7 Insights For Preventing Clogged Drains

Clogged or slow drains are by far the most common plumbing problems. But many drain stoppages are easy to avoid. Our expert plumbers at Mr. Plumber have put together a list of seven tips to help you prevent the annoyance of a clogged drain.

Never pour grease, fats or other cooking oils down your drains.
Don’t use your sink as a disposal for grease, fats and oils as they will solidify inside of your plumbing, creating difficult to clear clogs in your drain.

Run cold water whenever using your kitchen disposal
It is also a good idea to continue to run the water at least 15 seconds after you turn the disposal off. This ensures all the food scraps will be thoroughly flushed down the drain and all the way through your plumbing.

Never use the disposal for hard, stringy or fibrous materials.
Whenever possible, food scraps should be thrown in the garbage, rather than rinsed down the drain. Objects like poultry skins, carrots, celery, banana peels, peach pits, bones, etc., are especially harmful to your disposal and lead to clogged drains.

Clean and sharpen your disposal with ice cubes.
Like all appliances, your kitchen disposal needs to be cleaned occasionally in order to function properly. Running a few ice cubes through the disposal will clean off any debris stuck to it and also sharpen the blades.

All of your drains should have strainers.
Strainers catch hair, pieces of soap and other objects that can lead to clogged drains. Purchasing and installing strainers on each of your drains is inexpensive and effective.

Clean your drain strainers.
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip. If you don’t regularly clean your drain strainers, they become useless. While cleaning them can be unpleasant, it is much easier and cheaper than having to clear a clogged drain later.

Your toilet is not a wastebasket.
Many of the clogs we are called out for in toilets are a result of flushing sanitary products, cotton balls and diapers down the toilet. The only product you should ever flush down the toilet is toilet paper. Even facial tissues can cause clogs because they are not made to dissolve like toilet paper.

By taking the time to follow these seven simple plumbing maintenance tips, you will minimize your risk of contracting a slow or clogged drain.