# How to dispose of bean water **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241 "2018-11-29T02:45:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/1 "2018-11-29T02:45:20Z")
Whenever I open a can of beans I drain them. I pour the excess fluid down the drain. I run the water for a couple of minutes to flush it all the way down. Still for the next few days there is this foul odor coming from the sink. I usually resort to pouring Pine Sol down there but I don’t really like that smell in my kitchen. Is there a better solution? I’m not interested in saving it to cook with. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/2 "2018-11-29T03:20:32Z")
Too bad you said that you don’t want to cook with it, because it can be used to [replace egg whites to make things like a meringue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquafaba). (Perhaps you knew that already.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/3 "2018-11-29T04:11:46Z")
I dump the liquid into the pot with the beans. It’s like free vegetable stock. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/4 "2018-11-29T04:41:47Z")
What kind of beans? Green, wax, french-cut, black, pinto, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/5 "2018-11-29T04:44:15Z")
Um. What is the smell like? Is it like a rotting food smell? Or is it, er, how to say this?, a fart, perchance? Either way, take it outside pour it in the compost pile. If you don’t have one throw it over the fence in your neighbors yard.🙂 Don’t get caught, they might not appreciate that. My dogs would lap it up. Do you have a dog? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/6 "2018-11-29T04:45:18Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Um. What is the smell like? Is it like a rotting food smell? Or is it, er, how to say this?, a fart, perchance? > Either way, take it outside pour it in the compost pile. If you don’t have one throw it over the fence in your neighbors yard.🙂 Don’t get caught, they might not appreciate that. My dogs would lap it up. Do you have a dog? P.S. dog farts smell worse than sink funk. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/7 "2018-11-29T05:10:24Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > What kind of beans? Green, wax, french-cut, black, pinto, etc.? Black mostly, but white and pintos. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/8 "2018-11-29T05:17:26Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Black mostly, but white and pintos. Yeah, you wouldn’t want to put that in your soup or stew. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/9 "2018-11-29T05:21:14Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Um. What is the smell like? Is it like a rotting food smell? Or is it, er, how to say this?, a fart, perchance? Like rotting bean smell. You’ve smelled that, right? I have considered tossing it over the fence (not really) but putting it anywhere other than the sink requires a little effort. I would have to drain and rinse them into a big bowl and then discard that. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/10 "2018-11-29T05:43:09Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Yeah, you wouldn’t want to put that in your soup or stew. I do all the time. It’s just the water the beans were cooked in. Like **Chefguy** said it’s like vegetable stock. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/11 "2018-11-29T05:47:45Z")
Green beans, sure. “Dry” beans? Not me. That’s where all the gas-producing substances go, and the texture is nasty, at least to me. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/12 "2018-11-29T05:49:58Z")
You also throw out a lot of the nutrients when youy dump the liquid. About a third of them, I think. Ever tried pouring baking soda down the drain to get rid of the smell? Should work better than Pine Sol. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/13 "2018-11-29T06:16:17Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Ever tried pouring baking soda down the drain to get rid of the smell? Should work better than Pine Sol. That’s an idea! I actually have some around the house. Thanks, I’ll try it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/14 "2018-11-29T07:00:49Z")
Bleach, my good man. Bleach will kill all odorifics in a drain. Or, for fun and games throw in some baking soda and a slug of vinegar. Wait for the fun to happen.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/15 "2018-11-29T08:48:47Z")
I normally use it, but if you insist on throwing it away, how about using the toilet instead of the sink? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/16 "2018-11-29T13:22:10Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I have considered tossing it over the fence (not really) but putting it anywhere other than the sink requires a little effort. I would have to drain and rinse them into a big bowl and then discard that. > [@Nava](#): > > I normally use it, but if you insist on throwing it away, how about using the toilet instead of the sink? Lucas is a lazy man after my own heart - the toilet would be nearly as much work as some form of outside disposal. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/17 "2018-11-29T13:44:06Z")
I second the baking soda plus vinegar suggestion…I use this often to keep the bathroom sinks odor-free and draining properly. How old is the plumbing? You could remove and clean the trap… There’s almost always something interesting in there. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/18 "2018-11-29T14:37:17Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Green beans, sure. “Dry” beans? Not me. That’s where all the gas-producing substances go, and the texture is nasty, at least to me. The “gas-producing substances” are inside the beans. Beans have carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) that most people do not have the enzymes to digest, so bacteria in the gut happily digests it for you, producing gas. You can’t just rinse the carbs away. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/19 "2018-11-29T14:48:53Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Lucas is a lazy man after my own heart - the toilet would be nearly as much work as some form of outside disposal. Ha ha, too true. Actually this is to pacify my wife. Neither of us like the bean rot smell but it’s more her than me that objects to the Pine Sol smell. And yes I guess you might call it lazy but it just seems a hassle to have to stop food prep to go and find a place to dispose of bean drain! 🙂 I’m hoping the suggestions in this thread will help. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241/20 "2018-11-29T15:45:24Z")
I always rinsed canned beans until I looked at a label and learned that what was inside the (organic) bean can was “beans, water, salt.” Now I just cook with the liquid. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-bean-water/825241.md?page=2)