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No matter how careful you are about keeping your house spotless, there’s a hidden mess lurking behind the scenes in your pipes. Maybe your bathroom sink is so clean you could eat a meal off of it, but those pipes probably aren’t!
If you aren’t keeping your drains healthy and clean, they are turning into breeding grounds for germs and filling up with debris that can clog your pipes. To keep this from happening, follow these 5 tips to keep your drains clean.
5 Ways to Avoid Clogged and Dirty Drains
- The number one rule: No grease down the drain! Grease and oil and pipes don’t mix, although it’s an easy and fast way to get rid of the nasty byproduct. For the most part, grease and kitchen sinks are more of a problem, but hair products and cosmetics often contain this clogging agent, too.
Grease and oils may look like liquids when you pour them down the sink, but they bond with just about anything they touch on the way down to form one big clog. Instead of dumping them down the drain, have a container nearby that you can empty your product into. Just be sure to get rid of the grease frequently, since if it stands for too long it can cause disgusting odors.
- Use hot water. Not everyone can handle really hot temperatures, but it’s the surefire way to get rid of germs on your hands and in your drain. If you can’t stand to rinse off in hot water, at least run the faucet as hot as it will go weekly.
- Keep it clean! You can clean your drain without harsh cleaning products. Bleach and other chemicals are not recommended for all pipes or clogs since they can cause more harm than good.
Before you dump the cheapest product down your sink, find the best drain cleaners with good reputations.
- Prevent clogs with a drain trap. Prevention is always a better solution. Luckily, there’s an easy way to prevent clogs in your bathroom drain: using a drain trap.
Drain traps go over your sink opening to catch any non-liquid items that may have otherwise gone down the drain. It’s a great way to trap pesky hair, soap scum, and the jewelry you accidentally dropped before they disappear into your pipes.
- Avoid buildup in other parts of the house. Whatever you pour down the drain in the rest of the house can eventually cause a backup in your bathroom drains. You can keep this from happening by being careful what you let go down the drain in your other sinks, using drain traps throughout your house, and using the right cleaning products for the job.
Like oil and grease, there are some things that should never go down a drain. Some of them you might be aware of, like bones and fruit peels. But other items that can cause damage to your pipes might appear harmless, such as coffee grounds and eggshells.
Keep Your Drains Clean to Prevent Big Messes
These 5 tips will help you easily incorporate your bathroom’s drain health into your routines. The knowledge you take away will help you prevent clogs and pipe damage.
