Nothing is more frustrating than a clogged sink, and it always seems to happen at the worst time. Not like there is a good time to deal with a stinking, backed up sink full of all kinds of yucky stuff! So how do you prevent a clogged sink to begin with? Here's what you need to know.

Don't Let Grease Touch Your Drains

Washing animal fats down the drain is one of the quickest ways to clogged pipes. You may be washing liquid grease and oil down the sink, but those fats will soon solidify in your pipes. As it runs down the drain, the fat leaves a greasy film on your pipes. The more you do it, the more fat will collect, gradually narrowing the pipe, catching other things, and eventually becoming too narrow to drain properly.

When you have finished cooking meats, either wait until the fat solidifies and scrape it into your garbage can, or pour the oil into a used coffee tin or other container that you can dispose of in the garbage once full.

Recycle Your Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds have a way of building up in plumbing elbows, the part of your pipes that connects two other pipes. Throw them in the waste bin, or take them outside and add to your compost pile, work into your garden, or spread around your plants to keep pests away.

Install A Garbage Disposal

A garbage disposal not only reduces the amount of garbage you produce each day, it grinds everything to a fine pulp, making it less likely to clog your drain when you run the water to wash it through. Be careful what you throw down there, though. In addition to grease and coffee grounds, you don't want to grind up meat bones or fibrous things, like celery, which can still cause a clog. Additionally, things like pasta and rice will absorb water and swell, and the starch in them can turn them into a drain-clogging glue blob.

Use A Drain Guard

While this may sound like common sense, sometimes old strainers gradually breakdown, allowing more and more food particles down the drain over time. Additionally, the kitchen sink is not the only drain to worry about. The bathtub drain will eventually become clogged by hair if it isn't fitted with a guard, something that many tubs are not.

If drains become clogged, many people reach for a jug of chemicals if the plunger doesn't work, but these caustic concoctions can also cause damage to your pipes, exacerbating the problem. Your best bet after prevention is to call a plumber when you find yourself with a clogged drain. A plumber can also assess the health of your pipes and identify any problems.