A blocked drain can cause a lot of inconvenience, expense, and even financial loss. It is best to avoid these plumbing issues before they happen. How can you prevent drain blockages? Here are some tips that will help reduce the likelihood of drain clogs in your toilets, sinks, and showers.

Sink Clogs Avoidable

It is important to be mindful of what you throw in the garbage disposal to avoid kitchen sink clogs. Our Glendale, CA Plumbers recommend not to throw away all food scraps.

Because they can cling onto your disposal or pipes, such things as potato peels and pasta should be thrown out. Stringy celery and other stringy items should not be put in the disposal. They can get caught up in the disposal mechanism. Broken disposal blades or bones can cause failure of the entire unit.

To prevent toilet clogs

If you take a few precautions, it is possible to prevent toilet clogs. Our first and most important tip: Do not use too many toilet paper. This can be particularly challenging if you have young children.

Most Glendale Plumbers will tell you that frequent flushing is the key to reducing the amount of TP that you or your child need. This will decrease the amount of paper in the toilet and reduce the chance of a blockage.

It is important to remove all human waste and toilet paper from the toilet. Flush facial tissue, feminine products, baby wipes, and flushable wipes. You can’t flush it down the hole if it isn’t clogging it or worse, it could cause a sewer clog.

Prevent Shower Drain Blockages

Shower drain clogs can be just as common than clogs at the kitchen sink and toilet. Hair is the main culprit for clogged shower pipes. The best way to stop hair from blocking your shower drain is to attach a mesh hair trap. They’re easy to install and cost-effective.

Avoid bathroom sink clogs

Bathroom sinks are a prime spot for hair trimmings, stray and soap scum to build up and cause clogs. Most Glendale Plumbers will tell you that you can prevent bathroom sink clogs by reducing the hairs that are washed down to the drain.

It takes just a minute to wash your hair and then put it in the trash. Another great way to prevent clogs in your sink is to remove the stopper from the sink and clean it once a month.

How kids can help with drain blockage prevention

Although children are not always vigilant about what they flush down their toilets or rinse down their sinks with, there are ways to encourage them to be more cautious. You can start early by explaining to them how much toilet tissue they can safely flush down the drain at one time.

To help children understand what can and can’t go in toilets or drains, create a game. If they put wrong things in the drains, explain what happens to the tub, toilet, and sink. Our Glendale, CA Plumbers suggest that you talk about what happens to drains when they become blocked and how this can create problems for the entire family.