Preventing Drain Clogs

Kitchen habits

Grease is the main villain in the kitchen. It slides down warm and liquid, then cools and clings to the pipe wall, catching every crumb that follows. Over months that coating narrows the line until water backs up into the sink.

• Pour cooled fat and oil into a can or jar and set it out with the garbage or green bin as the Region directs.
• Wipe out greasy pans with paper towel before they hit the sink.
• Scrape plates into the compost, not the sink.
• Keep coffee grounds, rice, pasta and eggshells out of the drain.

A garbage disposal does not change those rules much. Our disposal dos and don'ts explains what it can and cannot handle.

Bathroom habits

Hair and soap scum combine into a dense, rope-like mat in shower and tub drains. Bathroom sinks collect toothpaste, shaving debris and more hair. Toilets are designed for human waste and toilet paper only.

1. Brush long hair before showering to catch loose strands.
2. Rinse the sink after shaving.
3. Keep a small bin beside the toilet for wipes, floss, cotton swabs and hygiene products.
4. Treat "flushable" wipes as garbage; many do not break down the way paper does.

Strainers and stoppers

A simple mesh strainer is the best value in plumbing. Fit one in every kitchen sink and a hair catcher in every shower and tub. Empty them into the garbage daily or whenever they look full.

Pop-up stoppers in bathroom sinks gather a surprising amount of gunk. Every month or two, lift the stopper out, clean it, and pull out what is stuck around the pivot rod. Many tub stoppers unscrew or lift out too.

Why to skip harsh chemicals

Liquid drain openers promise a lot. They can eat through part of a clog and still leave the rest, and the strong chemicals can damage older pipes, rubber seals and the finish on fixtures. If you then need a plumber to snake the line, that caustic water sitting in the pipe becomes a hazard for everyone.

A plunger made for sinks, a small hand auger, or simply removing and cleaning the trap is safer for most minor slowdowns. When several fixtures drain slowly at once, or the basement floor drain gurgles, the problem is probably further down the line and calls for professional drain cleaning or a camera inspection.

For the kitchen specifically, see kitchen drain cleaning. Backed-up drains can also lead to basement water, so it is worth reading preventing basement flooding next.