January 23, 2025
How to Keep Kitchen and Bathroom Drains from Clogging [Video]
5 Tips To Clear Your Drains and Keep Your Sinks Clean
Bathroom drains routinely slow from substances like toothpaste, shaving cream, and hair. Kitchen sink drains tend to clog from food waste and solidified oil and grease. Mineral build-up or shifting pipes can also lead to clogs. In this short video, we cover the most common causes of a clogged kitchen or bathroom drain and how to prevent them. Scroll down for more tips on how to keep your drains clean.
Why Keeping Drainpipes Clean Is Important
When your kitchen and bathroom sink drains become clogged and dirty, it’s not just a nuisance. Build-up within pipes can damage your plumbing and harm your health. Some of the issues of dirty drains include:
- Health Issues. Blocked drains can exacerbate existing health problems. For example, additional microbes, bacteria, and mold growth can worsen asthma symptoms.
- Structural damage. Drains that keep clogging weaken the structural integrity of pipes and can cause them to leak or break down. In worst-case scenarios, homes may suffer flooding that warps floorboards and rots wall supports.
- Pests. Stagnant water attracts pests like mosquitoes and drain flies.
Clogged drains are one of the most common issues we deal with daily. Unfortunately, poor preventative drain maintenance can lead to much bigger (and more expensive) problems. Take good care of your plumbing to ensure it lasts a long time. Address clogs when they happen and ensure your pipes are properly cleaned out regularly.that your pipes are properly cleaned out regularly.
How To Keep Your 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.
- Make a DIY Drain Cleaning Solution
Ordinary table salt can be very effective for cleaning bathroom drains. Pour at least one tablespoon of salt into your bathroom drain opening, followed by ¼ cup of plain white vinegar, and let it sit for an hour. Then, run hot water to remove the loosened substances from the drain. For best results, do this a second time. Avoid using chemical drain cleaners, as they will damage your pipes.
- Maintain clean pipes.
Use white vinegar to maintain clean kitchen and bathroom drains. Periodically, pour a half cup down the drain, let it sit for at least an hour (the longer, the better), and then run water down the drain. Add baking soda to break up clogs.
- Clear out grease clogs.
To clean out a kitchen sink clogged with grease, use liquid dish detergent and boiling water. Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Squirt at least a tablespoon of dish liquid directly into your drain, and add the boiling water a little at a time. The boiling water will melt grease deposits while the detergent dissolves them. If your grease build-up is substantial, repeat this process two to three times.
- Clean Drains with Hot Water
Simply pouring hot water down your kitchen and bathroom sink drains once a week can go a long way. For kitchen drains, hot water will help melt and flush away light grease deposits. For bathroom sink drain pipes, very hot water will prevent excess soap scum and gunk from accumulating.
- Run Cold Water with Your Disposal
When running your garbage disposal, continuously run cold water down the drain. Cold water keeps oils and grease in a solid state so your disposal can break them up. Hot water will only melt and soften grease and encourage it to coat the garbage disposal.
Clogged Sink? No Problem
If you have a clogged sink drain in your bathroom or kitchen and you’ve tried the above tips without success, it’s time to call in the pros. When your clog won’t go away or continues to return, Applewood’s licensed plumbers can help. We’re experts at opening slow drains and repairing damaged drain lines. Call Applewood or schedule your professional drain clearing online.