The kitchen sink is one of the most used plumbing fixtures in your home — but also one of the easiest to accidentally block. Every week, we attend call-outs in Weston-super-Mare, Worle, Clevedon, Portishead and surrounding North Somerset areas where sinks and drains have become clogged due to everyday waste being washed away without thinking.
Some of these materials don’t cause problems immediately — they build up slowly over time.
Knowing what not to put down the sink helps prevent slow draining, foul smells and full blockages.
1. Cooking Oil, Grease & Fat
When hot, fats and oils look like liquid — but once they cool inside your pipes, they solidify, sticking to the inner pipe walls and trapping debris.
Examples:
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Frying oil
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Bacon grease
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Butter & margarine
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Roasting fats
Instead:
Let it cool → scrape into a container → dispose in general waste.
2. Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds don’t dissolve in water.
They stick together and collect in U-bends and traps.
Instead:
Place in the food waste bin or compost.
3. Eggshells
Eggshell fragments combine with grease, forming gritty blockages.
Instead:
Dispose of egg shells with food waste or garden composting.
4. Flour, Pasta & Rice
Flour and pasta absorb water and expand — creating glue-like blockages.
Rice does the same, swelling in the trap.
Instead:
Scrape leftovers into the bin before rinsing plates.
5. Cleaning Wipes & Paper Towels
Even “flushable” wipes don’t break down the way toilet tissue does.
They cling together and cause tight drain blockages.
Never put wipes of any kind down sinks or toilets.
6. Food Scraps & Vegetable Peelings
Peelings, seeds and food chunks can collect in the trap or travel deeper into the drain and clog shared waste lines.
Instead:
Use a sink strainer for easy waste collection.
7. Harsh Chemical Drain Cleaners
While they may seem like a quick fix, chemical drain cleaners can:
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Damage seals
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Warp plastic pipes
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Corrode metal pipe joints
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Create dangerous fumes when mixed
And they rarely clear the blockage completely.
A professional mechanical clear is safer and more effective.
How to Keep Your Kitchen Drain Flowing Well
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Fit a sink strainer (simple & very effective)
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Run hot water after washing up
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Avoid letting food go down the drain
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Book a periodic trap clean if you notice slow draining
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Install a grease trap if you cook with oils regularly
Small habits = fewer plumbing costs.
When a Slow Drain Becomes a Blocked Drain
Call if you notice:
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Gurgling sounds
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Water backing up into the sink
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Unpleasant drain smells
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Slow drainage getting progressively worse
These are signs of deep pipework buildup, not just a trap issue.
Areas We Cover
Kitchen drain and sink unblocking across:
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Weston-super-Mare
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Worle
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Clevedon
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Portishead
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Nailsea, Yatton, Congresbury
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Banwell, Winscombe & Cheddar
Local, tidy, reliable.
Need a Sink or Drain Unblocked?
We clear blockages safely, cleanly and without chemicals.
📞 Phone: 07453 304504
📧 Email: matt@teddytailsplumbing.co.uk
📍 Serving: Weston-super-Mare, Worle, Clevedon, Portishead & all North Somerset areas
Fast, clean, no-mess unblocking — fixed properly the first time.