It’s actually amazing how much abuse our drains need to take every day. In the kitchen, your drain needs to handle food scraps, dirty water and plenty of grease. In the bathroom, drains need to battle various products, suds from soap and shaving, and of course, a lot of loose hair.
This often ends up in a clog, when you have to either roll up your sleeves and go digging around the drain or call professionals to handle your blocks. Therefore, regular drain maintenance is crucial if you want to save nerves and money. Here’s how to keep your drains clean all the time:
Practice regular maintenance
The best thing you can do for your drains is to keep them clean all the time. As soon as you notice a problem, try to clean and deodorize your drains to remove odors and prevent blockages from completely clogging your drains. This practice also removes drain flies and mites, which can quickly reproduce and cause an ugly infestation.
Luckily, today’s market has a lot of products that handle drain cleanliness, but they are not all created the same. Here’s a common plumbing mistake we often make: grabbing products that are corrosive, caustic or acidic, which can damage your pipes in the long run, as well as cause some unwanted health effects on you and your family. What you can get your hands on, though, is bio-enzymatic formulas, which are safe and effective. These don’t contain toxic chemicals, so they can be used all around your house, even in the kitchen where you prepare food. To use them properly, just follow the instructions on the packaging.
Make your own drain solution
While bio-enzymatic products are good for drains that are already half-clogged, you can completely prevent future clogs with certain homemade solutions you can apply once a week. There are many DIY formulas but most people love this one: ½ cup baking soda poured into the drain, flushed with ¼ cup white vinegar, followed by ½ cup salt on top. Leave this concoction to work for 15 minutes and then flush completely with boiling water. This solution is cheap, natural and effective for nipping clogs in the bud.
Call professionals
If you often get clogged pipes and can’t get rid of them, it’s time to call professionals. Often, there are roots or plants growing in your pipes, damaging and cracking them in the process. Before, cracked pipes required replacement which is very costly and very disturbing to your home and daily life. Luckily, there are new and modern solutions, such as effective pipe relining, which manages to repair damaged pipes while they are still underground.
This trenchless way of pipe repair results in a very strong repair job without turning your yard into a battlefield or requiring any damage to your tiles or appliances. Once the problematic clogs are removed and your pipes are relined, make sure to practice regular maintenance to prevent future problems.
Grab a drain trap
There are ways to prevent clogs from the outside of the pipes by using drain traps. Certain substances find it very hard to flow through drains, like soap scum, hair, food particles, crumbs, etc., often clogging your drains. It’s best to keep these out of the drain and prevent a plumbing emergency with a drain trap that catches all bigger particles that want to go down the pipes. Once the water is settled, just take out the drain trap and empty it in the trash can.
Use hot water
If you often wash your hands in cold or lukewarm water, we respect your preference, but very hot water can actually help keep your drains clean. Boiling water can break up grease and food particles that get caught in the drain, helping them go down easier. At least once a week, run your tap to the hottest setting or boil some water in the kettle and pour it down the drain.
Don’t flush grease
There are some things that you should never throw down the drain, mainly grease. This might be the most practical way to get rid of fat, but it’s much better to grab a small can or jar and dispose of it that way. Once the grease solidifies, you can simply throw the greasy container in the trash instead of having to deal with clogged drains.
Your drains are so neglected yet so important for your everyday life. It’s time we all started paying more attention to what we put down the drain, and we’ll never have to battle another blocked sink or overflowing shower, risking your nerve, time and money.
By Mike Johnston
