Is there anything more irritating than a blocked drain? The gross gurgling sounds, the slowly rising water, the unpleasant stench – it’s a nightmare!

A clogged drain completely disrupts your home and your day. But you can stop clogs before they start by following these drain maintenance tips.

Follow this advice to keep your drains free-flowing and your home clog-free!

Don’t Wait – Fix Slow Drains Right Away

Ever notice the sink draining slower than usual? Don’t ignore it! Act quickly at the first sign of drainage trouble. Slow drains mean debris is building up. But catching it early prevents a major clogging issue.

When you spot a drain that’s draining sluggishly, start with boiling water. Pour it down the drain to dissolve light grease or soap buildup. Follow that by plunging and using a zip-it tool to pull out hair and gunk manually.

If these DIY methods don’t solve it, call a plumber ASAP. Professionals have drain snakes to remove stubborn clogs and inspect pipes. Acting fast stops the clog from getting firmly wedged in place.

Waiting allows debris to harden and accumulate. Tree roots can even grow into the pipes! Then you’re facing an expensive repair. Don’t put it off – slow draining means it’s time to take action.

Stop Clogs Before They Start With Drain Screens

Why let hair, food scraps, and gunk even go down your drains? Stop debris in its tracks by installing drain screens. Screens trap hair and particles before they disappear down your sink and tub drains.

There are screens to fit drains of all shapes and sizes. For sink drains, get a flat screen that sits inside the drain opening. For tub drains, use a cone-shaped screen that fits into the pipe.

Simply pop the screen out and wipe away the collected debris as needed. By preventing buildup in the first place, you avoid clog disasters! The little time spent on screen maintenance is worth it for clog prevention.

Keep Grease Out of Your Pipes

Here’s a fact to make you think twice about pouring grease down the sink – it solidifies in your pipes as it cools. Enough buildup of hardened fat and oil will completely block water flow.

Greasy food waste just comes with cooking at home. But never pour oils, fats, or sauces down your drains. Collect it in cans or jars and trash them when full instead.

When washing pots and pans, wipe away greasy residue first. This keeps your dishwater from getting overloaded with grease that sticks inside pipes.

Making this one small kitchen habit change prevents abundant greasy buildup in drains. Your pipes will stay gunk-free and keep flowing without greasy clog nightmares!

Treat Your Toilet Right

It’s tempting to flush random things for convenience, but a toilet isn’t a trash can! Anything besides toilet paper can eventually cause major plumbing obstructions.

Never flush these common “trash” items:

• Paper towels – They don’t break down like toilet paper.
• Feminine products – Pads and tampons expand and get stuck.
• Diapers – Designed to absorb water and swell up.
• Cotton swabs – Cotton snags in pipes.
• Household wipes – They don’t dissolve like toilet paper.

Repeatedly flushing anything other than toilet paper leads to clogged sewer lines. Then you’re looking at a very pricey repair job. Break the habit now before it becomes an expensive problem!

Don’t Pour Cement or Grout Down Drains

It seems convenient to rinse wet cement or grout down a nearby drain. But once they dry, those materials harden into a solid mass that sticks in pipes and causes immediate clogs.

Other substances like plaster or clay also harden after drying. Never pour them down drains! Let them dry fully first and dispose of them in the trash instead.

When doing home repairs, collect runoff in buckets and dump it on the ground outside. Avoid plumbing disasters by planning ahead when working with messy materials.

Stop Hair Clogs With Tub Drain Catchers

Lots of stray hairs washing down your tub drain? Eventually they’ll wad up and cause a clog. Stop hair from slipping into your pipes with a drain catcher.

Hair catchers fit most standard tub and shower drains. They allow water flow while trapping shed strands of hair. Then you just remove the catcher and throw away the hair.

Regularly cleaning out the hair from the drain catcher prevents wet clumps from forming further down. A little effort keeps your bathroom drains free of annoying hair clogs!

Trust the Professionals For Serious Clogs

Even if you stay on top of maintenance, sometimes you need a pro. Call a plumber for help if:

• DIY drain cleaning isn’t working
• Multiple drains are backing up
• You have sewage smells or see water bubbling up
• Pipes make gurgling noises

A professional plumber like us has the right tools to clear blockages and inspect pipes thoroughly.

We can identify if tree roots, collapsed pipes, or other issues are causing chronic clogs. Regular drain care is great, but calling a plumber at the first sign of major trouble gives peace of mind.