Never wash these down the sink: 5 foods that can instantly clog your pipes
Foods that can clog your kitchen sink (Photo: Getty Images)
We wash dishes every day without giving much thought to how leftover food affects our plumbing. Some ingredients may seem harmless, but over time they can create stubborn blockages. Since calling a plumber isn't cheap, it's worth knowing which foods are the biggest culprits.
RBC-Ukraine explains the five foods most likely to clog your kitchen sink.
Grease and coffee grounds
Leftover cooking oil is one of the biggest threats to your pipes. While hot grease flows easily down the drain, it quickly cools inside the plumbing and hardens into a sticky mass.
Other food particles cling to it, eventually forming a stubborn blockage. Instead of pouring grease down the sink, collect it in a separate container or wipe the pan with a paper towel before washing it.
Coffee grounds can also cause major plumbing problems. They do not dissolve in water. Instead, the tiny particles settle inside the pipes and combine with grease, creating a dense clog. Coffee grounds should always be thrown in the trash.
Flour and eggshells
When flour mixes with water, it forms a paste that acts like glue. Once it enters the drain, it sticks to the inside of the pipes and traps other debris. Even a small amount of raw dough can significantly reduce water flow.
Eggshells may seem harmless because they're brittle, but their small, sharp fragments catch on rough spots inside the pipes. Over time, food waste accumulates around them, eventually leading to serious blockages.
Pasta and rice
Pasta and rice continue to absorb moisture and expand even after they've been cooked. If they're rinsed down the drain, they can swell inside the pipes and contribute to clogs.
Rice is particularly problematic because it also releases sticky starch, which acts like a thick gel and binds together grease and food particles as it moves through the plumbing.
