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Not everything in your kitchen should go down the drain. Even if you have a garbage disposal attached to your plumbing, certain substances will wreak havoc on your pipes, leading to clogs and other trouble. Below are the top seven items to keep in the trash.

What Should Never Go Down the Drain

1. Eggshells

The membrane found in eggshells eventually causes a glue-like block in your drain system. If you have a garbage disposal, the shells themselves can dull and damage the blades. 

2. Grease & Fats

plumbingCooking oils, fats, and leftover grease congeal when they cool, leaving behind a gooey clump that will stick to your pipes. Butter and margarine have the same effect. Once this mass of fat and oil blocks your drain, other debris will get stuck to it, creating a complete barrier in your plumbing.

3. Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds are not water soluble and will coat your pipes, creating a substance that catches oil, grease, and other leftovers. Dump grounds in the trash, use as part of your compost, or sprinkle around plants as a pest repellent instead.

4. Starches

Pasta and rice expand in water. When these starchy foods are in your plumbing, they swell more and more every time moisture flows down the drain, leading to a gummy buildup that will clog pipes.

5. Produce Stickers

The adhesive on the back of a produce sticker is not water soluble and will stick to pipes, drains, screens, and filters. These stickers may also affect filters in treatment plants as they make their way down sewer lines.

6. Medication

The problem with pouring medication down the drain is not that they cause damage to your plumbing. The real problem is sending these products into the water system, which can harm both humans and animals. Contact your town to learn about their medicine disposal program.

 

Are your drains acting up? For more than a century, Niebuhr Plumbing & Heating has been the top choice for plumbing services in La Crosse, WI. Licensed and fully insured, their expert team can also tackle HVAC repair services, water heater repair, and water softener installation and maintenance. To make an appointment, call (608) 782-1700, or stop by their website for more on their services.

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