Clogged drains are problems that no one wants to deal with, especially in the heat of the summer. When you notice a clogged drain you should rectify the situation immediately so that it does not worsen to the point of an overflow or other serious problem. If you haven’t experienced a clogged drain yet you should follow our tips in this post to prevent the drains in your home from becoming clogged.

Utilize Hot Water, Baking Soda, & Detergent

Hot water isn’t just important to use when washing your hands or the dishes. It also makes for a great tool to preventing clogged drains. After each time you pour something down the drain you should run hot water. The hot water will help prevent oil from food building up in the drain and continuing down through the pipes.

Baking soda is a great tool for cleaning different things around the house. It works especially well when paired with detergent. The two combined can do wonders for cleaning out the drain in your kitchen sink. Not only do baking soda + detergent help move grease and oil through the drain but it also helps rid the drain of odors left behind by food. 

Install a Mesh Screen or Pop Up Stopper

Every shower and tub drain in your home should have a mesh screen installed. This screen will catch hair before it enters the drain. Hair collecting in a shower or tub drain is never fun to deal with, especially since it will have a terrible odor when you remove it.

The sinks in your bathrooms should have pop up stoppers installed. These stoppers will catch hair, dental floss, and other small items that somehow make it down the drain. Clean these stoppers often, especially if you shave in the sink and not the shower, or else it can cause the sink to drain slowly.

Flush Drains Regularly

Flushing the drains in your home on a regular basis can help prevent clogs this summer. You can flush the pipes by using a large amount of water. Fill a bucket to the brim and pour it into the sink and the toilet. As you pour it into the toilet make sure you flush it repeatedly to help flush out any debris in the drains.

Toilets are Not a Trash Can

Toilets are not a trash can. This is important to note because when you flush items down the toilet they can easily cause clogs. The biggest culprits of flushing items that shouldn’t be flushed are children. Keep an eye on them or install protective clips on the toilet so your kids can’t flush anything. You should not flush baby wipes, paper towels, tampons, pads, sponges or other thick items.

Avoid Using the Garbage Disposal

It’s very convenient to have a garbage disposal in the kitchen but it can also lead to quite a few problems. Many people will simply dump anything and everything into the sink in the hopes that the disposal will chop it up and get rid of it.

You really should clear off most of your plate after every meal by dumping bones and other items in the trash and not in the garbage disposal. This will help prevent clogs and damage to the disposal and the drain.

If you choose to use the disposal make sure you run cold water while operating it, not warm water. The cold water will keep the grease and oil from the food intact so that it can be broken up by the disposal. Only run warm water once you are done using the disposal to clear out any residue from the drain.

Preventing clogged drains this summer takes just a little effort from everyone in your household. Follow the tips outlined in this post to help your efforts in preventing a clogged drain. If these efforts don’t help, it’s time to call a licensed plumber to unclog the drain.