Everyone has had to clean clogged drain pipes at one time or another. Your drain in either the bathroom or kitchen is bound to get clogged up at one point. It is imperative that you should know how to maintain drain pipes and keep them free flowing as much as possible. We have a list of a few tips below to keep them clean and clog free.
Tips to Maintain Drain Pipes
The first tip is to have a nearby garbage disposal bin in your kitchen or anywhere near the drain. It is so much easier to just drop peelings from cucumbers, potatoes, and other vegetables than to gather them up and throw them in the trash bin. Fruit peelings also fall under this category.
Unless you have cut the peelings into very small fragments, never throw them into the garbage disposal. You don’t want them to get the blade bogged down and peelings and other garbage trapped in the drain.
The next tip to maintain drain pipes is to keep the grease away from the grain. It is really tempting to just wash down left over gravy since it is really easy. Used frying oil, bacon grease, and butter dips also cause the same problem. To unclog and maintain drain pipes boil water in a pan.
Once the water boils pour it down the clogged drain slowly. You may want to alternate squirting down some dishwashing soap with pouring some boiling water. That way, you do not only dislodge any deposits of fat and grease, you also get to clean up the drain in the process.
Another thing that clogs your drain pipes is soap scum. The situation is only made much worse if you have hard water going down the drain as well. This is a problem you’ll commonly have in your bathroom especially in the tub or shower. A good way to maintain drain pipes is to install hair traps on your bathtub and shower drains.
You may also want to keep traps on your sink drains and any other drain that catches body hair and excess soap. You can buy solutions and cleaners that can remove the excess hard water buildup. Pour this down the drain once a week as a periodic maintenance.
There are those who add a cup of bleach to said solutions and flushing out suds and soap scum with that using boiling water. This can also be quite effective on other debris clogging your drain. However, take note that you should only use cleaning agents in areas that are well ventilated.
