One day your sink is draining fine, the next it is filling up with water. What a disaster! A clogged drain can sneak up on you fast, but there are some simple steps you can take every day to keep your drains clear. One of the easiest ways to clean a drain regularly is with baking soda and vinegar. Use a good amount of baking soda in the drain, then add plain white vinegar.
It will foam while it cleans – this is good! After about a minute, run very hot water down the sink until you cannot hear any foaming. This is a great way to clean an unclogged drain and freshen the smell. Kitchen sinks are the most difficult to keep clear, but other sinks can have problems, too. Simple prevention, through care and cleaning, is the best way to keep your drains from getting clogged.
In your kitchen, be careful what goes down your drain. Try to avoid letting noodles and sticky foods get down your drain, especially if you do not have a garbage disposal. These foods can clog your pipes quickly, and sticky messes will grab more food to make bigger clogs. If you do have a garbage disposal, you still need to be careful of what goes into your sink. Don’t try to put tough foods, like artichokes or soybean shells, through the garbage disposal. It won’t work very well! Another thing to avoid is grease! Grease buildup in your drains can cause horrible clogs.
Bathroom drains can get clogged easily, too. Sinks, showers, and tubs can get clogged easily with hair, especially if someone in the house has long hair. Hair in the drain can also cause a clog by gathering soap scum, which makes the hair sticky and unpleasant to remove. Whenever you see hair in the drain, take it out. It is a good idea to remove excess hair from the drain after every use. This will prevent build up over time, which will keep your drains clear.
The best cure for clogged drains, like so many other things in life, is prevention. Keep your drains clean to prevent clogs. Regularly clear them out with a snake or similar tool, to catch early clogs that are a bit further down the pipe. Be smart about what goes down your drains. Paint is a terrible thing to pour down your drains. It can coat your pipes and cause clogs. If you do end up with a clog, call a plumber right away. Letting a clog sit in the pipes just because you aren’t using that drain isn’t preventing further problems.