Consider These DIY Drain Cleaning Tips
You’ve experienced this more than once: you turn on the water in your sink, shower, or bathtub, but it starts to back up instead of drain. Your initial instinct is to reach for that container of thick blue liquid with scary-sounding chemicals because it will get the job done quickly after watching endless commercials for liquid drain cleaners, right?
It’s usually a good idea to call your plumbing contractor if you get drain problems because you should attempt to do something other than plumbing. But here are some recommendations from them if you decide to DIY it:
DIY Drain Maintenance
Two simple, low-cost options might work if your drains are just a tiny bit slow or you want to clean your drains every month to prevent gunk from accumulating along pipe walls:
- Hot water: Pour a lot of hot water—not boiling—down the drain that needs to be fixed or cleaned. To clear up the clogs that you just melted away, follow it up with some cool water.
- Baking soda and vinegar: Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain and then half a cup of vinegar. Let it sit overnight with the sink plugged in. The drains will function (and smell) like new if you flush them with hot water in the morning. We advise carrying this out once each month.
Put down the bottle of drain cleaning and keep an auger, a drain snake, and a cup plunger on hand in case you encounter a clogged drain and want to attempt to unclog it yourself before calling in the professionals.
Avoid Drain Clogs: What Not to Put Down the Drain
Of course, using a drain correctly from the start is the greatest method to prevent a clog. The following is a list of the most typical items people flush down the toilet or drain that can have serious consequences over time:
- Grease, fats, or oil (pour them into a jar, wait for them to solidify, then throw them away!)
- Eggshells
- Pasta, rice, and potatoes (starchy things)
- Bones
- Stringy or fibrous foods
- Coffee grounds
- Feminine products (sanitary napkins, etc.)
- Tissues and paper towels
- “Flushable” wipes
- Hair (get a stopper for your shower or tub!)
Looking for a plumbing contractor in Alameda, CA? Reach out Alameda's H & R Plumbing Services for the job. Call (510) 256-9732 now to get quality plumbing services!