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What will clog a drain anyway? How much food debris is okay? What will happen if you accidentally dump the wrong thing? Your parents might have told you to save the bacon grease, but beyond that, the line between what’s safe and what’s not can be a little murky.

In business since 1911, State Chemical has decades of experience selling drain care products, including drain openers and drain maintainers. We understand that you need to know what’s best for your drains so that you can take appropriate care of them.

We’ve written this article to highlight what generally can and cannot go down your drains if you want to prevent clogs. This is not an all-encompassing list, but it will give you an idea of what’s okay versus what constitutes misuse so that you can learn how to care for your drains.

What Will Clog My Drain?

The worst things for your drains are those that will worsen buildup and those that are hazardous. Now, it’s easy to say that, but what does that really include?

Fats, Oils, and Greases (FOGs) Cause Drain Clogs

When someone says not to put grease down your drain, you likely already know that, thinking again of bacon grease. But are you also avoiding drainage of soups, mayonnaise, and ice cream? FOGs are present in more substances than we realize, and they are a prime culprit for drain clogs.

Imagine you pour melted butter down your drain. It runs down the pipes initially, but it hardens as it travels down, congealing to the sides of the pipes. Now, you have buildup. Imagine doing this regularly—with melted butter, with canola oil, with salad dressing, with peanut butter. The buildup in your pipes will thicken considerably, making it hard for water to run down and easy for other objects to get caught in the gunk.

This may sound like a drastic example, but over time, this is what your pipes will look like if you dump FOGs down the drain. Sometimes, some amount of FOG drainage is unavoidable, but try to discard FOGs in a designated disposal container, which you can simply throw away.

Hard Foods Will Clog Your Drain

Hard foods include eggshells, coffee grounds, seafood shells, and more—all of which cause drain clogs. Even if you have a garbage disposal, these items will not grind up easily, possibly causing damage to your garbage disposal, and the bits are prone to get stuck to congealed FOGs on the sides of the pipes. From there, blockage builds as other items get stuck on the combination of these hard foods and FOGs.

It’s a common misconception that if you have a garbage disposal, you can put almost anything down your sink, but this is not true. Garbage disposals can help to grind up bigger pieces of soft foods, but they can’t fully break down hard foods, leading to clogs.

Rather than putting hard foods down your drain, simply throw these items in the trash instead to avoid clogs.

Absorbent Foods Cause Drain Clogs

Absorbent foods like pasta, rice, and flour can also cause drain clogs. Think about it: if you dump rice down your drain and it settles at a curve in the pipes, what will happen when you run water? The same thing that happens when you put it in a pot: the rice will expand. The more it expands, the heavier and stickier it will get and the harder it will be to flush down your drain.

Anything that takes on water will likely gum up your pipes, so it’s best to throw these foods in the trash instead.

Don’t Put Dairy Products Down Your Drain

You should also avoid putting milk or dairy down the drain. Why? For one, the fats in milk will cause buildup in your drain, as with FOGs, that can lead to clogs. But milk can also pose an environmental risk.

The bacteria that feed on spoiled milk use up a high level of oxygen. When you put milk down the drain, these bacteria take up more oxygen, meaning there is less for fish and other aquatic life. Too much milk in the waterways can literally suffocate marine and freshwater creatures. It is such a concern that it is a punishable offense for businesses to pour milk down their drains in countries like the UK.

To properly dispose of dairy, throw it in the trash or reach out to your local trash and recycling service to see if they have any guidelines you should follow.

Sediment Can Clog Your Drain

Chances are that you’re not purposely putting dirt down your drain. However, you have to think about what’s getting caught in “safe” substances you put in your sink. For example, your cleaning crew might dump the mop bucket down the drain after mopping. This shouldn’t be a problem if it’s just water, a cleaning solution, or a disinfectant, but think about everything the mop might have picked up during use. Dirt, tiny rocks, and more will likely be going down your drain too, settling in the pipes with the potential to cause clogs over time.

It can be difficult to avoid sediment buildup, but there are ways to prevent it. You can put a filter in your drain to catch dirt and pebbles, for example.

Paper and Cotton Products Will Clog Your Drain, Even If They Claim to be “Flushable”

Have you ever seen flushable wipes on the shelves at a store? Although they make that claim, products like these should not go down your drain. Paper and cotton are other materials that absorb water, and if you flush them, they will block up your pipes, which will require severe intervention to clear.

Avoid putting paper towels, wipes, sanitary products, and packaging down your drain. These products can cause some of the worst clogs you’ll experience, so throw them in the trash instead.

Don’t Put Harsh Chemicals Down Your Drain

While they won’t cause clogs, watch out for harsh chemicals when you’re putting things down the drain because of the environmental risk they pose. Be sure to read the label directions before you dispose of anything in the sink. For example, maybe you want to dispose of a pesticide, and you decide to dump it down the drain because it seems easier. However, this can be hazardous to both humans and animals if consumed, and your municipal water treatment facility will not necessarily be able to filter this out.

Always read product label warnings before disposing of chemicals down your drain. Most cleaning products should be safe, but it’s important to verify lest you regret it later.

To properly dispose of harsh chemicals, follow disposal instructions on the label. You can also reach out to your local health agency for information on proper disposal.

So, What Can I Safely Put Down My Drain?

So, now you have an idea of what you shouldn’t put down your drain if you want to avoid clogs and cause less environmental harm. But that leaves the question: what is safe to put down the drain?

Soft Foods Can Usually Go Down the Drain

When you’re putting food down the drain, if it’s soft and easily chewed, it’s a good bet that it’ll easily pass down the drain (assuming it isn’t a FOG or absorbent food). For example, eggs without shells will easily go down the drain, especially if you have a garbage disposal, so they shouldn’t cause clogs.

Most Liquids Can Go Down the Drain

Similarly, most liquids are okay to put down the drain. Vinegar, juice, boiling water, and soda will pass right through the pipes with the water.

As previously mentioned, an important exception to this is milk. Do not put milk down your drain.

Most Fruits and Vegetables Can Go Down the Drain

Fruits and vegetables are another common thing that can generally go down the drain. For example, bits of banana or citrus fruits will easily pass through the drain. You’ll just want to avoid doing this with fibrous vegetables, like corn, potato peels, and celery, since they are more difficult to break down. Also, avoid draining fruit peels and pits, which cause clogs.

Educate Your Staff on What is Safe for Drains

Educating your staff is the most important way you can control what goes down your drains. It can be hard to differentiate what’s safe from what’s harmful, so talk to your staff about proper disposal of FOGs, paper, cotton, chemicals, and organics so that they know the proper way to maintain your drains too.

In Summary: To Prevent Clogs, Try to Only Put Certain Soft or Liquid Substances Down Your Drain

Knowing which things can clear your drain and which will cause clogs can be confusing. Now, you understand what is okay and what should be avoided, but if you read this thinking of the gallon of expired milk you dumped down your sink last night, it's time to think about preventative drain maintenance.