From Kevin: Most caregivers have wide-ranging responsibilities in addition to providing direct care to a family member or loved one. Those responsibilities may involve financial management, home maintenance, yard and garden care, and so on. And, of course, cooking — something which may need to be done three or more times a day. Here’s a tip from the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services: “Don’t be a Pain in Your Drain!” More to the point: Don’t pour your cooking oil down the drain after you’re done cooking with it. I visited a booth recently where the Department of Environment Services had something on display that looked like a large rock. (See photo below.) On closer inspection, I saw that it wasn’t a rock. What was it? This was the description attached to the item: “This is not a meteor or a moon rock, although it is as hard as a rock or concrete. The encased sample was retrieved from Honolulu’s public wastewater system. It is an example of what happens in a wastewater collection system when grease generated from cooking and cleanup activities in your home or business is poured down the sink. Grease combines with sediment and other materials in the wastewater, sticks to pipe walls, and eventually blocks the line. The resulting event is a wastewater spill and potential threat to public health and the environment.” The Department dubbed the object a “GREASE-CRETE” (which sounds like concrete). Rather than pouring your cooking oil down the drain, wipe it off the pan with a paper towel or stuff a container with paper and pour the grease in the container then throw the container in the trash. This could help keep your drain and the environment in better condition. A clogged drain just adds more work to a caregiver’s long list of things to do. Here’s a photo of that disgusting rock-like substance mentioned above: GREASE-CRETE: Cooking oil mixed with sediments that ends up in the public wastewater system.

Original Source of Caregiver Cleaning Tip