As a homeowner, you have many ongoing tasks to keep your home running smoothly. Among these tasks is the maintenance of your plumbing and drainage systems.
Even with normal or minimal household usage, the drains in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room can become slow and clogged over time. To keep your drains in good working order, only allow water to drain into them.
The most common hazards for residential drains are hair, grease, oil, garbage, debris, and soap scum. These things can clog your drains, cause corrosion, create sewage backups, and result in costly repairs.
Here are some DIY actions that you can do to maintain residential drains and minimize clogs.
Install Drain Screens
To protect your drains and keep them clear, install drain screens. These screens fit in the middle of a drainpipe and hang below the opening.
These screens can be easily purchased at any hardware store. They will take the place of the lavatory pop-up drain and are simple to install.
Clean Drain Screens
Periodically, remove the drain screens and clean them. Hold them upside down over a trash can or bucket and knock them against the side to dislodge debris particles.
Next, pour hot water through the back of the drain screen and rinse away more debris particles. Cover the back of the drain screen with liquid dish soap and scrub with a toothbrush and hot water.
Sprinkle baking soda on both sides of the drain screen and scrub it again with a toothbrush. This will dissolve any remaining grease, oil, and soap scum.
Flush Drainage Pipes
Once a week, squirt a generous amount of liquid dish soap into your drains. Allow the liquid soap to drip down into the pipes for five to ten minutes.
Follow the liquid dish soap with a pot of boiling water added a little at a time. The liquid dish soap will loosen debris within the drainage pipes and the heat from the boiling water will dissolve and flush the debris away.
Prepare to Shower or Bathe
One important change you can make to help maintain residential drains is avoiding loose hair. Before you take a shower or bath, brush your hair with a hairbrush or comb. This will remove any loose hairs and prevent them from being washed down the drain.
Gather Loose Hair While You Shower or Bathe
As you shower or bathe, gather any loose hair that you see or have on your hands and stick it to the ceramic tile. After your shower or bath, wipe up this accumulated hair and throw it away.
Use a Plunger or Snake
Whenever you notice that your drains are running slow, use a plunger or plumbing snake to dislodge debris and hair clogs. Avoid using chemical drain cleaners as they can damage pipes, solidify inside of drainage pipes, and give off an unhealthy gas.
Make a Natural Drain Cleaner
To clean your sink, bathtub or shower drains, make a natural cleaner with salt and vinegar. To do this, pour two tablespoons of table salt into your drain and follow it with one cup of plain white vinegar. Let this mixture sit in the drain for an hour or more and then rinse it away with hot water.
Whenever you find that your drains are running slow and your DIY methods are not as effective as they have been, you need to get professional help. Contact us at Rakeman Plumbing and Rakeman Air for professional plumbing and drainage service. We can maintain residential drains, drain systems, and troubleshoot any problems that may arise!
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