November 25, 2012

5 Tips for Keeping Kitchen and Bathroom Sinks Clean & Clear

Bathroom drains routinely become slow from substances like toothpaste, shaving cream, and hair. Kitchen sink drains tend to clog from oil and grease that solidify over time. The best way to keep your sinks clean, is to keep your drains clear. From boiling hot water to DIY drain clearing solution, there’s a good chance you have the tools to keep your drains clean and clear right at home! 

When you maintain free-flowing drains, it’s easier to keep your sinks clean. They’ll be less likely to get coated with gunk that would otherwise become backed up and make a mess. Learn how to keep your drains clear, sinks clean, and plumbing in tip-top shape! 

What are the dangers of a dirty drain? 

When your kitchen and bathroom sink drains get clogged and dirty, it’s not just a nuisance, it can be damaging and dangerous. Some of the issues of dirty drains include:

• Health Issues. Blocked drains can exacerbate existing problems in a person’s health. The additional microbes and bacteria with the potential to grow mold irritates those with asthma, for example. 
• Structural damage. Flooding water can soak into the foundation and corners of your home, weakening the structural integrity and causing pipes to leak, or breakdown. Some homes may suffer flooding that warps floorboards and rots wall supports. 
• Pests. Stagnant water attracts pests like mosquitoes, for example. 

How do I keep my drains clean and clear? 

Fortunately, it’s easy to treat and prevent your drains from clogging up, simply by using items you already have at home. 

1. Use DIY pipe clearing solution – For cleaning bathroom drains, ordinary table salt can be very effective. Pour at least one tablespoon of salt into your bathroom drain followed by ¼ cup of plain white vinegar, and let it sit for an hour. Then, run hot water to clear out the loosened substances from the drain. For best results, do this a second time. 
2. Maintain cleanliness – After you use your table salt clearing solution, it’s important to maintain cleanliness to prevent another clog. To do so, pour a little bleach into the sink from time to time. Let it sit for at least an hour (the longer the better) and then run water down the drain. 
3. Clear out grease – Grease build-up in your kitchen sink drain can be remedied with liquid dish detergent and a lot of boiling water. Put a big pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Squirt at least a tablespoon of dish liquid directly into your drain. Pour the boiling water into the drain, just a little at a time. The rapidly boiling water will melt grease deposits while the detergent helps to dissolve grease and oil and allow the boiling water to flush it away. If the grease build-up is substantial, repeat this process two to three more times. 
4. Use hot water – Simply pouring hot water down your kitchen and bathroom sink drains once a week can go a long way. For the kitchen sink, hot water will help melt and flush away light grease deposits. Bathroom drains benefit from very hot water because it can remove excess residue and gunk. 
5. Use cold water… wisely – When running your garbage disposal, run copious amounts of cold water down the drain. Cold water will keep oils and grease in a solid state so they can be broken up by the disposal; hot water will only melt and soften grease and encourage it to coat the garbage disposal. 

If you’ve tried the tips above and your clog won’t go away or continues to return, it may be time to get in touch with the professionals. Applewood’s licensed plumbers are experts at opening slow drains and repairing damaged drain lines. If you have a problem you can’t seem to solve on your own, get in touch with Applewood today!