease into a metal container and allow it to cool. Put it in the refrigerator to help grease revert back to solid. Place other fatty foods that won't solidify in a container with a lid that is not recyclable; it can be sealed and thrown out in the garbage without making a mess. (If you're reserving bacon grease, remember that you can always save it for future recipes!)
What to Do With Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds might seem harmless, but they don't dissolve in hot water or cold water. Instead, they tend to clump together and create a sludgy mess in your pipes. Large amounts of coffee grounds can contribute to blockages, especially when combined with other debris in the drain.
Instead: Reserve the coffee grinds for your garden. They're rich in nitrogen and will help your garden thrive. (If you're like me, you have a lot of coffee grounds. You can save them in a large container in the freezer until you need to fertilize, or add them straight to your compost pile.)
Related: How to Maintain Your Kitchen Sink Before Hosting Guests
What to Do With Chicken Bones
For the most part, keep animal bones out of your disposal; however, a few small ones (like fish bones) can actually help to clean food residue from the inside of your disposal. Same goes for citrus peels! A few will help clean the inside of the appliance and infuse a fresh scent, but avoid overloading the system.
Instead: Put your chicken wing bones and whole turkey carcasses in the garbage (after you make bone broth).
What to Do With Fruit Pits
Hard seeds and pits from fruits like peaches, cherries, plums, and avocados risk damaging your garbage disposal blades.
Instead: Plant a tree! Or, I guess, put them in the compost.
What to Do With Fibrous Material (Celery, Shrimp Shells, Potato Peels, Banana Peels, Etc)
Fibrous foods like celery or potato peels, banana peels, shrimp, carrot peels, and large amounts of onion skins can become tangled in the blades of your garbage disposal or create a web-like obstruction in the pipes. Avoid putting large quantities down the drain, as these materials are challenging for the disposal system to break down.
Instead: Put these items right into the compost with other organic material. The worms handle them better than the disposal.
Related: 9 Ways to Improve Your Kitchen’s Ventilation System
What to Do With Eggshells, Pasta, Rice, and Large Chunks of Solid Food
While the garbage disposals in your kitchen sink can handle some starchy food scraps, avoid disposing of large quantities of expandable foods like egg shells, green beans, pasta, rice, or sizable food chunks. These items can overwhelm the disposal's capacity and contribute to blockages, reducing its efficiency and potentially causing backups in the plumbing system.
Instead: Spare the disposal and send these to the compost, too. Have you considered a countertop-sized composting system like Lomi? We love it for large chunks of food, namely pieces that have meat and dairy. You wouldn't normally include those items in your outdoor compost, but Lomi can handle them.
Other Tips for Making the Most of Your Garbage Disposal
Don't feed it anything that's a non-food item. We're talking candy wrappers and harsh chemicals.
Clean it with ice. Have you ever put white vinegar in an ice cube? Lemon peels? You can put any of these items into an ice cube tray, and run the frozen ice cubes through the disposal to remove food buildup.
Always run it with cold water to increase the likelihood that any grease or oil attached to your food remains solid as it is processed.
Related: 10 Steps to Prepare Your Bathroom Plumbing for Holiday Guests
