When we want to get rid of something, most of the time, if it fits in the drain, it goes down the drain.

This happens regularly, much to the dismay of plumbers, the people who work at water treatment plants, public works officers, and environmental engineers.

Besides making their job more labor-intensive, dumping everything down the drain also affects the environment. This act pollutes and damages our oceans, rivers, and lakes.

Which items are a definite no-no about dumping down the drain?

1. Grease, fat, and oils

Grease, fats, and oil stick to the inside of the pipes. And it’ll accumulate eventually inside and clog the pipes. These also include cooking oil, salad dressings, butter, and mayonnaise.

“They act as a binder for all sorts of materials and create thick, sticky globs that can coat pipes until nothing can pass through them,” David Leroy Plumbing warned.

Instead, let it cool down and throw it in the trash.

2. Flour

Flour may seem innocent but when mixed with water, which obviously goes down the drain, it thickens and clogs the pipes. When it coagulates with water, it also becomes a trap for other solid items, which piles up and blocks the pipes. Take the time to throw it in your trash.

3. Coffee grounds

Would you believe coffee grounds are actually one of the top two items that clog most drains? They’re similar to flour and coagulates with water, making it sticky enough for other solid items to stick to it. Compost it instead or use it with DIY projects.

4. Rice and pasta noodles

Rice and noodles do not belong down in the drain. Whether it’s cooked or uncooked, rice swells up when it gets wet. So even if nothing gets stuck in it, it could swell up to block the entire pipe. The same goes for pasta noodles.

5. Produce stickers

These stickers seem harmless but its adhesive side causes more trouble than they look.

“[The] adhesive that’s on them can be enough to cause them to stick to the insides of the pipes. If they make it past your pipes, they can also get caught in wastewater treatment pipes and filters, causing problems with the equipment designed to treat your water. If somehow they make it past both of these barriers, they can end up in the water supply,” David Leroy Plumbing explained.

6. Eggshells

You can crush them into small, very tiny pieces with the garbage disposal and that’s the problem. These very small pieces can get stuck in the grease, swelled up rice, coffee grounds or floor and further clog up the pipes. Just throw them in the trash or your compost.

7. Flushable wipes

Yes, they do say “Flushable” on the label but they still shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet. For one, they don’t break down like toilet paper. Plus they can get stuck on other items causing further clogging. Dispose of them in the trash or don’t use them at all. Use toilet paper or family cloth instead.

7. Medication

The drugs or medication being flushed down the toilet are the expired ones. They should never be flushed or dumped down the drain because those chemicals will be leaked back into your drinking water and the environment. If you have unused or expired medication, turn them over to your local pharmacy to be disposed of properly.

8. Condoms

Condoms are made of latex and don’t disintegrate in the water. Plus water or liquid could get in and blow it up, causing more blockage in the pipes. Or if they don’t, they’ll end up in the oceans or rivers where sea animals or birds can mistake it for food and cause them to choke. Just wrap them up in tissue or newspaper and throw it in the trash can.

9. Paint

Never, ever dump paint down the drain under any circumstances. Leftover paint can dry up and harden causing a blockage in the pipes. But more importantly, the chemicals and toxins in paints can contaminate the local water supply. That’s bad news for everyone!

10. Household fluids

Just like paint, household fluids, like cleaners, car fluid, and bleach, should never be dumped down the drain. The toxins and chemicals in them can and will contaminate the water supply. And it’s also illegal to do so. You can always check with the city council on the proper way to dispose of this.

11. Dairy milk

Milk won’t clog the pipes but they are harmful to bodies of water. Milk needs a lot of oxygen to decompose and when there’s none supplied, it uses the oxygen from bodies of water to decompose. Essentially, it steals the oxygen meant for sea animals and shortens their life in the process.

12. Hair

Hair is so innocent, isn’t it? But it can cause so much damage to pipes. One hair strand won’t make a difference but imagine a hundred hair strands caught in pipes. Yes, water and liquids can still pass through it but if pasta, rice, medicine, or eggshells get stuck in it? That causes the blockage.

Are you convinced? Watch the video below for more items that should never be dumped down the drain.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: BRIGHT SIDE, David Leroy Plumbing, Readers Digest, Conserve Energy Future, Insider