Why Plumbing Habits Matter

Your apartment’s plumbing is a shared system: what goes down your drain can affect your neighbors, building lines, and eventually the main sewer. Most clogs and slow drains are not sudden failures—they build up over weeks from grease, hair, wipes, and other items that pipes were never designed to carry. A few simple habits help keep water flowing, reduce odors, and avoid emergency maintenance calls.

The Golden Rule

Drains are for water, soap, and human waste—not trash cans. If you would hesitate to pour something into a glass of drinking water, it probably should not go down the sink or toilet. When in doubt, throw it in the trash or recycling instead.

Kitchen Sink & Garbage Disposal

Safe to rinse down the drain

  • Small food scraps from everyday dishwashing (if you have a disposal, run plenty of cold water while it operates)
  • Dish soap and water used for cleaning dishes
  • Small amounts of liquid from cooking (after cooling), such as pasta water or diluted broth

Never put these down the kitchen sink or disposal

  • Grease, fats, and cooking oil (including bacon fat, butter, and pan drippings). They solidify in pipes and cause stubborn clogs. Wipe pans with a paper towel and dispose in the trash.
  • Coffee grounds — they clump and settle in pipes.
  • Eggshells, potato peels, celery, corn husks, and fibrous vegetables — they wrap around disposal blades and jam the unit.
  • Pasta, rice, and flour — they expand with water and create paste-like blockages.
  • Bones, pits, shells, and large food chunks
  • Paint, solvents, chemicals, or medications

Disposal tip: Run cold water for 10–15 seconds before and after use. Cold water helps fats stay solid so they pass through rather than coating pipes. Never use the disposal without water running.

Bathroom Sink, Shower & Tub

  • Use a drain screen or catcher to trap hair before it enters the drain. Clean it weekly.
  • Brush hair away from the sink when grooming; toss loose hair in the trash.
  • Do not rinse cotton swabs, dental floss, contact lenses, bandages, or cosmetic wipes down the drain. Floss and swabs tangle with hair and form tough clogs.
  • Soap and shampoo are fine, but avoid pouring thick lotions, body scrubs with large exfoliants, or heavy oils down the drain in large amounts.

Toilet: Flush Only the Three Ps

Toilets are designed for pee, poop, and (toilet) paper. Nothing else should be flushed—even if a package says “flushable.”

Never flush

  • “Flushable” wipes, baby wipes, makeup wipes, or cleaning wipes — they do not break down like toilet paper and are a leading cause of building backups.
  • Paper towels, napkins, tissues, and cotton products (balls, pads, swabs, rounds)
  • Dental floss, hair, and feminine hygiene products (except toilet paper used as intended)
  • Diapers, kitty litter, and personal care items
  • Medications, chemicals, or harsh cleaners
  • Food, grease, or any kitchen waste

Keep a small trash can in the bathroom for everything that is not toilet paper. If guests are visiting, a gentle reminder near the toilet can prevent costly clogs for the whole building.

What About Drain Cleaners?

Store-bought chemical drain cleaners can damage pipes, harm septic or building systems, and create safety hazards for maintenance staff. They often provide only temporary relief while the underlying clog remains.

  • For slow drains: Try a plunger first (use a flange plunger for toilets, a cup plunger for sinks).
  • For minor sink buildup: Pour a kettle of hot (not boiling) water down the drain, or use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar followed by hot water. This is gentler than caustic chemicals.
  • Do not mix products or use multiple chemical treatments—that can release toxic fumes.

If a clog does not clear with basic effort, submit a maintenance request rather than repeated chemical treatments.

Simple Habits That Prevent Problems

  • Scrape plates into the trash before rinsing in the sink.
  • Collect grease in a jar or can, let it cool, and throw it away.
  • Run hot water down the kitchen sink after washing greasy pans (along with soap), but do not pour straight grease.
  • Fix dripping faucets and report running toilets promptly—small leaks waste water and can worsen over time.
  • Know where your under-sink shut-off valves are (usually below the kitchen and bathroom sinks). In a leak emergency, turn off the valve and call for help.
  • Do not hang heavy items from plumbing under sinks; stress can loosen connections and cause leaks.

When to Submit a Maintenance Request

Please submit a request through your resident portal if you notice any of the following:

  • Water backing up into a sink, tub, or toilet
  • Multiple drains slow or clogged at the same time (may indicate a main line issue)
  • Toilet that will not flush after one careful plunge attempt, or that overflows
  • Active leak under a sink, from the ceiling, or around the toilet base
  • No hot water building-wide, or a burst pipe
  • Persistent sewage odor from drains
  • Gurgling sounds from drains when you run water elsewhere

Emergencies: For active flooding, sewage backup spreading into your unit, or water spraying from a broken pipe, call our office line immediately at (424) 440-3326 while you move belongings away from water and, if safe, shut off the nearest water valve.

Treating drains with care protects your home, your neighbors, and the building’s plumbing for the long term. When everyone follows these basics, we spend less time on avoidable clogs and more time keeping your home comfortable.