In some households, people have not been raised to follow a simple rule of cooking – never pour grease or fat down the sink drain. The reason for this is that as liquid fats cool down, they harden, repelling water and collecting debris, which can lead to some pretty nasty clogs. In fact, there have been news reports about collections of fat in England sewers that have been larger and heavier than a city bus – all as a result of people pouring liquid fat down their drains.

Pouring fat down a toilet is just as bad for your plumbing system as pouring it down your kitchen drain, and it doesn’t matter if you pour it down along with hot water. At some point, the fat will cool, and it will cause havoc. Instead, be sure to allow cooking grease to cool naturally in the open air, and then simply wipe them off into your trash can.