So you’ve been using coconut oil for a while now. You wash with it, slather it all over your body, brush your teeth with it, cook with it, you even polish your furniture with it.
You love this stuff and can’t get enough. After all, it is amazingly beneficial for you, the environment, your pets, your plants, and your stuff.
Except…
You think coconut oil may be to blame for clogging your pipes.
No one likes a clogged pipe.
Most anything can be to blame for blogged pipes and I would hate to see coconut oil get a bad rep over something preventable like this.
Does coconut oil clog pipes?
Of course it can. But is that the culprit? Only your pipes know and they aren’t telling.
Since I have not personally experienced clogged pipes (at least as a result of coconut oil), I decided to call a couple of local plumbers to get their thoughts on the subject.
The first call is simply too good not to share.
Me: “I was calling to ask a question about clogged drain pipes and whether coconut oil might be the blame.”
Plumber: “You put a coconut down the drain?”
Me: “No. I was wondering if you put coconut OIL down the drain if that could eventually clog a pipe?”
Plumber: “You pouring it in by the gallon or something?”
Me: “No. Just trying to get to the bottom of an age old question of does coconut oil clog pipes.”
Plumber: “Wait. There weren’t coconuts back in ancient times. Those just started getting grown when they got popular with all those cruises to islands.”
Stifling a laugh
Me: “Yes! Cruises. Apparently people were using a lot of coconut oil on cruise ships and it was blocking pipes. Or so they thought. Do you think coconut oil can block pipes?”
Plumber: “If you pour a bunch of it down the drain at once, sure it could.”
Me: “What if it was a small but steady amount over time?”
Plumber: “Not sure I follow.”
Me: “Let’s say you cook with it every day and pour what is left in the pan down the drain. You do this for a year. Would it clog the drain pipes?”
Plumber: “The oil or the pan?”
Banging head on wall
Me: “The oil. The oil is going down the drain.”
Plumber: “What kind of oil?”
Me: “Sounds like my daughter needs me. Thanks for the help.”
Hangs up and bangs head against wall some more.
Obviously not helpful but way too funny not to share. I really hope he was pulling my leg but I kind of think he wasn’t.
Does coconut oil clog pipes? The next two calls proved fruitful.
Both plumbers were in agreement that coconut oil might possibly clog pipes, depending on where you lived and what the temperature of the pipes was at any given moment.
Since coconut oil typically melts around 76 degrees F, it stands to reason that it would have a smooth ride through your pipes if the pipes were at or above that point. If they are colder than this, it is possible that the coconut oil would begin to solidify.
The amount of coconut oil going down the drain won’t matter so long as it stays melted and moves along. However, if you pour a lot of coconut oil down the drain during the cold months, you might end up with a sudden blockage or “slow drain syndrome.”
There is a VERY simple solution to keeping pipes happy in a household where a lot of coconut oil finds its way down the drain.
Run hot water for 60 seconds after the coconut oil hits the sink. This should keep it melted long enough to make it out of your small pipes and into the larger wastewater and sewage pipes.
If you are worried about wasting water, simply pour excess coconut oil into the trash can or compost pile.
So what about the coconut oil found in body scrubs and face washes? That has no choice but to go down the drain and I don’t want to waste water.
This really shouldn’t be an issue. A teaspoon or two going down the drain daily won’t lead to clogs. Or so say my new plumber friends.
If you oil pull with coconut oil, I would advise spitting it in the garbage can. This is both to save your pipes and to keep all that nasty bacteria you are ridding your body of from getting into our grey water supplies.
I don’t worry about clogged pipes from coconut oil. I use gobs of it daily and have never had an issue. But maybe that’s just me.
What about you? Have you discovered that coconut was to blame for your clogged pipes?
Jill says
October 7, 2015 at 1:00 PMCoconut oil will clog!
A few years ago our landlord replaced and cleared out old plumbing. A year later our bathroom sink was completely blocked. I tried everything – hot water, vinegar and baking soda, an enzyme, etc. We ended up having to spend a TON of money because the plumber said it was so bad he had to clear it out through the roof (I have no idea what that means!). He said it was black thick sludge. It was probably similar to the drain stopper I was always cleaning – a layer of gross black goop that formed despite use of hot water every day.
The ONLY CO that went down the drain was the little bit from toothpaste. Now we use tooth powder. When I wash my face with CO I wipe it off with a dry cloth before a warm rinse. Oil pulling always goes in the garbage. And our sink? Zero black sludge.
Don’t make the same costly mistake we did!!
Jennifer says
October 7, 2015 at 9:53 PMHaha! I know the plumber roof trick. It is actually pretty cool to watch. Anyway, thank you for sharing. I agree that it is better safe than sorry for sure.
Sheila Graff says
May 30, 2016 at 10:59 AMCan coconut oil cause the drain in the bathtub to clog? I use it in my bath – so far no problems. I’m wondering though if it will happen. I love using milk, coconut oil & magnesium salts in my bath. I have muscular dystrophy & get alot of relief from my soaks.
Jennifer says
June 10, 2016 at 7:05 PMI have never had it clog a drain and I have used it for years and years in the tub. I find that my clay baths cause more problems than coconut oil!
Lin says
February 5, 2017 at 4:15 PMThe article if temps are 75 or so, but I live in a coastal area where it never gets to even 75, so I won’t use coconut oil to wash with or condition my hair.
Lin says
February 5, 2017 at 4:16 PMThe article said..
Will Bradbury says
July 15, 2017 at 6:31 AMPlease mention, that unless you have a passive solar hot water system and use passive rainwater or gravitational spring fed system. running hot water down the drain for a minute, once a day, will cost you at least $25 dollars a year. If you live in a colder area, have a family that uses coconut oil for multiple showers, pay for municipal water, if the water has to travel from the heater any distance, it can easily be at least twice as much. It’s much worse than pouring bacon grease down multiple drains several times a day.
Jennifer says
August 8, 2017 at 12:38 PMHuh…who knew! This is great information for people to take into consideration. Thank you so much for sharing!
Julie says
September 23, 2017 at 12:18 AMOk, being the dope that I am occasionally, I accidentally spit the coconut slop from my mouth into the toilet before I could stop myself. I finally devised my own plan and hopefully, it works and helps somebody. Dawn dishwashing liquid cuts grease really good and its even used to remove oil from the feathers of ducks caught in an oil slick. So I just put …well…more than a few drops in the toilet, then flushed. Then repeated that procedure a couple more times. I’m sure it worked. If it doesn’t, well I won’t be putting any ducks in the toilet for awhile, lol
Jennifer says
September 30, 2017 at 5:18 PM“won’t be putting any ducks in the toilet”
You literally made my fall out of my chair from laughing! That was awesome!
Glenn says
May 10, 2018 at 7:06 PMGood to know – about the ducks. To help you remember, try closing the toilet lid and putting the trash can near or on top of it. Between winter days and air conditioning and whatever temperatures pipes are uunderground I would bet on the oil sticking somewhere. So save the dawn for dishes and ducks and for dogs with fleas. Try to let the oil go in the trash. Then again, if you have a crush on your plumber or just like giving him/her money, “Que sera, sera.”