The Dangers of Clay-Clogged Drains

As an artist, you know that keeping clay out of your pipes can be one of the hardest things to do. Constantly cleaning your workspace and disposing of excess clay is work enough; remembering to take all the proper precautions to do so safely can be an added headache. To many people, clay can look thin and as if it should easily be able to go down the sink. It can be easy to ignore small pieces of clay making their way down the drain, but you shouldn’t! Clay will build up in your drain and harden, causing your clogs in your drain and potential plumbing issues that will halt your work and cost you money.

We will go over what you need to watch for as you create your ceramic pottery, steps that you can take to prevent plumbing issues in your artspace, and the differences you can make with the pottery equipment you have to create a seamless working environment for you!

Clay Will Clog Your Drain

As mentioned before, unless you're cautious in your workspace, it’s not a matter of if but when clay will clog your drain. If you don’t take the necessary steps or have the right equipment to dispose of the excess clay from your pieces or your art students, it’s likely that you will run across this issue. You could have even had the issue of a clogged drain already and are now looking for ways to solve the problem going forward. 

Option: Create a DIY Clay Trap

You can create your own clay trap to prevent large chunks from going down the drain. A lot of artists will wash their pieces in buckets or use spouts and strainers to create their own cleaning system. These methods can work, but they aren't guaranteed to keep all of the clay out of your drain. Some people will also put a towel down or another object to cover the drain, allowing the water to slowly flow through. But that’s a great way to ruin towels, and if by chance the towel or object makes its way down the drain too, you’ll have a double clogged drain. These small pieces that slip through can continue to build up and harden, slowly but surely leading to a clogged drain.

DIY clay traps also become frustrating if you are trying to clean a lot of pieces at once or are hosting a pottery class where people might not be taking as much care as you would. At that point, you’ll have clogged pipes in your art studio and a big problem on your hands that could’ve been avoided. 

Better Option: Invest In The CINK 

To stop worrying about clay going down your sink, you’ll want to invest in something that you know won’t clog and will do the job it needs to do. Many artists have found that The CINK is the best clay and water filtering solution for homes and art studios. The CINK is a self-contained, portable filtering and recycling system that filters and recirculates water to collect all clay particles or chunks without damaging your plumbing system.

You’ll be able to save and conserve more water, have less wasted clay and The CINK is easy to use in a variety of spaces. There is no longer a need to lug around large buckets of water, worry about clogged pipes or fret about creating a huge mess that you’ll need to clean up later. Overall, your focus can stay on the creation of your work and the ease and energy that you feel while making it, which is how it’s supposed to be!

Creating your ceramic pieces should be a calm and relaxing process where you can reach peak creativity. You shouldn’t have to worry about how you’re going to clean your work or if you have done so properly. Taking away the hassle of needing to find a way to dispose of it will make your pottery experience that much better.