Household drains are one of those things you simply don’t think about until something goes wrong. And then, hoo boy, do drains make themselves known in a BIG way! The smell of a blocked drain has to rate up there with the least charming household odours, or at least to me they do! And then of course comes the even more charming experience of unclogging the blockage, which can be made up of all kinds of nasty slimy joys that you have to grit your teeth and endure.
What’s even better (by which I mean, it gets worse) is that a blocked drain is simply not a job you can leave for later in the week. A kitchen sink that won’t drain stops all action for dinner, and how about a blocked toilet, anyone? Particularly when you’ve just flushed and it starts flooding…blegh!!
Now I’ve left you with that delightful image, you will surely agree it is better by far to undertake a few small changes in your routine to prevent this ruining your day.
In the kitchen, collect all that lovely grease from your Sunday roast and pop it into an old can or trash container, then dispose of it in your bin. Fatty, greasy substances collect in the bend in your kitchen drain and as they cool they harden into blockages.
Do you wash your dishes in the sink? The same way you wouldn’t stick a chunky plate mess in the dishwasher (isn’t chunky a disgusting word!) make sure you scrape everything you can, including sauces, into your bin before washing to prevent any collection in the drain of those lovely chunks. You should definitely make sure that you have a drain grate as well to catch larger bits you may have missed. If you’re rinsing a greasy plate, run some hot water down the sink afterwards to prevent any greasy residue from cooling in the pipes.
It’s well worth your while as a preventative measure to also run hot water down the drain after every use and once a week give your kitchen drain a white vinegar cleanse. Pour 1 cup down the drain and leave for 30 minutes, then run hot water to flush the vinegar and broken down crud from your plumbing away.
For your toilet, try and prevent things being flushed down that shouldn’t be! If you have little ones, make sure it’s a toy no-go zone. Also ensure they know not to try and find out what flushing down the toilet paper rolls does (it seems to occur to every small child at some point.) For toys you can try and use a bent coat hanger to hook it out of the bend, or for toilet paper or other debris pull out that faithful plunger - it’s a plumbing godsend.
This is a bit of a random tip but anyone who has a hairy pet like me will identify with it…keep your furry friend out of locations like showers and bath tubs! Those lovely tumbleweeds of fur drifting about your rooms are fantastic culprits when it comes to drain blockages. My dog loves to follow me room to room but the bathroom is now a no-go zone after pulling out too many fluffballs from the shower drain. Wet dog hair, entirely apart from causing blockages, is just plain nasty!
If you’re having severe problems with serial or stubborn blockages, you are likely to need a professional plumber as you may be facing tree roots in your pipes, damaged pipes or deeper blockages that are out of reach of household DIY fixes. To find your local plumber check out our LookLocalWA directory.
-Em from the LookLocalWA team
