Its no secret that there are few things you use more of in your home on a regular basis than water. You use water to clean clothes, prepare meals, take showers and a whole bunch of other activities that take place around your house. When you are done with these activities all that water needs to go someplace and that is where your many household drains come into play. With so many drains in your house it is inevitable that one will get clogged from time to time; here is how to clean a drain, prevent them from getting clogged and how to unclog them if they do get plugged up.
Prevention
The best way to keep your household drains clear is to prevent them from getting clogged up in the first place. Make sure all the grates and screens are securely in place before you prepare food, take a bath or do any other activity around a drain. You should also periodically take the screens and grates out to ensure there is nothing like hair or food particles that are collecting under them.
Never pour such things as hot grease into your drains either. The grease may be liquid when you pour it in but it quickly turns into a solid when it cools as it enters the pipes; once it becomes a solid it can start forming a severe clog right away.
Clean the traps under your sink out periodically too. These are usually attached by threaded nuts or PVC quick couplings that are very easy to loosen to let you take the trap out and clean it. This should be done at least once a year as part of a household routine maintenance plan.
How to Clean a Drain Periodically
Its a very good idea to periodically pour very hot water into all your drain lines at least once every two to three months. This will help keep things such as grease and other soluble solids from building up in the lines. You can also mix baking soda and vinegar together to form a homemade drain cleaner that is much less expensive and harsh on the plumbing than store bought drain cleaners. These are important steps when it comes to knowing how to clean a drain.
Unclogging a Plugged Up Drain
There are a few things you can do to get out a clog in your drain lines if one happens to form. You can try the baking soda and vinegar xture mentioned above and let it sit overnight and see if that works. If not, then an old fashioned plunger is a good thing to try next to get the clog out. If all else fails, then you will need a drain snake or drain auger to get the job done; you may want to seriously consider having a professional plumber come to your house to do this.
Its actually pretty easy to learn how to clean a drain and to keep them open so they are there working when you really need them.
