Top Stoppage Tips

If you are experiencing slow-draining sinks and showers, you may need to have your drain cleaned. Simple drain cleaning can be done at home safely, but if the problem persists then call a professional plumber to resolve the situation.

That said, there are a few things you can do at home to prevent and fix clogged drains before they get out of hand.

Prevention
Taking preventative measures to keep your drains clean is the best course of action. While plumbers have found an assortment of strange objects in people’s drains, there are a few main culprits that clog most drains.

For kitchen drains, food debris is the number one problem. Even with a food disposal unit, you should be careful about how much food waste you wash down the drain. Smaller bits of food can build up over time, especially when lipids – like grease, cooking oils, and animal fats – are washed down the drain.

Tougher food substances and fibrous plants should be kept out of the food disposal, as they can damage or jam the blades; this includes vegetable peels, celery, onion skins, asparagus, and animal bones. Similarly, pasta and rice can swell and expand in the drain trap, despite the efforts of your food disposal.

Instead, throw those items in the trash, and let your food disposal deal with scraps and smaller food items. Oils and fats can either be solidified in the fridge, or stored in a jar, to be thrown away later.

In bathrooms, the worst offenders are a combination of hair, soap, and human debris. Over time, these substances can build up in your drain and lead to stoppages. Hair, in particular, clumps together and catches soap and skin cells. The best way to prevent this is to purchase a drain cover for your bath or shower, and clean it out regularly.

Home Remedies
While we do not suggest tackling serious clogs by yourself, you can maintain a ‘healthy’ drain with a few simple practices:

• Always keep your sinks, showers, and baths clean. Don’t let debris accumulate that could be washed down the drain later.
• Pour boiling hot water down the drain periodically. You can make this part of your weekly or monthly cleaning schedule; depending on how many people your plumbing system serves. Boiling water can melt congealed grease, loosen up minor bathroom clogs, and helps to kill odor-causing bacteria in your drains.
• If you do notice that water is draining slowly in your kitchen or bathroom sinks, use a combination of baking soda and white vinegar to clean the drain. Pour half a cup of baking soda directly into and around the drain, then flush it out with a cup of vinegar. The fizzy reaction loosens up stubborn debris and deodorizes the drain. Flush with hot water afterwards to wash it all away.

However, if you still find that your sinks are not draining properly, call your plumber. You can use store-bought chemical drain cleaners, but we do not recommend this – they are hazardous to your health and the environment, and dangerous to have in the home if you have children. They can also damage your pipes!

For persistent stoppages, opt for a professional solution. Call Art Plumbing and AC in Boca Raton today for more information about our drain cleaning services.