To avoid clogs and messes, avoid putting these things down your sink’s garbage disposal.

Those mistakes are obvious.

They were never meant for cleaning out your refrigerator."

a photo of a person peeling a potato over the kitchen sink

Getty Images. EatingWell design.

Protect your pipes by avoiding these ten clog-causers:

1.

Just one problem, says Abrams: Garbage disposals don’t have blades.

Instead, they have small moving parts called impellers that swivel to crush and pulverize food and debris.

Grease

Any kind of frying oil, bacon grease or other fat are a plumber’s number-one enemy.

Instead of tossing your grease down the sink, invest in a grease can.

Pasta and Rice

Who knew that carbs were bad for your disposal?

“Starchy foods turn to goo after sitting in water for a while,” says Abrams.

“Even if it gets past the disposal, it will clog the kitchen drain eventually.”

Peels

Potato peelshave a starchy consistency, but Abrams says he frequently gets complaints from plumbers about citrus peels.

Lemon juice, baking soda or ice are all better options.

Seeds

Like shards of a broken glass, seeds are small enough and hard enough to cause problems.

Celery, asparagus, corn husks, rhubarb, artichokesor anything with lots of fibrous threadsis a no-no.

“Just about everything associated with a turkey dinner is a potential clogging agent,” says Abrams.

Not to mention stray beans can act like seeds and jam your disposal.

Pet Food

Wet or dry, pet food can be an issue.

On the rare occasion that Fido doesn’t scarf his dinner down, use the trashcan instead.