Three Tips To Help Keep The Kitchen Sink Clog-Free
There's nothing worse than the kitchen sink being clogged and not draining. Nasty water backs up into your pristine sink and just sits there, the gurgling noises mocking you. Until a clogged drain is fixed, you can't cook or do the dishes. Here's how to keep your kitchen drains clear.
Remember, Your Drains Can't Handle Everything
Perhaps the biggest contributor to a clogged kitchen sink is pouring grease down the drain. Fats that are solid at room temperature are the worst. Butter, lard, shortening, bacon fat, and other animal fats should never be disposed of in the kitchen drain. Liquid vegetable oils shouldn't be, either. For solid fats, you can wait until they cool and solidify and then simply scrape them into your regular household garbage. Used cooking oil should be returned to their container if it is empty or stored in a glass jar and then tossed in the garbage. Also, don't wash your hair or give children baths in the kitchen sink. Hair and soap residue can also cause a clog. Be sure to throw used coffee grounds in the garbage.
Don't Skimp On The Hot Water
Run the hot water after each time you wash anything down the sink drains. For example, when you have finished the dishes, open the tap for a minute and use the water to wipe out the sink. Your sink basin will stay clean, and your drains will, too.
Buy A Garbage Disposal
In some areas of the country, people are only allowed to put out a bag or two of garbage each week. Their municipal waste management service may also require people to pay for special garbage bags. In these situations, people sometimes take risks and try to feed the kitchen sink all their leftovers and whatever else will seemingly go down the drain, all in an effort to reduce their garbage output.
A garbage disposal will help reduce the likelihood of a clogged drain and save space in your garbage bag. But just because you have a garbage disposal doesn't mean you can now dump whatever you want down the drain. Grease, oil, and coffee grounds are still a no-no, as is meat and poultry bones, egg shells, celery, potato peels, and rice and pasta. While rice and pasta are soft foods, they absorb water and can make a thick glutinous clog that will just keep expanding.
If your kitchen sink drains do become clogged, you can try using a plunger to free the clog. If that doesn't work, call a sink and bathtub drain cleaning service to take care of the problem for you. Commercial drain cleaners are caustic and can damage your pipes as well as potentially harm you with chemical burns and breathing troubles.
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