A Complete Guide to Cleaning Your Home’s Drains

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Clogged Drain

Homeowners should take special care to clean and maintain drains. If you think we are suggesting a messy and delirious way of cleaning, you are grossly mistaken. Drain cleaning can be systematic and efficient. Here’s a simple guide to cleaning your home’s drains like a pro.

Things You’ll Need:

  • Hand gloves
  • Face mask
  • Plunger
  • Drain snake
  • Disinfectant
  • Vinegar and Baking Soda

Step 1: Identify Potential Clogs

Before you embark on the mission to clean drains, you should identify the headquarters of your arch-enemy – the drain clog. In an average household, clogs are most likely to be found in the kitchen and toilet drains.

Usually, clogs take some time to build up. If you survey your home’s plumbing and notice any of the following signs, there is a good reason to suspect clogged drains.

The sink collects with water and takes too long to drain out. The bathtub takes unusually long to empty. There is a strong odor coming from the drains. Metal pipes start rusting. The toilet doesn’t flush out waste. There are sewer backup issues in drains or toilets. The emptying sink or drain makes persistent gurgling sounds. The sewer cleanout starts overflowing.

Step 2: Clearing Clogged Drains

If there is a clog, it needs to be cleared before you can clean the drain. If the clog isn’t removed, your attempt to clean the drain is pointless because there’s only going to be flooding and mess. Let’s tell you about the most convenient and effective ways of clearing a clog:

  • Use a plunger: A plunger is a common cleaning tool and can be purchased at the supermarket. It is rather easy to work with a plunger. Some plungers are designed specifically for cleaning the toilet. But we recommend going for the bellow-style plungers that are effective for toilets, drains, sinks, and bathtubs.
  • Use a drain snake: You can find a drain snake at the plumbing section of any hardware store. A drain snake is useful for clearing clogs that are located deep inside the drain. Before inserting the drain snake in the drain, remove the drain cover. With a close grip, rotate the handle of the drain snake and keep pushing it down until you can feel the resistance of a clog. Now you need to pull it up and down slightly and hook on to the blockage. Finally, pull out the drain snake slowly and remove the clog completely.

If these methods don’t work for you, you should call Roto-Rooter for emergency drain services. Never use chemical drain cleaners because they can corrode and damage your pipelines.

Step 3: Aroma Therapy For Drains

Now that you’re down with the mighty clog, you should clean the drain and get rid of the unpleasant odors. The buildup might have hung-out in your drain for long enough to leave behind a horrid smell that will not go away so easily.

Don’t worry. The battle is not lost yet. Some quick and easy homemade cleaners will leave your bathroom and kitchen smelling fresh and pleasant again.

The most convenient homemade cleaner is a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. The process involves pouring half a cup of baking powder followed by half a cup of vinegar in the drain. Let it sit for about an hour, and then flush the drain with hot water. This will clean out any residue or deposit on fixtures and drain covers and get rid of harmful germs and bacteria.

Step 4: Preventing Clogs In The Future

Regular drain maintenance and cleaning are good habits, but you should know that frequent clogs are not good for the drains. You should take steps to prevent clogs in the future and keep your home plumbing problem-free for years to come.

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Preeti Shah
Preeti Shah is a person who loves checking out different styles and designs of houses. She took interior designing in college and is practicing in the field of home improvement for five years now. In her spare time, she is usually searching the web for interesting and fascinating home designs.

1 COMMENT

  1. It really helped when you talked about how to clean your house’s drains. Recently, my wife and I realized how our drains keep getting clogged. We tried it all, but nothing seems to help our drains, so we’ll be sure to call a plumber’s help and follow your tips in the future! Thanks for the advice on what gear we’ll need to clean our drains.http://www.clogbustersnc.com/drain-field

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