If you find that your drains are clogged beyond your ability to fix, you should call a septic service to clear them. However, you can save yourself the trouble by knowing what shouldn’t go down any drains in the first place. It’s also helpful to have insight about how you can temporarily alleviate the issue until professional help arrives. Below, find items that should never go down your drains. 

What to Avoid Putting in Your Drains

1. Food Scraps

Water causes pasta and rice to expand and flour to become thick and sticky. Coffee grounds, fat, oil, grease, and eggshells aren’t entirely soluble in water, so all they do is accumulate and plug the pipes. Throw these items away in the trash. If they still get into your drain, try pouring a mixture of warm water and vinegar into it. The vinegar may dissolve some of the waste until a septic service company can clean the drain more thoroughly.

2. Paper or Cotton

This includes paper towels, cotton balls, and produce stickers. Paper towels and cotton balls absorb water and take a while to dissolve, so they’ll easily clog the drains. The stickers may adhere to the pipe walls or block water treatment screen filters. Before calling a septic service, you can try removing these items with a drain snake. In the future, they should go in the trash.

3. Household Chemicals

Many household cleaners and chemicals can seriously contaminate the water supply, especially paint and car fluids. These items compromise the safety and effectiveness of water treatments and septic systems. Your city should have guidelines for proper disposal of hazardous waste products, so contact them before doing anything with the garbage. 

4. Cat Litter

“Flushable” cat litter doesn’t exist. It hardens when wet, quickly creating a blockage in the drain. The bacteria from the feces often can’t be killed by typical water treatments, so they end up poisoning the water supply. It’s best to put litter directly in the trash. Unclogging cat litter from a drain usually requires plunging and slipping an auger down the pipe, which can be a hassle. Either way, you should call a septic service immediately.

5. Medication and Hygiene Products

Items that improve or preserve your health are not made for your drains. The chemicals from medications get mixed into the water supply, despite treatment. Feminine hygiene products are neither biodegradable nor soluble in water, so they often get stuck in pipes or compromise the efficiency of water filters and screens. You should always place them in the trash. Until a septic pumping service arrives, try snaking them out of your drains.

If you need your drains unclogged, turn to A & J Nichols Septic Tank Co. in Byhalia, MS. This team offers a top-notch septic service that will clear anything from your pipes and provide you with clean water. Their 24-hour emergency services guarantee septic tank care anytime you need it. Having been in the business for more than 50 years, you won’t find anyone more knowledgeable in system tank maintenance. For more information, call the team today at (662) 838-2945 or message them online.