12 Foods That Could Be Ruining Your Apartment’s Plumbing

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There are perks of living in an apartment—convenience, location, and the fact that there’s often someone else to maintain things if they break. However, if you start to notice plumbing problems, you may be shaking your head and trying to figure out how it all went wrong. What you pour down your drain is an easy one to forget, but it really does matter. Some foods and liquids you might never give a second thought to could be causing a serious plumbing headache.

Eventually, the type of food you’re putting down your pipes can build up and cause clogs, blockages and more expensive plumbing repairs down the road. Before you pour that greasy pasta water down the sink or toss those egg shells into the disposal, here are some of the top offenders, which you may not have realized could be the problem.

Grease and Oil

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After making bacon or frying chicken wings, it’s tempting to just dump leftover cooking grease straight down the drain. This, however, does not allow grease or oil to mix with water and it will solidify upon cooling, resulting in very serious blockages. According to ScienceDirect, grease, oil, and fats are the biggest causes of plumbing blockages. To steer clear of plumbing problems, pour grease into a can or jar, let it harden and toss it with the trash.

Coffee Grounds

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Washing those leftover coffee grounds down the sink might genuinely seem harmless, particularly when you’re running late. But coffee grounds can quickly pile up and turn into a dense, sticky mess that won’t wash away easily. They can solidify into a thick sludge in your pipes, eventually slowing your drainage to the point where you may even have a complete blockage. Instead, you should throw coffee grounds in the trash, or compost them, where they can naturally break down.

Eggshells

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Most people think eggshells are harmless in garbage disposals, but eggshells can actually damage your plumbing. Because they break down into small pieces when they are ground up in a disposal, eggshells can stick to other debris in your pipes and build up into stubborn clogs. Also, the sharp edges of eggshells can hurt your garbage disposal blades, which will cost you more money to repair. To prevent this, throw eggshells in the trash or compost bin.

Starchy Foods

While pasta, rice and potatoes might not seem like anything to worry about, they can cause big problems for your pipes. Starchy foods soak up water, expanding to the point that they become a sticky, gluey substance that will easily clog a drain. If you’re boiling pasta or potatoes, do not let the water go down the drain, but put it in a container. It will seem like extra work, but it will save you a plumbing headache down the road.

Fibrous Vegetables

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While you may think celery, asparagus and corn husks are harmless kitchen scraps, these fibrous vegetables can wreak havoc in your plumbing. Their tough fibers can get wrapped around the blades of your garbage disposal, causing it to slow down, and potentially jam. These vegetable scraps should go in the compost bin to break down naturally instead of causing problems for your plumbing.

Greasy Meat Trimmings

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Although it may seem like bacon or pork fat washes off easily, it can do serious damage to your pipes. Fat winds up being washed down the drain, where it cools and hardens and creates block ups. These grease clogs will get worse over time and can even cause pipe corrosion. Instead of allowing the fat to pour off, try to scoop it up in a container and dispose of it properly.

Cheese

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While cheese might melt splendidly in a pan or on your pizza, when it cools, it turns into a sticky mess capable of destroying your pipes. This dairy product doesn’t break down well in water, whether it’s melted cheese, or the remains of a block you just cut into. Cheese that works its way down your drain can stick to other debris and contribute to stubborn clogs. To keep your plumbing intact, dispose of cheese in the trash.

Fruit Peels and Pits

Banana peels, apple cores and avocado pits may seem as though they can be dropped down the sink, but they can also clog it too. Fibrous peels and hard pits do not decompose easily and can accumulate in your pipes leading to blockages. Throw fruit waste in the trash or compost it so you aren’t putting undue stress on your plumbing.

Nuts and Shells

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The hulls of nuts, for example, almonds or walnuts, are difficult to break down in your plumbing. Unlike other animal shells, these ones don’t break down quickly and they can easily get stuck in your pipes, eventually causing blockages. Although the nuts are small, the shells themselves, when they collect, can be big problems. Make sure you dispose of them properly, not near your plumbing.

Flour

While flour isn’t something that comes to mind when thinking of plumbing problems, if you wash it down the sink after baking, it can cause some serious problems. When flour gets into your plumbing, its combination with water creates a sticky paste which might block your pipes. It can build up fast and will block your drain, causing slow water flow and having bad smells.

Canned Vegetables Cooking Liquid

If you open a can of vegetables, the liquid inside may not seem like too big a deal to dump down the drain. But this liquid is usually full of starch, salt, and other stuff that can cause clogs. The liquid can also thicken and stick to the sides of your pipes just like it does with starchy foods.

Leftover Sauces and Dressings

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You most likely throw away salad dressings or pasta sauce, but they’re full of oils and fats, which can cling to your pipes, causing build up over time. These liquids are not easily handled in water and when they have cooled they can solidify and block your drain.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.