Pumpkin Seeds & Pulp Down your Garbage Disposal? Absolutely Not! Says Your Local Everett Plumber

With Halloween upon us it is safe to say that the summer weather has officially passed for the year and fall is here to stay. This time of year means carving jack o’ lanterns, apple festivals, and preparing dense breads and hearty soups.

Meal preparation and clean-up in your kitchen can be made significantly easier with the help of a garbage disposal. However, nothing complicates the simple task of loading the dishwasher like a clog in the kitchen sink. Often times, we don’t think too much about what we are rinsing down the drain, especially if there is a garbage disposal.

It is easy to think that the mysterious machine that exists in that hole in the sink will growl really loud and grind up anything and everything that is put down there. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, there are many food items that should not be rinsed down the kitchen drain. Some include:

• Grease: Cooking grease from things like hamburger or bacon should never be rinsed down your kitchen sink but rather strained into a container and discarded into the garbage can. These food item is a liquid when it is hot, however, it solidifies as it cools. This means that if you rinse it down the drain while it is hot, it will quickly cool and solidify in your drain creating a blockage. Because grease is not water-soluble, it wouldn’t matter how much water you rinse down the drain, the clog will not clear.
• Coffee Grounds: While coffee grounds are small and seem relatively harmless, when they are rinsed down the kitchen drain they mix with water and other liquids and form a sludge. As this sludge sits in the pipes and begins to dry it hardens and adheres to the inside walls of your plumbing pipes, causing the diameter of the pipes to narrow and restrict the flow of water
• Fat Trimmings: When you trim meat before you cook it, the trimmings should always be put into the trashcan rather than rinsed down the drain. These fat trimmings will easily get caught to the inside of your pipes and cause a clog

Being thoughtful about what you are rinsing down the kitchen drain while you are cooking and cleaning can reduce the chance of a kitchen drain clog ruining your day. If you need more information about what should or shouldn’t be rinsed down your kitchen sink, don’t hesitate to contact the experts at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Everett!