It’s safe to say clogged drains are one of the most prevalent plumbing problems there is—and one of the most aggravating. While minor clogs may only require a simple plunging to dislodge, more extreme clogs can leave your pipes severely backed up. To avoid major blockages that necessitate extensive, professional cleaning, it’s important to practice proper drain maintenance. What can do to prevent your drains from clogging? The experts at Drain Blaster Bill in the Twin Cities explain below.
Dispose of Grease Properly
Grease is one of the worst things you can put down your drain because it coagulates and traps other objects that wash down the pipes. As the grease continues to collect debris, the resulting sludge can form a massive drain clog. If this occurs, you’ll have no choice but to call a professional drain cleaning service to thoroughly clean the pipe. Rather than washing grease down the drain, collect it in a small, disposable container. When you’ve filled the container completely, toss the entire thing in the trash.
Install a Lint Catcher
If you don’t have a lint catcher on your washing machine hose, now is the time to install one. During a normal wash cycle, hair, sand, coins, bits of lint, and other debris can travel through your washer’s drain hose where they’ll collect. As debris accumulates, you may end up with a laundry drain blockage.
To prevent a drain clog, simply place a mesh lint catcher over the end of your washing machine’s drain hose and secure it with a zip tie. Check the trap frequently, and when it’s full, toss it and install a new one. Alternatively, you can try using an unwanted nylon stocking, but don’t make that your long-term solution. You can find reusable cone-shaped lint traps specifically designed for washing machine hoses at your local home improvement store.
Prevent Hair From Washing Down the Drain
One of the best ways to prevent a shower drain blockage is to install a hair trap over your shower or bathtub drain. These small mesh screens are available in a range of shapes and sizes to suit almost any drain on the market. If you have long-haired household members, ask them to remember to brush their hair before showering. This tiny tweak can significantly cut down the amount of hair that washes onto your shower floor during a typical shampooing.
Clean Pop-Up Sink Stoppers Regularly
Have you ever cleaned your pop-up drain stopper? If not, now’s the time to start! If you have pulled the stopper out, you’ve certainly witnessed the incredible amount of slimy hair and other off-putting buildup that it can catch. If you allow hair and other buildup to accumulate on the stopper for too long, it can slow your sink’s draining time.
Eventually, when the buildup becomes severe, it can prevent your sink from draining altogether. Plus, when normal water flow through your sink drain decreases, existing buildup within your pipes won’t be flushed through the plumbing. Eventually, you’ll end up with a full-blown drain blockage. To prevent a drain clog from occurring, make sure you immediately clean your pop-up stopper when you notice your sink begins draining slowly.
Dispose of Food Waste Properly
The convenience of a garbage disposal can be tempting, but continually tossing food scraps down your drain can cause a drain blockage. Yes, your disposal is there for the express purpose of grinding up waste and washing it down the drain; however, many homeowners aren’t well-educated on what actually belongs in a garbage disposal. Here’s what NOT to put down your disposal:
● Meat
● Coffee grounds
● Celery
● Bones
● Fruit pits
● Potato peels or other starchy vegetables
Eggshells are still up for debate—some people believe they sharpen your disposal’s blades, others claim the shell membranes stick to the blades and interior of the disposal. If you’re worried about clogs, it’s best to avoid putting anything even slightly questionable down your kitchen drain. And of course, grease doesn’t belong in your disposal, either. We mentioned this earlier, but it definitely merits reiterating. Rather than tossing food waste down your disposal, start a compost bucket or toss it in the trash.
Stop Tossing Waste In Your Toilet
Do you flush personal care products? Cotton balls or Q-Tips? Dental floss? If that sounds familiar, your habit could be placing unnecessary stress on your sewer system. Just because your toilet has a large drain and you can easily flush things down it, that doesn’t mean you should. When you flush items that don’t belong in the plumbing system, there’s no guarantee those items will make it to the main sewer. Many times, they catch on something within your pipes, forming the beginnings of a drain clog. If it’s trash, toss it in the trash can—not in the toilet.
Got a Drain Blockage? Call Drain Blaster Bill
If your drains are hopelessly clogged, Drain Blaster Bill is here to clear them. From shower drain blockages to clogged sewer drains, laundry drain blockages to clogged toilets, we clean them all. We specialize in thorough camera drain inspections, water jetting, drain snaking, and septic cleaning for both residential and commercial plumbing. When you need drain cleaning done right, we’re the ones to call. For questions about our services or to schedule your appointment, give us a call at 763-913-8719, or feel free to message us on our contact page.