Here at Shaw plumbing we have seen all kinds of things clogged drains resulting from (give example) to (example) even a (extreme example). We wouldn’t be the top Spokane plumbing company if we didn’t extend to our neighbor’s some helpful tips and tricks, we have learned about unclogging drains and preventing clogged drains in every room in the house.

Preventing Clogged Drains

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So, here are some helpful tips for preventing clogged drains from every room in the house.

Preventing Kitchen Drain Clogs

If your sink doesn’t have a garbage disposal use a strainer to keep kitchen scraps from going down your drain and avoid pouring grease down your drain. Periodically flush your drain with hot running water in order to help prevent any buildup of greasy residue.

Even if you have a garbage in your kitchen sink it’s best to limit the amount of refuse you put down the disposal. Certain items are also more likely to clog drains like coffee grounds, banana peels, eggshells and grease. Take care to run a steady stream of cold water down your garbage disposal when you are using it as well.

Preventing Bathroom Drain Clogs

Shower and bath drains tend to build up with soap and hair and require frequent cleaning. We don’t recommend using drain clog removing liquids because these corrosive substances can actually damage your pipes. Instead you can clean the drain by hand or call a drain cleaning specialist. A shower drain hair catcher can be purchased online or in many stores and can prevent hair from entering the shower drain to begin with. In addition to this brushing your hair before you take a shower or bath. If you have pets that you wash in the bath or shower, make sure to put a fine guard or washcloth over the drain in order to prevent fine hairs from building up in your drain.

Toilets are only meant to be used for human waste and toilet paper. Other items such as paper towels, dental floss, feminine hygiene products and other household waste should never be flushed down the toilet.

Preventing Laundry Room Drain Clogs

Some washers and dryers drain directly into a sink, a lint stopper is recommended for these kinds of drains. Other laundry rooms have an additional drain in the floor, it’s important to prevent this drain from gathering lint with a guard as well.

Unclogging Drains

Even the most fastidious drain maintenance focused homeowner will most likely be faced with a clogged drain. Your drains will most likely not build up a slow clog if your practicing good drain maintenance, but what if you drop something down the drain? What can you do to get it out. As previously mentioned, using chemicals to unclog your drain can wreak havoc on your pipes and lead to serious plumbing issues so we advise against this. but there are some simple steps you can follow to remove some of the most common drain clogs.

Try plunging the drain first

Plunging is the lease invasive and frequently overlooked option for a clogged drain.

Disconnect the trap (if applicable) – Bathroom and kitchen sinks have a p-trap that can host some pretty nasty clogs.

Use a snake – this one isn’t for everyone it can be tiring, and a manual snake only goes so far on tough clogs. For serious clogs we recommend calling in one of our expert drain cleaning professionals to bust those clogs for good.