Avoiding the Wet Dog Look

Clogged Drains: Common Culprits And Easy Prevention

15 June 2015

Darlene Stanley

Clogged drains can be infuriating, time consuming and expensive. If you find that your drains are clogging often, it may be time to consider what might be causing the problem. No one wants to research nasty clogs in bathroom and kitchen sink drains, but in this article, you'll find out the most common reasons that drains get clogged and what you can do to prevent clogs in the future.

The Most Common Causes of Clogged Drains

Drains are a necessary and pretty important part of your plumbing system. When a drain gets clogged, not only does it mean that you can't use the drain, but clogged drains can also cause foul odors in your home and cause bacteria to grow that could make you sick.

The most common causes of clogged drains throughout your home include:

• Trees and leaves. Leaves, branches and other debris from your garden and yard can get caught in street sewer drains, in your garage floor drain and in your gutters, causing pipes to back-up and sometimes even crack.
• Grease and fat. This may be the most common reason that plumbers get called, particularly during holidays like Thanksgiving. Grease or fat that gets washed down your sink drain will stick to the sides of your pipe and eventually block it off completely. This can include grease and fat from cooking oils or meat.
• Hair. Everyone has seen their hair get washed down the shower or bathroom sink drain, but they may not realize how damaging it can be. One strand of hair hardly seems capable of causing a problem, but as hair accumulates, it can even prevent liquid from draining.
• Foreign objects. Anything that isn't supposed to be washed down a drain is a foreign object. Foreign objects can include toys, keys, food, sanitary items and even too much toilet paper. Many plumbers have fished keys and toys out of toilets and sinks.

These are four of the most common drain clogging culprits, and each is easy to prevent. With a little bit of effort and some alternative methods of disposal, you can keep your drains free of these items and running far more effectively.

10 Ways to Keep Your Drains Clean and Clear

With the most common causes of clogged drains also being the most obvious, keeping drains running should be pretty easy. Follow these tips to reduce your chances of a clogged drain drastically:

1. Use a screen or grate-drain to prevent hair and soap scum from sneaking through.
2. Pour hot grease into coffee cans or cardboard milk containers and throw them in the trash when cool. When using a garbage disposal, run COLD water (not hot), to keep the grease and oils in a solid state.
3. After meal clean-up, run hot water for 30 seconds to a minute to prevent grease from adhering to pipes.
4. Throw baking soda into the sink and wash it down with hot water. This both cleans and deodorizes.
5. Clean grease build-up by squirting a good amount of dish-washing liquid down your kitchen drain and slowing pouring in a large pot of boiling water.
6. Pour one cup of bleach down each drain once a week, followed by running water for several seconds.
7. Use toilet paper sparingly and ­flush only bodily waste and toilet paper.
8. Remove hair and other debris from drains once a week.
9. Invest in a good quality plunger.
10. Consider investing in a water filtration system to help with hard water, which can cause wear and tear on your drains and pipes.

By doing a little bit of maintenance and preventing unnecessary items from being washed down your drains, you can save yourself a lot of aggravation and money. If you discover that you're still having problems with clogged drains after taking these steps, hiring a plumber is necessary and a worthy investment. Click here for more information about drain cleaning services in your area. 

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