Tips For Maintaining Your Grease Trap

Do you have a grease trap in your kitchen, and you're wondering how to clean it out? If so, you'll need to take the following steps to ensure it is going to be well-maintained over the years.

Beware Of The Odor

The first thing you know about cleaning a grease trap is that there is going to be an incredibly bad odor that comes from it as soon as you open it up. This means that you should wait to clean a grease trap until you are able to deal with that odor. This means giving yourself plenty of time to air out your home, not cleaning the grease trap before guests arrive, and even waiting for a nice day when you can open up the windows. The smell is going to be much worse than you imagine, so be prepared.

Have The Right Tools And Materials

You should be dressed for the job of cleaning out a grease trap, which means wearing old clothes, rubber gloves, eye protection, and a face mask. It will also help to have a putty knife and something to scoop out the waste in the grease trap. A trash bag will be needed to put waste into, but it helps to line the bottom of the bag with kitty litter or something that will absorb the liquid that comes out. Some people even use a shop vacuum because it can handle wet materials, but it will need to be thoroughly cleaned after.

Remove The Grease

Once the grease trap is open, start by scooping out the scum. All of those solid materials are going to float near the top, and it helps to get rid of them while they are not disturbed. Then you will need to scoop out the liquids or suck them out with a shop vacuum. You can use your putty knife to scrape off the sides of the grease trap and scoop out the waste and put it in the trash.

Avoid Using Chemicals

Keep in mind that you should not use chemicals when cleaning grease traps. Your goal is to remove the grease, not make the grease trap spotless. Cleaning chemicals are going to break down the grease and actually cause it to flow out of the grease trap. By sticking to just water, any new grease is going to stay in the grease trap where it belongs. 

Contact a local grease trap maintenance service to learn more about the process.

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