Can I Pour Grease Or Fat Down The Drain?
Find out if you can pour grease or fat down the drain and how to dispose of it for good in this blog.
After cooking, do you often pour all the excess fat and grease into the drain? Then you should stop doing that, pronto!
Many of us indulge in this behaviour for the sake of convenience while cleaning the kitchen. But the truth is that it is an unsafe practice that will ruin your drain pipes in the long run.
Drains are designed to be used mostly for wastewater removal. And all that hot grease and fat has a vastly different composition than water. So, if you keep pouring them down the drain, you will inadvertently invite a host of plumbing issues to your household.
If you are wondering how that is possible, you should keep reading because that’s what we discussed in this brief guide. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
No matter how convenient it may seem, you should never pour grease and oil down the kitchen drain. You should avoid doing this for all the drains in your household, not just the ones in your kitchen. As for why you should not do that, we have addressed that, too, in this section.
We have already mentioned above that grease, fats and oils’ chemical composition is vastly different from that of water. To explain this in more detail, we’ll have to delve a bit into the chemistry of these substances.
Grease and oils are typically made up of fatty acids, glycerol and other complex organic compounds. These compounds are extremely viscous in nature, which is why oil and grease feel so sticky to the touch.
If you pour them down the drain, they will get settled along its inner walls because of this stickiness. Over time, the deposits will accumulate and block the passage of water through the drain.
That is not the only problem you have to worry about, though. In most cases, the water you use in your household contains dissolved substances such as calcium and magnesium. These react with the fatty acids present in the grease deposits to form waxy soap-like substances known as “ fatbergs.”
The fatbergs clog and corrode your pipes over time, proving to be a nuisance for your plumbing system. You will also often have to deal with problems such as gurgling drains, foul odours and overflowing water from your fixtures.
So, now you know why pouring used cooking oil down the kitchen drain is a terrible idea. But habits die hard, and you may inadvertently pour the oil and grease into the drain from time to time.
If that happens, fret not, for getting rid of them from your pipes at home is relatively straightforward. Simply pour boiling hot water into the drain, which will dislodge and wash away the sticky grease and fat particles.
You can also use some baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. These are highly effective at dissolving stubborn grease deposits and unclogging your drains faster than hot water. You can also use a few other solutions, such as a drain snake, a pressurised hydro-jet or a plunger.
Pouring fats and grease down the drain is out of the question. So, how do you deal with this waste? The answer is simple: dry them out, pack them into a safe and airtight sealed container, and throw them into the garbage, like any other solid waste.
Alternatively, you can put them inside a clean container and reuse them again. This can be done for liquid cooking oils, which cannot be dried out as easily. If the oil has become too old, you can dispose of it in waste recycling sites.
We admit that letting go of the convenience of pouring waste oil and grease down the kitchen drain can be difficult at first. But if you want your drains to remain clog-free, you must eliminate this habit at any cost.
That way, you can keep cooking the most delicious meals for your family without worrying about plumbing issues. Even if you accidentally pour some of it initially, we have discussed how to deal with it.
However, you should know that these are short-term solutions and are best used for accidental situations. If your pipes have become completely blocked with fatbergs, you should seek help from a professional plumber.
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