Preventing Clogged Drains

A lot of people rarely, if ever, think about their drains until they are clogged. All of a sudden, their world comes to a grinding halt, especially if the clog is in the kitchen or the bathroom. It can be impossible to wash dishes or take a shower if your drains are clogged! And, we all need to eat and we all need to bathe daily, so as soon as we encounter a drain clog, it becomes a top priority.

The bad news is that clogged drains are inconvenient and they have to be resolved very quickly, but the good news is that with a little plumbing knowledge, a large percentage of them can be prevented. So, if the idea of saving the headache and expense of drain clogs sounds good to you, read on!

In the Kitchen

In the kitchen, your focus is on the kitchen sink and how clogs can be prevented. If you don’t have a garbage disposal, here’s our advice:

• Do not pour grease down the drain!
• Do not pour food down the drain.
• Please dispose of all grease in a glass jar and throw it in the garbage.
• Dispose of all food in the garbage; do not wash it down the sink.
• Use a strainer at all times when rinsing off dishes.

If you have a garbage disposal, still, NEVER pour grease down the drain. Beyond that, follow this advice for garbage disposals:

• Do not put bones, large chunks of meat, pasta, rice, eggshells, potato peels, celery, or coffee grinds in the garbage disposal.
• Always run cold water while grinding up food.

In the Bathroom

In the bathroom, your two biggest culprits are hair and soap scum. To prevent hair from clogging the shower or bathtub drains, invest in small screens to go over the drains and clean them out regularly. Also, once a week, pour boiling hot water down the drains to help dissolve the hair and soap scum that has accumulated in the drain.

As far as the toilet, only flush toilet paper down! Everything else is on the “do not flush” list. And if you like fancy toilet paper, beware. Sometimes super thick toilet paper leads to toilet clogs because it doesn’t break down as well as other versions.

Contact Excalibur Plumbing for all of your plumbing needs in Georgetown and the surrounding areas!