Few household headaches are more frustrating than a clogged drain. One moment, water runs smoothly down the sink; the next, it is pooling and refusing to move. This change disrupts your daily routine, whether you are trying to wash dishes, rinse vegetables, or brush your teeth.
Clogs rarely appear suddenly. Instead, they often result from a slow buildup of materials over time. Substances such as soap scum, grease, hair, and food particles accumulate along the pipe walls, narrowing the passage until water can no longer flow freely.
Then over weeks or months, what began as a small inconvenience can develop into a complete blockage which requires professional attention.
1. Carefully consider what you put down the drain
The best way to stop blockages from happening? Pay closer attention to what you put in your bathroom drain or kitchen sink. If it’s just water or other liquids going down your drains, you usually will not have anything to worry about.
However, once solids enter the picture, the troubles can begin. The restrictions worth considering vary depending on the kind of drains you have.
What to Keep Out of the Kitchen Sink:
- Grease
- Lard
- Cooking oil
- Eggshells
- Rice
- Bones
- Seeds
What to Keep Out of the Bathroom Sink:
- Hair
- Fingernails
- Dental floss
- Blobs of toothpaste
- Blobs of shaving cream
What Not to Flush Down the Toilet:
- Menstrual products
- Wipes
- Dental floss
In general, a good rule of thumb is to avoid flushing anything that isn’t human waste and toilet paper.
2. Use drain guards
A secondary measure to prevent clogs are drain guards. Drain guards come in a variety of types, including mesh and perforated versions. They are generally inexpensive and easy to find at most hardware stores.
Make sure you choose a drain guard that fits your drain hole well to ensure effectiveness. Once you install this guard, it will catch things like food scraps or hair, stopping them from blocking your drains.
3. Daily drain cleaning
Another preventative care approach is to make drain cleaning part of your daily routine. If you clean the drains at the end of each day, it won’t build up and block or slow your water flow. Just remove the stopper or drain guard from the drain, clean it thoroughly, and then put it back in place.
Remember to never clean the guard over an open drain. This could lead to the debris you clean off going down your drain. Instead, clean the guard with an old toothbrush or sponge over a trash can.
Rinse it in a separate basin or use a fine mesh strainer underneath to catch anything that falls. After cleaning the drain guard, look down the drain opening itself. If you see any visible buildup near the top, use a paper towel or drain cleaning brush to remove it.
4. Schedule routine professional inspections
Even with the best habits, drains can hide problems deeper in the plumbing where you cannot see them. Small cracks and mineral buildup, or even tree root intrusion can often go unnoticed until they create major damage.
Booking an occasional inspection with a plumber helps catch those early warning signs before they spiral into expensive repairs. Think of it as a regular health checkup for your pipes. They’re quick, preventative, and ultimately less stressful than dealing with an emergency.
Why Rooter-Man Is the Go-to for Drain Cleaning
Although the preventative care tips mentioned above are quite effective when it comes to stopping clogged drains, sometimes, blockages can still occur despite our best efforts.
Dealing with stubborn clogs? The best course of action is to contact a reliable provider of professional drain cleaning services, like Rooter-Man. Not only do we offer 24/7 emergency plumbing services, but we also know all the ins and outs of drain cleaning.
Our team of expert plumbers have dealt with blockages of all types and other severities over the last 54 years. In addition to being efficient and highly effective, our drain cleaning methods are environmentally friendly, unlike most DIY solutions that use harsh chemical cleaners.
Before we get to the drain cleaning itself, we use state-of-the-art drain camera inspection techniques to locate the source of the issue that is blocking your water flow and we assess the extent of any obstructions that exist. From there, we can clear your drains either with hot water hydro jetting, which uses highly pressurized water to remove even the toughest blockages, or by using an advanced drain snaking device to dismantle and remove any debris blocking your pipes.
If any pipe maintenance or repairs are needed, we are also equipped to aid you in such matters, providing solutions that will ensure the integrity of your pipes is maintained for the long-term.
For more information about our drain cleaning or pipe maintenance services, or to learn more about how hydro jetting or drain snaking works, call Rooter-Man at 1-888-828-ROOT (7668) or contact us here.
