Most people have lost something valuable to the drain goblins at one time or another. These sacrifices can be frustrating, like a screw you have no replacement for; costly, like a favorite piece of jewelry; or even invaluable, like a wedding ring. The cost of the item you have lost is only one component to the problem, however. There are a number of items that when dropped down the drain can also damage your drainage system. Here are a few examples of items that, when deposited down the drain, have wreaked havoc on plumbing:

Cat Litter: Yes, it says flushable on the box. However, cat litter is designed to absorb liquids and expand into a cohesive clump. If enough of that clumping is allowed to take place in your pipes, you will end up with a large, clay clog, resulting at times in drain replacement los angeles plumbers are well versed in dealing with. Toss, don’t flush, and save your money from heading down the drain.

Toys: Little Billy likes to make little Susie cry by flushing Barbie’s head down the toilet? Not only is Billy a bully, he’s a clog-maker. Plastics and things like glass marbles don’t naturally break down, and can get lodged in tight turns or smaller pipe runs, causing blockages that need drain replacement los angeles plumbers, New York City Plumbers and experts throughout the rest of the country see much too often.

Grease: Your family may love their bacon, but the pipes don’t love the grease. Remember that nifty mayonnaise jar of bacon grease that your mom and grandmother kept? It wasn’t just for decoration or re-use in their famous bacon-fat brownies. It’s a smart way to keep the grease out of your pipes and the plumber from visiting your home.

Feminine Products: Like cat litter, these items are made to absorb liquids without breaking down, and are notorious for lodging in a difficult part of a drain, and causing blockages and backups. If you are on septic, even the non-plastic items are too difficult for your system to break down and should never be flushed. Otherwise, avoiding flushing any sanitary napkins or tampons with plastic components.

Hair: We all shed an average of one hundred hairs per day. But if hair is particularly long, curly, or matted, the impact of the hair in your plumbing system can magnify. Hair is made of keratin, a material that does not easily break down. In fact, it is one of the last items on a body to decompose. Most hair will linger in a drain, but if large, long clumps of it begin to catch one another, you will have to either use chemical drain cleaners, a snake, or an expert to prevent it from becoming a complete blockage, Use hair stopping drains in your showers and tubs, clean regularly, and prevent the inconvenience of having to pull the equivalent of a small animal from your drain once a year.