Prevention is the best treatment for keeping your drains clean and maintaining a healthy drainage system. This includes paying attention to what you pour down your drains and ensuring that you regularly flush your drains with drain cleaners to prevent the accumulation of grease and debris.

By incorporating the following suggestions into your regular cleaning practices, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of having to deal with a clogged drain.

What you’ll require

To prevent blockages in your drains, you should have the following items on hand:

• Safety glasses • Rubber gloves (elbow-length if possible) • Baking soda (or bicarbonate of soda) • Soda crystals • White vinegar • A kettle • A fat-collection container

Make the necessary preparations

As with any cleaning task involving chemicals or microorganisms, it is always prudent to be well-prepared. Gloves made of rubber will protect your hands and make it easier to pick up clumps of hair and other unpleasant materials. Additionally, protective glasses are required to prevent chemicals such as bleach or bacterial-laden water from entering the eyes.

Not all drains are equal

Some drains in your home will require more frequent inspection than others, such as the bathroom sink, shower, and bathtub. This is where hair from shaving and washing can accumulate, especially when combined with soap scum, grease, and toothpaste.

In most cases, drains become clogged due to a combination of soap scum, dirt, and hair. However, over the years, some unusual objects have been the cause of clogged drains and the need for emergency drain cleaning. Here are a few uncommon causes of clogged drains:

Weekly, pour boiling water down your drains

Boiling water is a simple and effective natural drain cleaner and a great way to prevent fat, grease, and oil buildup in your pipes. Just be careful not to trip when carrying a boiling kettle of water to the bathroom on the second floor…

Use a biological cleaner to treat your drains.

A biological cleaner containing enzymes is the best drain cleaner for hair and an excellent way to treat the accumulation of fats, bacteria, mold, and other organic substances. They are also significantly more environmentally friendly than harsher chemicals like bleach or caustic soda.

Most home improvement stores sell enzymatic drain cleaners relatively cheaply. Follow the instructions on the back of the package when applying the product to your drains.

 Flush drains with sodium bicarbonate and white vinegar

If you prefer, you can use baking soda and white vinegar instead of a biological cleaner. You can also substitute baking soda for baking powder. Hopefully, you already possess both of these items in your kitchen cabinets.

Simply combine a few tablespoons of baking soda with one cup of white vinegar, and then pour the solution down the drain. Allow the mixture to fizz for approximately five minutes before flushing the drain with boiling water from the kettle.

Use soda crystals to maintain clear drains.

Soda crystals are an additional effective method for preventing the accumulation of fats, oils, and grease in drains. Simply stir a cup of soda crystals into a bowl of boiling water until the soda crystals have completely dissolved. Now, slowly pour the solution into the drains.

Transfer fats to a container.

Prevention is preferable to treatment, so you should always dispose of cooking fat in a container rather than down the drain. Congealed oil from deep fat fryers, combined with other debris such as food and plastics, is one of the most common causes of clogged kitchen drains.

Brush your hair prior to taking a bath or shower

Before you take a bath or shower, brushing your hair will help remove the majority of loose hairs that could potentially clog your drain.

Clean your pet outdoors

If you bathe your pets, you should be aware that they lose more hair than humans, particularly during molting seasons. If possible, you should wash your cat, dog, or rabbit outside, or you should cover the drain in your bathtub with a towel to collect any hairs shed during the washing process.When in doubt, do not flush the following items:

• Plastic • Cigarettes and ash • Food • Sanitary products • Kitchen roll and standard paper • Cardboard packaging • Harsh chemicals including acid

The majority of the time, these suggestions should be sufficient to keep your drains running smoothly. However, if you need additional advice on keeping your drains clear or assistance unclogging them, a local plumber is only a phone call away.

Contact an emergency plumber immediately if you require further assistance.

Professional drain cleaning is an essential plumbing service for homes and businesses. It is also misunderstood, which results in many St .Paul homeowners failing to have it done at the appropriate time or attempting to do it incorrectly, thereby causing more issues.

Drain Cleaning Should Be Routine Maintenance

You are correct if you believe that drain cleaning is only necessary when there is a major clog in a toilet, sink, shower, or other drains in the home. However, drain cleaning is not limited to only emergency situations. We strongly suggest that you schedule an annual drain cleaning with us. Similar to changing the oil in the family car or receiving an annual flu shot for yourself and your loved ones, drain cleaning should be a routine part of the maintenance schedule.

As long as water flows regularly through it (i.e., it is not clogged by soap scum or other debris), your drain line should remain clear without the need for costly excavation work that could cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars! It is important to keep in mind that many drains do occasionally become clogged, and a plunger may resolve the majority of minor sink, tub, shower, and toilet clogs with minimal effort from homeowners.

Store-Bought Drain Cleaners May Cause Greater Damage to Your Plumbing System

We understand why many homeowners believe that commercial drain cleaners are the solution to their drain cleaning issues, as they are heavily promoted on television and the internet. However, no licensed plumber uses or recommends the use of these chemicals. They can temporarily clear a clogged drain, but they do not eliminate the buildup. In addition, they do not clean very well, and the clogs will soon return.

Additionally, drain cleaners can corrode metal pipes and degrade rubber hoses, causing issues with both the house’s water and sewer lines.

To be fair, there are some drain cleaning products that, when used correctly (according to label instructions), cause minimal or no damage to plumbing systems when used by homeowners. However, these chemicals should not be considered a permanent solution for clogs because they only clean the surface of clogged drains, making future blockages more likely than ever.

The best way to avoid plumbing problems is to ensure that you have professional assistance when you need it, so that residents do not waste money on expensive “over-the-counter” chemicals that never completely resolve the issue.

Drain snakes are excellent, but professional plumbers have superior equipment.

Aside from the plunger, the drain snake, also known as the drain auger, is a useful tool for simple clogs. Inserting a hand-cranked drain snake into a drain can frequently remove obstructions. However, professional plumbers have motorized drain snakes that can break through the most stubborn clogs. They can be significantly quicker and more thorough than hand-cranked versions sold in stores.

Motorized drain snakes are expensive tools that should only be used by licensed plumbers. If a professional plumber must crawl beneath your home or into the sewer with one of these tools, he does so.

Hydro-Jetting is the best method for drain cleaning.

Our plumbers use drain snakes when they believe they are the most effective method for clearing clogs. However, when it comes to preventative drain cleaning, we utilize hydro-jetting equipment. Water jetters clean the interior of drainpipes with powerful, high-pressure water blasts. It is safe for drains and leaves them free of debris and buildup. Your sewer lines will be in “like-new” condition. Hydro-jetting is what distinguishes professional drain cleaning as… professional.

Your Plumbing System May Have an Effect on Your Health.

Clogs can negatively impact your health, but you should never attempt to resolve the issue on your own. A clogged sewer line is a breeding ground for bacteria and mold, as well as other dangerous contaminants that can make you extremely ill. A clogged drain is not a job for the do-it-yourselfer; for your own health and safety, call a professional plumber immediately to clear the obstruction.

When to Contact Drain or Sewer Cleaning Professionals

There are numerous indicators that a person’s sewer line requires cleaning. A clogged sewer line may result in unpleasant sewer odors, unusually sluggish drains, bubbling-sounding pipes, and water backups. You should also consider having your sewer inspected to ensure its proper operation.

If your drain is severely clogged and draining slowly despite using every available tool, including a drain snake, and you have tried snaking from both ends without success, you should contact a professional.

The problem appears to be more than a simple clog; it may be caused by roots, which require extremely powerful drain tools!