Many products you already have in your home are capable of clearing mild clogs. For instance, try pouring a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar down the drain to create a chemical reaction that can dissolve hair and soap scum. Then, flush with hot water.
For a more powerful option, consider using a drain cleaner that can dissolve organic matter such as food scraps, hair, and soap scum. It is safe for pipes and septic systems, too. However, if you need some professional help, you can contact Plumbers In Cleveland Ohio.
Clogged sinks can be caused by a variety of things, including hair and other debris caught in the drain, coffee grounds and other sticky grunge, food scraps too large for the garbage disposal, and cooking grease. Most often, a simple plunger is all that’s needed to unclog these kitchen drains.
If a plunger fails to dislodge the blockage, try using a plastic drain snake. These tools are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at most hardware stores. They look like a wire coat hanger with a hooked end that is fed down the drain. Feed the tool a few feet at a time, turning it over every few inches to ensure that it has reached the clog. If the clog is stubborn, a plumber might be necessary to remove it.
Lastly, you can try pouring boiling water down the drain to loosen and dissolve the buildup of food scraps, grunge, and fat. It’s a good idea to do this as a regular maintenance procedure on all drains, especially those in the kitchen.
To use this method, heat up as much water as your kettle can hold and pour it down the drain in two or three stages, allowing it to work for a few seconds between each pour. Be careful, as the super-hot water might cause scalding, but it may be the solution you need to clear those stubborn clogs in your sink or tub. Avoid harsh chemical drain cleaners, as they can damage your pipes. They might remove the clog, but they could also lead to expensive leaks or even burst pipes. In addition, they can be corrosive and dangerous to your health.
Clogged Toilets
Clogged toilets are one of the most common and frustrating plumbing problems. They can be difficult to dislodge with a plunger and may require more aggressive measures, such as the use of a toilet auger. The toilet drain line is connected to the sewer line through an S-shaped trap, which can become clogged by non-flushable items such as feminine products, cotton balls, paper towels, and hair. These objects can also clog the entire plumbing system by wrapping around other waste in the pipes, creating a solid blockage.
The best way to prevent toilet clogs is to only flush human waste and toilet paper down the drain. Keep small trashcans in the bathroom for easy disposal of these items, and teach your household members not to flush. Regularly cleaning your toilet bowl with baking soda and vinegar can help prevent clogs as well.
For a quick fix when you’re without a plunger, try pouring a half cup of liquid dish soap into the toilet. Soaking the buildup in the drain with soap will allow it to melt and dissolve, helping to clear a toilet clog.
If this doesn’t work, you can try using an air-blasted toilet cleaner. These are available at many hardware stores and big box stores, but you can also make your own. Modeled after an actual toilet air blaster with a barometer, insert a plastic bottle (such as a two-liter soda bottle) upside down into the toilet drain hole and squeeze firmly to force air into the pipes and disrupt the clog.
Another way to clear a clogged toilet is with a homemade drain snake. Unwind a wire coat hanger, wrap it in a rag to avoid scratching the porcelain bowl, and carefully fish it down the drain until you snag or break up the clog. If all else fails, call a plumber for professional assistance.
Clogged showers or bathtubs
If you’ve noticed that your bathtub isn’t draining quickly or that the water doesn’t reach your feet when you take a shower, it’s time to treat the underlying issue. Hair, soap scum, and other debris can build up and block your tub drain. Fortunately, there are a few simple tools and cleansers that can break through this buildup and restore proper drainage to your tub.
The first step in treating a clogged bathtub is to remove the drain cover and inspect for visible debris. If you can reach clumps of hair or gunk with your hands, pull them out and dispose of them. For a deeper clog, try using a hair snake or one of the long-handled drain cleaners available at most hardware stores.
It’s also a good idea to install a drain catcher that sits on top of your bathtub drain. This will help prevent a lot of the hair and other items from falling down your drain in the first place.
A standard plunger can be very effective in clearing a blocked bathtub drain. However, it’s important to fill the tub with water before plunging and to use a small volume of petroleum jelly around the rim of the plunger to produce a stronger seal.
A cup of baking soda poured down the drain, followed by vinegar, can also be very effective in breaking up stubborn clogs. Just be sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protection and to follow all instructions on the product’s label. If you’ve tried these at-home solutions and the clog remains, consider a professional drain cleaning. This service will clear your tub, shower, and washbasin drains, targeting grime that’s out of sight in your pipes’ P-trap.
Fruit Flies
Fruit flies can quickly breed in drains, garbage disposals, and other moist areas of the home. They’re a big problem in the kitchen, where overripe produce and missed spills can attract them. A single female can lay up to 500 eggs, which can hatch within 24 hours, notes Orkin. The little flies are also attracted to fermented liquids such as beer, wine, and soda.
While they aren’t known to carry disease or bacteria, their presence can cause a nuisance and may be an indication of a more serious plumbing issue. You can help prevent a fruit fly infestation by banishing any overripe produce and cleaning up all surfaces where food spills or juices might collect. Store new produce in the refrigerator until you’re able to use it, and wipe down sink drains on a regular basis.
Make sure to rinse out empty bottles and cans of soda, wine, and juice before recycling them so that you don’t entice pests to breed inside. Also, keep them out of your trash cans by storing them outside or securing them with tight-fitting lids.
You can make your own fruit fly trap by mixing a bit of dish soap with old beer, vinegar, or wine. Just add a few drops of the solution to a glass or bottle, then place it where you see fruit flies hanging out. The insects will be drawn to the mixture, but they’ll get trapped in the bubbles and won’t be able to escape.
Another option is to pour a bacterial digester or bleach down an infested drain to kill adult flies and deter breeding. For more extensive issues, consider using a gel-based citronella drain treatment such as Green Gobbler, which kills both fruit flies and their larvae without damaging pipes.
Clogged Drains
The main drain pipes in your home often get clogged with hair, soap scum, sediment, and other debris. A clogged drain causes water to back up in tubs, showers, and floors around the fixture. The backed-up water may also spill over into your yard or basement, where it can cause further damage.
You can avoid these problems by avoiding certain items that are known to clog pipes. Pour a few cups of boiling water down your drains occasionally to flush them clean. You can also use a mixture of baking soda, vinegar, and hot water to break up fats that have solidified in your drain line. Pour a cup of each solution down your drain, wait a few minutes for the mixture to work, then pour in another cup of hot water. Repeat as needed until the clog is gone.
Many bathroom drain clogs are caused by hair that easily clumps together inside pipes, building up until the pipe is fully blocked. Using a hair trap and regularly removing and washing the hair stopper in your bathtub or shower can help prevent these drain clogs.
Other bathroom drain clogs are caused by toilet paper, baby wipes, and other items that don’t fully dissolve when flushed down the toilet. You can remove most of these clogs with a plunger or a plastic drain cleaning tool that looks like a 24-inch or 36-inch strip with barbs cut into it. Insert the tool into your sink or toilet as far as it will go, then crank the handle to break up and dislodge clogs.
You can also try a large wire drain snake, which is similar to a garden hose with a hook on one end and a crank on the other. If you have a clogged main sewer drain in your basement or crawl space, you may need to rent a powerful electric power auger to clear the blockage.
