Cooking oils, leftover grease, salad dressings, and oil-based sauces should never be poured or rinsed into your dishwasher, experts caution. Although they may appear to vanish during a hot wash cycle, the fatty residue can gradually accumulate in your home's pipework over time, potentially resulting in a hefty plumbing bill.
Why Grease Is Harmful to Your Dishwasher and Pipes
According to Home Serve, fats, oils, and grease flow through the plumbing while still warm, then cool and solidify further along the pipe. As they harden, they cling to the inside of drains and begin trapping food particles and other debris, ultimately causing stubborn blockages. The home emergency repairs and improvements firm warns that the problem doesn't stop at used cooking oil. Grease from roasting tins, frying pans, oily marinades, and salad dressings can all contribute to the same build-up if they are routinely washed away.
How to Properly Dispose of Grease
Instead, experts advise wiping greasy pots, pans, and plates with kitchen roll before placing them in the dishwasher. Any leftover oil should be allowed to cool before being decanted into a suitable container and disposed of in the household bin. Water UK maintains that fats, oils, and grease are amongst the primary culprits behind blocked sewers nationwide. They can merge with other waste to create enormous blockages called fatbergs, which cost millions of pounds to clear each year.
Other Drain Blockage Culprits
Research highlighted by Thames Water also cautions that tipping grease down the drain remains one of the main causes of preventable blockages. The water firm explains that hot water and washing-up liquid may seem to flush grease away at first, but it frequently cools and solidifies further down the pipework. Plumbing specialists also recommend against disposing of coffee grounds, flour, rice, and pasta down the drain, as they can cause blockages in domestic pipes. Spending a few extra moments before loading the dishwasher could help householders avoid costly repairs.
