Tips On Properly Maintaining Your Drains
There are many simple things that can be done by just about anyone at home to keep drains clear and problem free. The most common drain problems are clogs, whether in the kitchen, bathroom or garage these can be easy to prevent. While cooking save the excess grease from the pan and drain it into an empty coffee can or even a waxed cardboard milk carton and dispose of it in the trash instead of down the sink. By the way, don’t toss those coffee grounds down the sink either, always throw them in the trash or use them with your mulch. Drain covers or screens can easily be placed over the drain’s opening and should be used on every fixture possible. They help catch bits of food in the kitchen, grit and plant matter in the garage and the usual hair and soap scum in bathroom. These can easily be found at your local hardware store, just make sure you accurately measure your drains first.
Other simple methods to keep your drains clear are running hot water for a brief period or flushing them by pouring boiling water down the drain. For more stubborn drains lye and lye based drain cleaners are also a simple easy to use way to clean drains, but always be sure to follow the directions on the package, incorrect use can be dangerous. If you prefer not to use lye a handful of baking soda followed by hot water, white vinegar by itself or salt and baking soda with vinegar followed by hot water can all do a nice job as well. For garbage disposals fill an ice tray with half white vinegar and half water, freeze, turn on your disposal and add the cubes, vinegar is an acidic cleanser and the ice freezes grease and scrapes the pipe clean.
You can flush your drains with any of these methods weekly, monthly or yearly, however often you feel it is needed. You shouldn’t wait for problems to materialize though, with regular maintenance slow drains can be a thing of the past.
Are you dealing with clogged drains in your Naperville home? Call Jim Wagner Plumbing, Inc. at (630) 577-9241 and schedule a service call today!
