As a homeowner, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as a clogged drain. It disrupts the flow of your household, and worst of all, it can lead to costly repairs if not addressed promptly.

Fear not! Keeping your drains clear and unclogged doesn’t have to be a headache, and it certainly doesn’t require harsh chemicals. Follow these top tips from our plumbing experts to ensure your plumbing system stays in top-notch condition.

prevent drains clogging

Use the rubbish bin

It might seem like common sense, but we’re all guilty of forcing that last bit of leftover food down the sink after doing the dishes. Although it’s not the most enjoyable task to pick them out by hand and toss them in the bin, it does wonders for your drains. It prevents the accumulation of food residues that could eventually lead to a clogged drain.

Check the air fresheners

You might use caged toilet fresheners, but these can easily end up being flushed down the drain, causing a blockage. Luckily, the newer stick-on types of air fresheners are the solution. These fresheners adhere directly to the bowl’s side so they can’t drop away and clog the drain.

Hold the toilet paper!

Obviously, toilets are made to handle toilet paper, but using too much can cause problems because it can block your toilet or drain. So what’s too much? That’s hard to say because all toilets have different sizes and flow rates, so there’s no one-size-fits-all rule. However, here’s a tip: if you flush the toilet and the water level goes up a lot before it starts to drain, you’ve probably used too much toilet paper.

toilet paper can clog drains

Clear the shower drain

Hair is often the main culprit behind blocked shower drains. It’s usually due to either brushing your hair in the shower or shampooing, both of which can result in loose hairs settling in the grate or flushing down the drain. The problem is that over time, these hairs cause blockages. Thankfully, you can remove the hairs from the grate and with modern showers, you can usually clean the drain manually by taking off the grate. This should be done frequently to ensure your drain stays unblocked.

Keep kids away from drains

Kids are naturally curious and love to probe and experiment with their surroundings. So the drain outlet pipe in your backyard can seem like a fascinating place that needs to be filled with toys, sticks, leaves or other debris! If your little one is showing an interest in your external drains, it might be time for a discussion or, even better, introducing a new play area. While items like toys may seem amusing to shove into a drain, they’re not entertaining or simple to extract!

Bonus plumber’s tip

A great way to prevent a build-up of grease in the waste pipe of your kitchen sink is to squirt a few tablespoons of dishwashing liquid into the pipe and leave it for a few minutes. Next, plug the sink and fill it with hot water, and when it’s full, remove the plug. All that hot water will flush away any lingering grease quickly and easily.

Call Toscano Plumbing today!

To avoid costly repairs, it’s important to keep your drains clear at all times. If you think that your drains are starting to block because they’re slow to empty, then don’t hesitate to call your local blocked drain plumber for a quote.