Save Your Drain: Don't Dump These 10 Things

Jul 31, 2018

A drain might seem like a place where you can just toss liquids and food items without a second thought. However, drains are only meant to take certain items. If you want to make sure your drain functions properly, avoiding dumping these ten items.

1. Rice & Pasta

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These beloved carbs are great for your stomach but awful for you drain. As they sit in your pipes, they absorb water that passes down, expanding and clogging up your drain.

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2. Eggshells

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No matter how much you try to decimate an egg, the remnants of the shell can have trouble finding their way out of the drain. After you break your eggs, toss the shells in the trash, not your sink.

3. Flour

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Anything that would get bigger with water should not be put down your drain. You don't have to be a baker to know that water and flour are a bad mix.

4. Pills

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Medication should absolutely not be put down the drain. It poses a serious risk to the water. If you want to keep your local water supply safe, do not put any medicine down your drain.

5. Hair

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Pulling hair out of a drain is an unpleasant experience that can be avoided. Get your loose hair in your wastebasket, not down your drain.

6. Stickers

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They're called stickers for a reason. When a sticker from a banana or apple goes down the drain, it can easily latch onto your pipes.

7. Debris

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If there's any leftover material from a building or home improvement project, do not put it down the drain. These can suffocate your drain severely.

8. Condoms

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The openings and latex material of condoms make them perfect for giving your drains serious problems. Don't let these elastic devices into your drain.

9. Cigarettes

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Putting a cigarette butt down the drain is arguably worse than just littering it. It won't break down and the nicotine poses a threat to the water.

10. Tampons

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The absorbency of tampons and pads is well-known. When they're down your drain, they have free reign to expand intensely. Don't let your drains be ruined by this. They can just as easily go into your bathroom trash.

Having clogged drains is certainly a pain, but it can be avoided by knowing what not to put down the drain. Look over this list and see what items you might have put down by mistake. Show this to your friends so they know how to keep their drains clear.