How to wash greasy pots and pans properly: plumbers named the mistake that everyone makes

What's so difficult about washing dishes by hand? You turn on the hot water, take detergent, a sponge, and household gloves, soap, rinse, and that's it. It turns out that this simple but effective approach doesn't work with really greasy pots and pans.

As professional plumber Doyle James explained to The Kitchn, it can cause serious damage to the sewer system. It's all about the property of fats, especially those of animal origin, to solidify and turn into a solid mass as the temperature drops. This mass can seriously clog your sewer system.

Ideally, fatty residues should trown away. But you may not always notice them until you start washing dishes. Therefore, James recommends changing the approach to washing greasy pots and pans and washing them with cold water.

In combination with hot water and detergent, grease turns into an emulsion. When it gets into a cold sewer pipe, it gradually settles on its walls and forms a blockage zone that is not easy to clean. But in cold water, the fat mass will remain solid and not accumulate on the pipes, simply passing through them with the flow of water. "When grease or oil meets cold water, it hardens quickly, and the laws of water and gravity take over and wash it away," James says.

However, if possible, he still advises not to pour fatty residues down the drain but to throw them in the trash. The expert also gave three tips for washing greasy dishes.

1. Keep fatty residues as far away from the kitchen sink as possible. After all, even household shredders are not able to cope with this type of waste.
2. Before you put a pot or frying pan that has been used to cook something greasy in it in the sink or dishwasher, wipe it with a paper towel or newspaper. This will mechanically remove the main layer of contamination.
3. If you don't want to throw liquid grease waste in the trash, collect it in containers with lids. They will solidify over time and can be easily disposed of. Old glass jars, yogurt containers, or coffee cans are suitable for this purpose.