The Holiday Foods that Should Not Go Down the Drain
Top 6 Foods To Look out for!
Introduction
It’s the holiday season, and us plumbers at Pride Plumbing of Rochester want you to have a carefree holiday and avoid a drain cleaning and any plumbing repair in general. Although garbage disposals are an amazing utility to have and a kitchen sink is convenient itself, it’s important to know what you can and cannot put down the drain. No one wants to have to look up “emergency plumber near me” during the holidays and spend extra money. So, here’s how to avoid that!
Solids That Can
We want you to use your disposal, but we also want you to use it wisely so you don’t need to call your plumbing contractors for a garbage disposal repair. Here are some of the foods that you can put down your drain which won’t lead you to have to look for plumbers that do drain cleanings in Rochester NY.
Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes:
Due to their softness, they are safe to go down the disposal and you don’t have to worry about clogging!
Most fruits and vegetables:
There are some exceptions to this, which will be discussed later, but almost all fruits and vegetables are okay to be thrown into the drain if you have a disposal.
Small cooked meat scraps:
If you’re just clearing off your plate and you have small pieces of meat, then you are good to go and wouldn’t need to call any plumbing companies for service.
Foods that are in small pieces:
Generally, if food is cut into small pieces, then the garbage disposal will be able to handle it. However, there are some exceptions that we’ll go over.
Solids That Cannot
Be careful and make sure you don’t put any of the below foods in the disposal! Certain foods can get tangled around the blades of the garbage disposal and jam it which can lead to you searching “garbage disposal repair Rochester NY,” which we don’t want you to have to do. Avoid the below solids.
Wishbones and bones in general:
Although some traditions include breaking a wishbone, they should not be put down the drain. These scraps must be thrown directly into the garbage, or you could cause problems that would lead to pricey repairs. Your garbage disposal blades will only leave small chunks of bone for other materials to latch onto and cause future clogs.
Potato peels:
Even though you can put mashed potatoes down the disposal and not need your local plumbers to come to your house, you should avoid putting potato peels down your drain. Potato peels can expand in water and cause clogs or get tangled in your garbage disposal blades. This problem is especially bad when the peels are thrown in the disposal in large quantities. Just throw them away instead!
Asparagus and artichokes:
Above, we said that most vegetables can go down the drain, but you want to steer clear of putting asparagus and artichokes down there. Both of these vegetables are very fibrous and are known to jam the disposal.
Fruit pits:
Who doesn’t love pie? We know that in many households in Rochester NY and the surrounding areas, pie is a staple to have for the holidays. If you are making a pie yourself, it’s important to remember that fruit pits should never go down the garbage disposal. If you have a compost, throw them in there! If not, just toss them in the trash!
Stuffing:
Almost every ingredient in stuffing is terrible for your garbage disposal. Fibrous vegetables like celery and carrots can get caught up and tangled in the disposal blades, while the starchy bread will expand in water and cause issues.
Coffee grounds:
From pumpkin spice to mint chocolate mochas, we love our holiday coffee drinks. However, if you’re making some of these drinks at home and toss the grounds in the garbage disposal, you’ll be making coffee cement in your drain. Be safe and be sure to throw the coffee grounds out or compost them!
Nuts:
Whether you actually used your nutcracker for its intended purpose or made nut brittle for a holiday gift, you’ll want to keep nuts out of your garbage disposal. You probably know what happens when you blend nuts and add a bit of liquid. You end up with nut butter! Even if you are the biggest fan of peanut butter, you should throw the nuts in the garbage.
Liquids That Can
Soup:
If you have a liquid soup broth for the holidays, feel free to throw it down the drain. However, if it has big chunks of meat or a lot of fibrous vegetables, either just throw it out or only pour the broth down there!
Coffee (without the grounds)
Milk
Tea
Really anything you can drink!
Liquids That Cannot
Oil:
Whether you’re using it to fry food or using it for any other dish, remember to dispose of your oil properly. We recommend that you seal it in a jar or other container and throw it in the trash to avoid a big mess. If you pour it down your drain, it will solidify over time and cause a difficult to fix clog.
Grease:
You never want to put anything that is super fatty down the disposal, such as grease. Similar to oil, it will congeal and create a gooey mess and over time, clog your pipes. The grease will then coat your grinders and damage the teeth of the shredders.
Conclusion
Pride Plumbing of Rochester wants you to have a healthy and happy holiday season. No one wants to have to call an emergency plumber to fix their disposal because they put something in there that they shouldn’t have. Follow the guide above to keep your garbage disposal working perfectly. Learn more about how to keep your disposal clean and learn about other foods you should avoid and foods that are okay to put down the drain here. If you catch yourself in a sticky situation and accidentally put food in the disposal that shouldn’t go there, call your local plumbers, Pride Plumbing at 585-271-7150 or fill out an online contact form.
