Why You Should Clean Your Drains Often

If you’re like most homeowners, you’ve already experienced the annoyance and inconvenience of a clogged-up sink. Whether the kitchen drain is backed up due to grease and/or food particles or the bathroom sink is struggling to drain because of hair and soap scum, blockages have significant potential to seriously disrupt the daily routine of your household. Fortunately, you can guard against these occurrences by cleaning your drains more often. Here’s what you need to know:

 

The Benefits of Cleaning Household Drains Often

 

Drains have one of the hardest jobs of all household fixtures, handling everything from soap scum, grease, hair, and other debris. These substances can build up within the pipes, narrowing the passageways and causing the water flow to move slowly. Routine cleaning keeps drains clean and clear, minimizing buildup that can evolve into blockages.

 

As an added bonus, keeping your drains clean will minimize the likelihood of unpleasant odors caused by trapped food particles and stagnant water. They’re also less likely to attract certain household pests, such as fruit flies, that thrive in damp conditions. Regular cleaning may also increase the overall lifespan of your plumbing system.

 

How Do You Clean Your Drains?

 

Although some homeowners attempt to clean their drains themselves, this is best left to professionals who have the right tools and techniques to do the job properly. For instance, professional plumbers often use methods such as hydrojetting to deal with stubborn clogs. This is particularly effective when grease from cooking or mineral deposits are part of the picture. Drain snaking is another strategy designed to dissolve blockage and make drains clean and clear again. For big, tough jobs, your plumber might use a small camera to identify the root cause of any clogs or slow drains.

 

However, this doesn’t mean that homeowners can’t contribute to keeping their household drains in top form. Best practices include always using a screen or drain guard, avoiding pouring grease, oil, or other potentially problematic substances down the drain, and flushing drains with hot water and baking soda periodically. If you have a handheld steam cleaner, check to see if it has a drain cleaning attachment, as the high-pressure team can loosen minor clogs and residue. Try to minimize the use of harsh commercial drain cleaners — over time, these can corrode the interior of your pipes and lead to bigger problems down the road.

 

What Happens If You Don’t Clean Your Drains?

 

The obvious problem with neglecting drain maintenance is that you’ll be dealing with stubborn clogs on a regular basis. Not only does this disrupt daily activities like food preparation, cleaning, and hand washing, but it also helps create an unsanitary home environment.

 

Other negative consequences of not cleaning your drains include water damage caused by water backing up into fixtures such as sinks, tubs, and toilets, mold and mildew buildup, and damage to your plumbing pipes leading to costly repairs. In extreme cases, your pipes may even burst under the pressure of multiple serious clogs in your home.