Clogged drains are one of the most frequent calls plumbers get. While we love hearing from local Las Vegas residents, cleaning out a drain doesn’t always need to be handled by a professional! There are home remedies for blocked drains that require no additional supplies from what you have lying around the house. Baking soda, plungers, and drain snakes are all helpful tools in the fight against smelly drains. We’re here to share our secrets on the best ways to clean your pipes!
Why Bother Cleaning Your Drains?
There are a few major warning signs your pipes require a good cleaning. Pipes can clog when items such as food scraps, hair, or certain cosmetic products are regularly flushed away. When a pipe clogs it’s unable to properly drain. This causes standing water, pressure within the pipe, and often foul smells. We’d like to say not much is worse than nasty scents (who likes hot sewage odors in the middle of a Vegas summer?), but the truth is clogged pipes can be dangerous. Standing water, such as when your shower backs up, breeds bacteria and attracts bugs. Over time clogged pipes start to crack under the pressure of the clog, similar to how clogged arteries cause heart attacks. Cleaning your drains regularly prevents all of this from happening!
The Best Ways to Clean Out Pipes
Shout it with us: don’t use commercial drain cleaners! Draino or the equivalent only works as a quick fix; it isn’t particularly effective. Commercial drain cleaners may even cause a build-up in the pipes, making the clog worse! The good news is that cleaning pipes isn’t difficult without chemical drain cleaners. Bathroom pipes (toilet, sink, and bathtub) can be plunged with a standard toilet plunger. The suction created by a plunger uses pressure to break up any massive clogs in the superficial part of the pipes. After plunging, you can use a drain snake to grip and remove any smaller clogs which stick to the side of the pipes. Be careful to avoid scratching or damaging the pipes! Using a drain snake should be a smooth movement – if you find yourself trying to force the snake, call an expert! Smelly kitchen sinks can be cleaned out by the science-project volcano combo of baking soda and vinegar. This combo fizzes and gently breaks apart food clumps so they can be safely flushed out with hot water.
DIY or Professional Plumber: Who You Gonna Call?
Many clogs or foul odors can be cured without needing professional interference! Baking soda and vinegar or drain snakes can always be tried safely but know when to admit defeat. A professional should be called in if a clog is recurring or you’re unable to get everything to flush properly after multiple cleaning attempts. This usually indicates an underlying cause. A professional can not only clear any clogs but also make sure your pipes are in good shape. A Sin City Plumbing professional always comes with the best materials and safest equipment so you know your pipes are in good hands. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Preventing items from going down the drain in the first place will mean you avoid dealing with smelly or dangerous clogs down the line. Cleaning pipes isn’t the most fun chore so try to ward it off from the get-go with proper pipe maintenance. For more plumbing tips and tricks contact Sin City Plumbing!
