How to Prevent a Clogged Drain

No one wakes up in the morning thinking, “I hope I get to deal with a clogged drain today!” Okay, maybe we do, but that’s because it’s our job – we love helping out with all kinds of plumbing needs. The point is, having a clogged drain is the ultimate bummer. If it’s preventable, why not try to prevent it, right?

Here’s the good news: there are many ways to prevent a clogged drain. You may be annoyed this time, but next time around you’ll know just what to do in order to ward off any potential drain clogs. We work with drains on a daily basis, so we’ve seen all kinds of clogs. We’re going to walk you through all the things you need to know about drain clogs and how to prevent them from popping up again in the future.

The Basics: What is a Clogged Drain?

In order to spot it, you need to know what it is. A clogged drain is fairly self-explanatory, but it comes in all forms. To put it simply, a clogged drain is what happens when your drain is blocked by something (or multiple things), which prevents anything from going down it. Your drain works as a vessel to let water out, so that means it needs to be functioning properly at all times.

Causes of Clogged Drains

All kinds of things can clog up a drain, one of the most common being hair. A lot of hair comes out when people shower, and when it falls to the shower floor, it has the potential to get caught up in the drain. The same thing happens with sinks.

Another common cause is grease build-up. This happens in kitchen and bathroom sinks, and over time, it can lead to a nasty drain clog. Think about it: Kitchen sinks are filled with grease. You’re cleaning all of your dishes, and the excess grease spills to the bottom and goes down the drain. But over time, that grease builds up. Bathroom sinks are similar, because a lot of products go down the drain – face wash, lotion, and toothpaste, to name a few.

You didn’t think that we would forget about toilet clogs, did you? These can be the absolute worst, because they typically get pretty gross. Toilet clogs happen fairly often, though, because there are only certain things that can go down the toilet. When you try to flush down items other than toilet paper, you may face a toilet clog.

How to Prevent the Clogs

So we’ve gone over all the types of common drain clogs, but how do you actually prevent them? We’ve seen it all, so we decided to compile a list of do's and don’ts in order to help you avoid those nasty clogs.

Do: Catch your hair before it goes down the drain.

Backed-up and slow draining showers and tubs are usually caused by hair that builds up around the drain cover and in the short bends of pipe. Why not catch most of these hairs before they cause a problem? Try purchasing a hair catcher that will attach to your shower or tub drain, You can find them online or at home improvement stores for under 10 dollars. Some work better than others but it may be a cheap price to pay versus calling someone for emergency plumbing services.

Don’t: Flush products down the toilet other than toilet paper.

You’ve seen it on the back of every public restroom door: Only flush things that are flush-able. It may be tempting to flush something else down the toilet, but this could clog your toilet. Think about it this way: Would you rather just take the time to throw something away or deal with a clogged toilet?

Do: Clean your sinks regularly.

The next time you cook bacon or something greasy, remember to give your sink a thorough cleaning afterwards. Time after time, this grease builds up and can lead to a clogged drain. Just stay ahead of the game by keeping your sinks clean on a regular basis. Try running the garbage disposal and then putting some hot water and dish soap down the drain. This should help keep the grease away!

Don’t: Put any foreign objects down the drain.

If you have a question about it, you probably shouldn’t do it. Anything that looks like it isn’t drain-friendly probably is bad for your drain, so your best bet is to throw it out. Remember: drains aren’t there to just get rid of your garbage. They can only do so much!

Not all drains are made equal, so you never quite know what you’re going to get. With that said, these steps will help you to avoid clogged drains. 

Check out our blog at www.plumbingrehab.com for occasional plumbing DIY and instructional posts.