7 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Drainage System

The best way to maintain a healthy drainage system is through prevention. Generally, if you are mindful of what you put down your drains, it is likely you won’t need to clear them of debris very often. However, clogs can happen and it is important you know how to fix these problems as well as how to keep your drains well maintained.

The very first step in preventing clogged drains is to clean them as regularly as possible. In fact, certain tasks when performed frequently may help to prevent problems with your drains in the first place. But when things do go wrong, as they potentially will, we have listed our top 7 tips for maintaining a healthy drainage system. Just as you would clean the rest of your home, you can clean and maintain your drains as you would anything else. Keeping your drains clean and clear of debris is just as important as keeping your bathroom scrubbed and your kitchen counter-top wiped clean.

Some drains in your home will need to be checked more regularly, particularly your bathtub, shower and bathroom sink drains as these are usually where hair becomes a problem. It might not sound like much but it really doesn’t take much to block a drain pipe. When you add all of the soap suds and toothpaste to that, it is easy to see how clogs can happen so quickly.

Drain Guard

Use a drain guard on all your plug holes to reduce the amount of waste that gets washed down your sink. Drain guards are small, plastic or metal grate-like disks that sit atop your plug to collect debris which you can then remove and throw into the bin. Helpfully, you can also buy a drain guard for your shower to catch loose hair and other debris that can wash down the drains.

Remember: dispose of non-dissolvable products like cooking fats, oils and coffee grounds appropriately.

Drain Cleaner

Bacteriological Drain cleaner is an excellent solution that you can use to maintain all of the drains in your home. Simply pour the solution down the drain, leave for at least thirty minutes or as per instructions, and then wash down with hot water. Repeat every few months to maintain your drains and help prevent blockages.

Top Tip: We would recommend that you use a drain cleaner that is as natural as possible to avoid any pipe corrosion.

Use Boiling Water Regularly

One of the easiest ways to maintain a healthy drain is to wash it out with hot water once a week. Hot water keeps oils in food products running down the drain, rather than building up on the interior surface of pipes, which can make drains sluggish and lead to clogs.

Garbage Disposal

Clean your garbage disposal once a month with a sturdy disposer brush. Alternatively, grind up a few cups of ice cubes and some table salt. This is a great solution to help cut the grease and slime off the sides of the disposer. Flush it out with cold water followed by half a lemon or lime to add some fresh smells into your home after, what can be, a smelly task.

Washing Pets

Washing your pets is always a mammoth task. If you are anything like me, you probably spend at least half an hour chasing your pet around the house just so that you can get them in the bath in the first place. And then there is all of that hair that seems to culminate around the plug hole…well, we have some advice about that! Simply lay a wash cloth over the shower drain to catch excess hair and then dispose of the hair later in the garbage. That way, you will dramatically reduce the quantity of animal hair that does go down the drain.

Look for Signs of Trouble

Problems with your drainage system often aren’t fully noticeable until it’s too late. However, if you take the time to fully inspect your property you may notice some telling signs of drainage problems. Are there any signs of leakage or can you smell anything out of the ordinary? A telling sign is when you start to notice wet patches or leaks around your property that are appearing in places they shouldn’t.

Let the Professional Do the Hard Work

If you are faced with a drain problem and you are not sure how to proceed then please give us a call and we will send a professional round to help you out. When things in the home aren’t working properly it can be quite overwhelming, so cut out the stress by simply giving us a call and hiring and professional to do all the hard work for you.

Contact Us Today

Has this article been helpful for you? Let us know in the comments below if you have any drain maintenance tips for us, we would be so interested to read your suggestions.