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3 Things That Should Never Enter Your Drains

Here at Anta Plumbing, we see things that can never be unseen - especially when it comes to the Toronto drain cleaning service we provide. Most people don't really understand exactly what happens to the things they flush down drains and here's the thing: it doesn't evaporate. No, once it leaves your home, it often ends up in natural waterways, at water treatment plants and often, back in your very own faucet! If you want to keep your water supply safe, clean and healthy, it would be a good idea to find out what you should never allow to enter your drains.


1. Medications

Taking care of your health is good, as is getting rid of leftover or expired medicines. However, it is a bad idea to dump it down the drain or toilet, as it will enter the natural waterways.

Speak to your local doctor, pharmacist, hospital or law-enforcement to find out about local organizations that will collect your unused medication and dispose of it responsibly. If you can't find such a program, mix it with something that won't be accidentally ingested, such as coffee grounds or cat litter and dispose of it in your regular trash.


2. Toxic Chemicals

While your local water treatment facility can remove many contaminants, dangerous chemicals such as paints, solvents and cleaning products still end up in our natural waterways. Toxins, chlorine and phosphates in our detergents can all damage the fragile balance of natural ecosystems when they exit the sewage treatment plant.

Look for toxic chemical drop-off areas where you can dispose of these products safely. Sometimes, motor oil or paint can be recycled. Another option is to stop using toxic cleaning products and opt for more eco-friendly options that use oxygen, citrus and enzymes instead.


3. Foodstuffs

Most Toronto residents have garbage disposals in their kitchens, and they take advantage of that to reduce their impact on the landfills. Actually, most of us use it because we are too lazy to use the regular trash. It's fine to use your garbage disposal for small amounts of easily-ground foods, but the following should be avoided at all costs:

Bones, gristle and fatty meats - Your garbage disposal can't grind up gristle and fat can cause drains to clog. Bones are too hard to be ground up by the blades.

Stringy vegetables - lettuce and celery can wrap around blades and cause your disposal to malfunction.

Egg shells - The membranes inside egg shells can also wrap around the disposal blades.

Cherry or peach pits - Pits are very hard, and disposal blades are simply not sharp enough to grind it up.

Foods that swell - Pasta, rice, jellies and flour will continue to swell in water, clogging up your pipes.

Foodstuffs that settle - Coffee grounds and tea leaves are made up of fine particles that will settle and clog the drain over time. Likewise, citrus fruits will not be ground up properly, and will clog your drains.

These are only 3 of the least common things that people are aware of when it comes to the long list of items that should never enter a drain. It goes without saying that fats, grease and oil should never be disposed of in the drain, and neither should cigarette butts, facial or sanitary wipes, toys, cell phones and dead pets. If you take proper care of your drains, you will be less likely to need emergency drain services.

What do you think?

Written by Anta

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