As Christmas Day draws to a close, it’s time to persevere on with the clean up in the kitchen. Whether you’re throwing away food scraps, scrubbing crockery, or vacuuming up crumbs, there’s no doubt a lot to clean up.
If you’ve found yourself with a deluge of food waste, the experts at Which? have urged households to avoid making some costly mistakes and potential damage to your kitchen. In a recent TikTok video, the experts listed a number of food items that everyone should not be pouring down the drain, no matter how convenient it may be. So if you’re getting ahead with your post-Christmas clean up, these items should not be put down your kitchen sink.
Fat, oils and grease
This is probably the most common food stuff to avoid pouring down the sink. These items can create blockages that “severely disrupt” wastewater flow in sink drains.
To avoid any sink dramas, Which? advised collecting up any cooking oil or fat, such as gravy, into a jar, jug or container, allowing it to cool and solidify. Once cooled, the oil and fat can be thrown away in the bin.
Coffee grounds
These can also pose a problem as they are not entirely water soluble, which means being able to dissolve in water. After you’ve made your coffee, it’s best to allow the coffee grounds to dry.
If you’re a plant lover, you can sprinkle coffee grounds on your indoor and outdoor plants to use as foods.
Egg shells
Egg shells can also cause blockages in sinks, or worse, damage your drains. Instead, Which? suggested using them in compost instead.
Pasta and rice
Both pasta and rice are very starchy, which can expand in water and cause blockages. Instead, when draining, use a strainer to catch them.
Any remnants of the rice and pasta can then be thrown in the bin.
Flour
When flour and water are mixed, which can form a paste. Do not pour this down the drain.
