"Frogleg" wrote in message
...


Any thoughts on suitability for using tea leaves in garden etc or for
clearing sink drain ?

Good for plants/compost; bad for drains.

I wonder *how* your mother believes tea leaves 'clear' a drain.

When I was a child it was supposed to be coffee grounds. This was more
understandable because they had a certain quality of graininess which might
have had a slight scouring action - or perhaps absorb fat. Tea leaves
weren't recommended. But theories become confused over time.

It's not really important though, is it! Most people use very finely chopped
tea leaves but even the large China ones we drink have never, ever, caused a
problem in our drain.

But we never put fat down unless in an emulsified form such as from cleaning
plates in a solution of washing up liquid. I've been horrified by the amount
of fat put down people's drains. It must stick to the sides of the waste
pipe, things can stick to it. Congealed fat ... yeuch! And other fibrous
stuff doesn't go down ours either, although small vegetable trimmings which
escape the kitchen composter can.

Mary