Proper Disposal of Cooking Oil and Grease

To protect pipes and drains throughout the home, most homeowners know about the general rule against allowing excess oil and grease to be poured down the drain. When this oil or grease solidifies in your pipes, it’s one of the primary culprits in forming clogs that can lead to expensive fixes.

At All Hours Plumbing, Drain Cleaning, Heating & Cooling, our drain cleaning and maintenance services are here to help if this ever happens – but we’re also here to help you prevent these issues in the first place. Here are a few alternatives for what to do with your oil and grease after you’re done the cooking.

Garbage Disposal

It’s not ideal for this grease and oil to end up down your sink drain, but if you have a garbage disposal, hold off on your panicking right away. As quickly as possible, turn the water on to the coldest possible setting – this will solidify the grease before it gets too far into the pipe. After you’ve run cold water for a few minutes, turn on the disposal, which will shred up the solid grease. Keep the water on throughout, including after shredding – you want to flush the pieces out of the system quickly without them ever melting back down.

Freezing Grease

Down similar lines, one of the best things you can do with grease is to place it in the freezer. Not only does this prevent it going down your drain, it prevents it from creating a smelly and wet trash can.

You simply pour the grease and oil into a sealable plastic bag, then place this in the freezer. The night before garbage collection, you simply take the grease out of the freezer and throw it directly into the curbside trash bin.

Warm Water Flush

For sinks that don’t have a garbage disposal, any spilled oil or grease should be followed by you quickly turning the water to the hottest setting possible. This will keep the grease moving down the pipe, lowering your risk of it solidifying and creating a clog. In addition, a grease trap can help with cleaning these kinds of spills.

For more on the proper storage of grease and oil after cooking, or to learn about our drain maintenance or any of our other plumbing services, speak to the pros at All Hours Plumbing, Drain Cleaning, Heating & Cooling today.