When spring cleaning season arrives, you might have a general idea of what you wish to accomplish regarding your plumbing system. For some homeowners, these maintenance tasks can involve testing their sump pump or flushing their water heater tank. However, it’s also essential to take care of your drains.
There are many drain maintenance tips for spring that you can easily incorporate into your to-do list! When you learn how to keep drains clean, you can avoid a major headache down the road.
What Are the Consequences of a Clogged Drain?
Clogged drains might seem like a minor inconvenience, especially when you don’t have to deal with them often. But unfortunately, these common plumbing problems can cause more issues than you realize. Find out how a drain blockage can negatively affect your comfort, home, and health:
Dispose of Your Food Properly
Now that you know about the repercussions of clogged drains, it’s time to get proactive. It can be beneficial to understand how to keep drains clean. This way, you can keep your plumbing system functioning properly and avoid any unnecessary issues in the future.
First and foremost, you’ll want to ensure that you’re keeping certain clog-forming items out of your kitchen drains. Coffee grounds, cooking grease, fibrous veggies, starches, and eggshells are some of the worst food products you can put down your drains. They can form significant blockages that stop water from flowing through the pipes, resulting in water backups or slow-moving drains.
Of course, the best way to dispose of these items is to throw them away. You might be tempted to grind them up with your garbage disposal to get rid of them, as it’s the easiest solution. Unfortunately, they can also clog the disposal — and you’ll be left with an even bigger problem on your hands!
So all-in-all, watching what you put down your drains is one of the most important plumbing tips you can follow. When you know what can lead to a significant blockage, you can prevent a major disaster from happening down the line.
Invest in Strainers for Your Sinks
When discussing the best drain maintenance tips for spring, we have to mention the benefits of drain screens. These strainers, which fit right into kitchen and bathroom drains, are designed to catch food particles, bones, and other types of debris that can potentially form a blockage. This way, you can effectively prevent a clog without thinking about it.
Clean Your Garbage Disposal
As we briefly mentioned, your garbage disposal isn’t immune to blockages. Various types of debris can get trapped in the blades and cause them to malfunction. Fortunately, you can take steps to ensure your disposal remains clean and works properly when you need it most.
Although this guide is focused on how to keep drains clean, it’s also helpful to talk about garbage disposals, as the two things often go hand-in-hand. You can use homemade solutions to clean the disposal, such as a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. All you need is a cup of baking soda, a cup of vinegar, and a pot of boiling water.
Of course, you can also remove large pieces of debris with a pair of long tongs or pliers. Maybe it goes without saying, but you need to shut off the disposal before doing this to ensure your safety.
Use Natural Drain Cleaners
As you can see, there are many drain maintenance tips for spring you can use. However, if you think one of your drains could already be clogged, you might also want to consider making a natural drain cleaner to fix it.
Like with your garbage disposal, you can use a mixture of vinegar and baking soda to remove the blockage. You can also try simply pouring a pot of soapy hot water down the drain to see if this fixes the issue, as sometimes that’s all that’s needed.
Of course, you’ll want to avoid putting boiling water down the drain if you have plastic pipes, as this can damage the piping.
Schedule Professional Drain Cleaning
It’s no secret that food debris, grease, hair, and soap scum can take a toll on your drains. If you’re worried that a blockage is forming in one of your drains and you don’t feel comfortable tackling it on your own, don’t hesitate to call an expert for help.
Experienced plumbers know how to keep drains clean and have the equipment needed to ensure the clog doesn’t reappear in the future. At Bumble Bee Plumbing, we can help you with a professional drain cleaning in Glendale, AZ, that tackles the problem at its source.
Keep Your Drains Running Smoothly All Year Long
Hopefully, these drain maintenance tips for spring will make your season a little brighter! If you find yourself needing help with a bathroom, kitchen, or sewer drain cleaning, Bumble Bee Plumbing is the team to call.
Our plumbers in Scottsdale and throughout the Glendale-Phoenix area are capable of removing drain blockages of every kind. We also offer a wide range of services to keep your entire plumbing system in top shape, from fixture repairs to water heater replacements. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!
