If you’ve ever had to deal with clogged drains, you know how much of a headache it can be. You’ve had to learn what kind of drain cleaner to use and several clog-clearing guides, and maybe you’ve even had to call a plumbing professional to fix the problem.
You could have saved yourself the hassle if you only had a way to prevent the clogs in the first place. Well, fret not. You’ve landed on the perfect article to guide you on how to avoid these costly drain problems.
Using Drain Strainers
While drains are incredibly helpful when washing or cleaning, you don’t want to clog them. For this reason, you should always use the strainers that come with your drains. These strainers are usually made from a mesh and help catch solids primarily responsible for clogging (i.e., toilet paper, hair, food scraps, and the like).
Another place you should add these strainers is your washing machine. If you regularly use the washing machine, lint inevitably ends up in the wastewater from your washing machine. Lint is another material that builds up over time in your drains, so you should dispose of it in the garbage bin where it won’t cause any issues.
Cleaning Schedules
No matter how well you ensure solids don’t end up in your wastewater, dirt will inevitably build up in your drains, and you’ll need to clean them. Whenever you’re cleaning around your house, the gutters are probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But like all things around the house, you’ll need to clean your drains regularly if you want them to work consistently.
Weekly
- Even if you clean out your drain strainers daily, you should also take the time to give them a good scrub each week. Cleaning it thoroughly each week prevents dirt and grease from building up.
- Take the time to look down the drain and use a cleaning brush to remove debris that may have accidentally fallen into the gutter.
Monthly
- If you’re using a garbage disposal unit, you should take time to clean it out with ice cubes and rock salt. This method of cleaning will dislodge any debris that might be stuck. In addition, running a few lemon wedges through your garbage disposal will eliminate the smell if that’s a problem for you.
- Use non-corrosive drain cleaners to clean up your pipes. These drain cleaners rely on bacteria to do the cleaning instead of harmful chemicals. As a result, you won’t risk damaging your pipes but still have them fully clean.
- While clearing out your pipes, you should also take the time to clean out your grease ducts through your grease duct access doors as a fire safety measure.
Substances That Should Never End Up In Your Drains
- Grease, Oil, and Fat – These substances are the leading cause of drain problems in your house and municipal sewer systems. While hot, fat is usually in liquid form, so you might end up dumping it down the drain. However, when these fats cool down, they solidify and coat the edges of your pipes. Eventually, that coating gets so thick that it starts causing blockages in your pipes.
- Coffee Grounds and Other Starchy Substances: Like greasy substances, coffee grounds and starchy matter causes blockages as well. These have a habit of absorbing water like a sponge. Because of this, it expands and forms a sludge. As a result, it becomes harder (or even impossible) to go down your pipes.
- Eggshells and Bones: While these objects may seem to go down your garbage disposal just fine, you’ll eventually encounter a few problems. Firstly, garbage disposal units have trouble handling these dense objects, and you may damage them if you do this regularly. Secondly, the resulting shards from eggshells and bones combine with other solids that end up being the reason for clogs in your system.
Take Care Of Your Drains
As you learn to incorporate these tips into your daily life, you’ll see that you won’t need to worry about your drain clogging at the worst possible moment. With fewer clogs, you won’t need to call for professional plumbers as often, and you’ll save yourself much money in the long run. So take care of your drains, and you’ll enjoy a system that works flawlessly for a long time.
