When a drain is clogged, there isn’t much more important in life than finding a way to unclog it. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some tips on keeping the drains in your home unclogged? There are only two habits that need to be practiced to keep your water running and your pipes clear, which are to try and only put water down your drain and to clean your drains with vinegar and baking soda.

 

Be Careful What You Put Down that Drain

A great way to avoid a clog in your drain is to be mindful of what goes down it. Some things on the list that should never go down the drain are obvious, while others we bet you would never have thought of. Steer away from:

While some of these may never have occasion to meet with your drain, others, like hair from showering, are a constant battle. Consider a mesh strainer at the drain site. This will catch much of that hair and prevent one of the toughest clogs a drain can suffer from.

Many things that enter your drain will attach to previous or future debris. Things like produce stickers on bell peppers or onions can start to form a mini landfill in your drain. While hot, oil can be quite fluid but, once cooled, will coat your drain, making the diameter narrow, slowing and eventually stopping any water flow.  Some people love to flush Q-tips or dental floss down toilets.  Q-tips can become easily lodged sideways, catching hair and dental floss, leading to some incredibly nasty clogs as things build up over the years.

Toothpicks, vegetable peelings, the strings attached to tea bags, and the burnt scrapings from your frying pan should also go in the garbage rather than down your kitchen sink.  Otherwise, you’ll start to notice water coming back up your kitchen sink.

Maintain a Healthy Drain

It’s recommended that hot water is poured down those drains following each use. Hot water can clear debris and disinfect the walls of your pipes.

To further clean those pipes and drains, try using baking soda and vinegar regularly. This mixture will bubble and essentially scrub those pipes. If the drain can be covered, even better. Let sit for 20 minutes and sweep out those pipes with lots of boiling water. The concoction will also eliminate any odours coming from those pipes and take care of mould, lime, and soap scum.

Are you trying to dissolve soap buildup? Try pouring salt down that drain. Again, followed by lots of hot water.

Keeping drains clear is critical. It’s easier to be diligent with these practices than to try and find solutions once that drain is clogged.

If you need additional help unclogging your drain, contact Wentworth Plumbing in Hamilton, Ontario today. We offer drain clearing services such as high-pressure drain flushing, as well as unclogging toilets, sinks, showers & tubs, floor drains, and tree root issues.