It seems that true connoisseurs of human nature are not psychologists, but plumbers. They know more about people than anyone else because they are aware of the underbelly of their lives. It turns out that plumbers fish out things from clogged pipes that, if told, would be hard to believe. Deceased goldfish and diapers are just the tip of the iceberg. But today we won't be spinning urban legends; instead, we'll tell you what should not be thrown into the sewage system, unless, of course, fighting clogs is your secret hobby. Flour Nowadays, we can easily go and buy any glue. But in the past, our parents made paste. Guess what it was made from. Bingo! Water and flour — there you have a great glue. Which “cooks” in the pipes when you carelessly flush flour remnants down the sink after kneading dough. This paste clogs pipes effectively. The most insidious part is that it doesn't happen immediately. It gradually makes the pipes narrower and narrower, and then they have to be cleaned manually. Grease and Oil Residues Animal fat melts easily and is washed down the sink when we do the dishes. But as soon as it “floats” to the cold part of the pipe, it solidifies and settles on the nearest surface. Experts say that real islands of grease accumulate in the pipes, which also have to be removed manually. So it's better to dab the surface with a paper towel and throw it in the trash. Milk No, milk won't clog or break anything. But it is extremely harmful to the environment when it ends up in water. The thing is, as milk decomposes, it absorbs oxygen from the water, depriving microorganisms living in that water of the ability to breathe. As a result, we get a small man-made ecological disaster. And if our neighbors also pour milk down the drain, the scale of the disaster increases. By the way, in England, such jokes can lead to fines. Coffee Grounds It seems that ground coffee can work as an abrasive, clearing pipes. And the smell would be fresher. But no. Layers of coffee grounds settle on the pipes, stack on top of each other, stick together, and gradually turn into a headache. Yours, of course. So there are two options: either throw used coffee in the trash or pour it into flower pots if you have many flowers. Coffee is a great fertilizer for plants. Just like tea leaves, which, by the way, should also not be thrown down the drain. Medications In movies, we often see how bad (or good) guys flush kilograms of various substances down the drain. And honestly, they should be punished for this. It's all about ecology again. What we pour down the sink or toilet eventually ends up in the ground and in the water that we, again, drink. One could say that it's just a drop in the ocean compared to the overall ecological disaster. But why multiply it? By the way, adhesive bandages, which often end up in the toilet, can also become a disaster. But a local one, at your home: while they may not stick well to the skin, they clog pipes excellently. Cotton Pads, Dental Floss, and Paper Towels Cotton pads do not dissolve in water and simply clog the drain. Paper towels dissolve, but quite slowly. So, tossing a few into the toilet risks leaving you face to face with an unfriendly gurgling monster. Even floss shows monstrous cunning. It doesn't slide effortlessly through the pipes, no. It behaves like hair: it wraps around everything it can, tangles up, and — voila! — a clog. Fruit Scraps and Pits Corn kernels, cherry pits, and the currently trendy chia seeds — all these things swell excellently in water. Thanks to this property, they become a real nightmare for pipes and plumbers. Apple cores and pits also clog drains effectively. So it's better to take all these questionable items to the trash. Paint First of all, it's not environmentally friendly. Toxic waste has no place in the water system. Secondly, paint is a very viscous substance. It behaves almost like grease, clumping together and blocking pipes. Other harmless waste then sticks to the paint clumps, and we get another disaster. Rice, Pasta, and Potatoes Where do spoiled soup or spoiled porridge usually go? Right, down the toilet. And that's wrong. All these products contain starch, which has a unique ability to swell almost infinitely. When rice, potatoes, and pasta enter the sewage system, they turn into a sticky mass that swells, collects other scraps and scraps, and reliably clogs the pipe. Wet Wipes, Condoms, and Tampons In public restrooms, there are calls not to flush feminine hygiene products down the toilet for a reason. Some even manage to flush baby diapers down there. Tampons and pads do not dissolve in water; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to perform their primary function. As for condoms — there's nothing to comment on. And even wet wipes, which are labeled as disposable, are dangerous for pipes: they are too thick to dissolve. It's like flushing handkerchiefs down the toilet. By the way You also shouldn't pour pasta water down the sink. But not because it harms the pipes, but because starchy water can be used for something much more useful. Pasta water can be used to make sauces, hair masks, fertilizers for flowers, and even dishwashing liquid.