If water comes to it, it should carry it away. Your drains in your home are all part of your plumbing system.
Your sinks, showers, toilets, bathtubs, dishwashers, and washing machines would not work properly without a drain and can be a major problem if they are not working efficiently.
Dirty Drain Dangers
Drain issues can not only cause headaches, but they can be damaging and dangerous to your plumbing system and those living in your household.
Dirty or clogged drains can push additional bacteria into the air. It can cause mold to grow and release microbes and bacteria. Mold growth can irritate existing health problems such as asthma and other respiratory issues.
Just as it’s unhealthy for you and your family, it is unhealthy for your home and its structure. Flooding water from a problematic drain can soak into the foundation of your home and weaken the structural integrity. This can cause pipes to leak, which can potentially lead to catastrophic issues like a burst pipe.
Cleaning
Keeping your drains clean can add a little extra time on the weekly or monthly chores, but it is worth it to keep them working properly.
When cleaning your drains yourself, try to avoid chemical drain cleaners. They can destroy the coding of your pipes, are unhealthy for you and your family, and they don’t always solve the problem.
DIY
Instead, try a DIY solution, that can be made in minutes with some items you may already have.
There are many DIY options. Some include:
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking Soda and Lemon Juice
Baking Soda and Salt
Hot Water and Dish Soap
Salt, Baking Soda, and Cream of Tartar
Salt, Borax, and Vinegar
These DIY cleaners should all be finished off with warm water running down your drain. This not only shows you the results of the cleaner but will also help flush it through your plumbing system.
If needed these DIY solutions may be repeated, but warning, they may not always work for the issue you’re having.
Professional cleaning
If the cleaners you’ve tried just aren’t doing the trick, call your local drain cleaning professionals to complete the job for you.
Sometimes the debris is just too big of an issue, or roots from a tree could be growing into your pipes.
Tough clogs can be caused by many different things, from your kid flushing their toy down the toilet, to a large amount of grease going down the kitchen drain.
Don’t let it stress you out, there are ways to prevent clogs and other issues from happening.
Preventing Plumbing Problems
These prevention tips will help keep all your drains in tip-top shape. Continuous maintenance and cleaning are two of many ways to prevent drain issues.
It is always smart to be careful of what you put down your drains.
Some things you should never put down your drains include:
Grease
Coffee grounds
Hair
Gum
Cigarettes
Soap Scum
Eggshells
Kitty litter
Cotton Balls
Paper Towels
Wipes of any kind
Medications
Paint
Instead of disposing of these things by putting them down the drain, throw them out, in the trash.
Make it a habit to always run hot water down the sink, after using your sink drain. This will give any particles or grease a chance to flush down the system instead of building up on the inside of your pipes and causing more issues.
Use strainers for drains when necessary to ensure the wrong things don’t travel down the drain.
Dr Rooter of Lexington, are experts within the Lexington, SC, and surrounding areas and can provide top-notch drain cleaning. Call us at (803) 398-2090 for all your plumbing needs.