Tossing out old soup isn’t like getting rid of other leftovers. Since its full of liquid its tempting to just dump it down the kitchen sink.
In an effort to minimize any leaking liquids into our trash bin or onto the floor. We might sacrifice our plumbing by dumping it into the garbage disposal.
This is referring more to a pot of soup that wasn’t completely eaten. Where there is still a lot of liquid to dispose of. Unlike a can of soup or a single bowl that just needs rinsing.
Is It a Bad Idea To Pour Soup Down The Drain?
Leftover soup can often times sit in our fridge for longer than we intended. Then it becomes a burden to get rid of it.
Dumping soup down the drain isn’t a good idea due to any fats or oils that could potentially clog your drain pipes. As the fats solidify they create a block in the pipe that is difficult at best to remove.
We could go into all the what if’s because some soups might be suitable for dumping down the drain more than others. But as safe rule of thumb I would avoid dumping any type of soups in the sink.
Some soups may have hidden fats that will just as well clog your plumbing.
As a side note: Rinsing your soup from the bowl after eating it is safe to pour down the sink. Since there isn’t much liquid to begin with. But be sure to use hot water and let it run afterward for a few minutes.
How To Dispose of Soup
The best way to get rid of uneaten leftover soup is to throw it away into your trash. Just make sure to either use two bags or an additional grocery bag to prevent leaks.
Otherwise its simply safer to pour it out into a trash bag instead of dumping down the drain.
Wait until the night before your trash day and simply dispose into your garbage bag.
If your lucky the soup will have solidified and turned to more of a gel. Which is easier to toss without adding a bunch of liquid into your trash.
Extra Greasy Soup
If your soup is particularly greasy then the above method should suffice. But you can also let the soup turn solid and pour into a disposable can or jar.
Soups made with beef will have more grease and fats than most other soups and you should not dump these down the sink.
Can You Pour Soup Down The Toilet?
Flushing soup down the toilet may seem like a work around from the sink. But ultimately you are susceptible to the same problems. The oils or fats in the soup could still stick around long enough in your pipes to clog them. Even if you have flushed them down the toilet.
I would avoid this method as well.
What If You Already Dumped Your Soup Down The Drain?
Well don’t worry just yet because if your not having any draining issues in your sinks then your probably okay.
At this point it wouldn’t hurt to run hot water down the sink for about 5 minutes or more. Also dump some dishwashing soup straight into the drain. Dishwashing soap has the ability to break down grease effectively.
This is the best thing you can do for the time being.
Summary
Disposing soup down the kitchen sink is never a good idea as the oils and or fats could solidify and clog your plumbing. The best thing to do is simply throw out the soup into a trash bag. It doesn’t hurt to leave the soup in the fridge for an extra day. This gives the soup time to become solid which makes tossing it out easier.