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Writer's pictureHowzat Plumbing

10 Tips to Keep your Drains Clear and Clog-Free.

As a homeowner, keeping your drains clean and clog-free is an essential aspect of your home maintenance that is often overlooked until a clog disrupts your daily life.

This blog post will provide you with helpful tips and insights to help you navigate the world of drain maintenance like a Pro.


We'll also equip you with the knowledge necessary to ensure your drains flow smoothly and efficiently, from understanding the common causes of clogs to implementing preventive measures.

Let's dive into the realm of drain care and discover how to maintain pristine plumbing in your house.


Drain Clogs: Common Causes

A clogged drain can cause inconvenience and health hazards.

Learning what goes down the drain and what doesn't helps you prevent drain clogs.


There are several reasons why drains clog.


Oil and Grease - Grease and oil can cause damage, even though they appear to flow down the drain smoothly, hardening and accumulating in the pipes, causing clogs.


Food scraps - Food scraps can clog your waste pipes quickly as they don't disintegrate properly in your drainage system.

food scraps in kitchen drain

Hair - Hair strands combined with soap residue in the shower block pipes.

hair blocking shower drain



Hard water - Hard water can cause mineral deposits to build up along your pipes over time. A galvanized pipe is more likely to experience this problem.


Flushing trash – Do not flush diapers, dental floss, paper towels, baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, or anything else that shouldn't be flushed down your drain.

To ensure proper trash disposal, a trash can should be kept near your toilet.


10 Tips to keep your drain clog-free

Clog-free drains are ideal for all Australian households.

Start keeping your drains clear today with these easy tips!


Think Before You Pour

Often, clogs occur as a result of what goes down the drain. Keeping your drains clean is the easiest way to prevent clogs. Don't pour grease, oil, food scraps, or other trash down the drain. Install drain covers to prevent hair and other sticky substances from flowing down your bathroom drains.


Using an auger

An auger called a snake is inserted into drain lines and then used to cut or twist through clogs. It’s a cheap and easy-to-use tool. Using this tool may not eliminate all issues, but it can clear minor clogs from sewers and drains. Using it carefully will help you keep the drain clean and clog-free. It is good time to call a professional drain plumber from howzat plumbing, if a snake does not remove a clog.


Continuous use of Garbage Disposal

Use the garbage disposal continuously while running hot water. Oil and grease don't break down in cold water. Cooking oil and grease become solid when cold coating the garbage disposal. The hotter the water, the better!


garbage disposal unit

Cover your kitchen sink

Make sure your drains are clear by placing a strainer in your sink. During dishwashing, grease and food particles enter the drain. By using a strainer, you won't have to worry about chunks of food getting stuck in the drain. Put the particles in the trash after cleaning the strainer.


Careful use of store bought cleaner

Drain cleaners sold at stores contain highly concentrated acids that break down clogs. Although the cleaner's purpose is to remove stuck debris, it’s harmful to your pipes. Pipes can be degraded by acids, leak, and cause other issues.


Proper disposal of Cooking Grease

The solidification of oil and grease in your pipes causes significant clogs. Avoid letting these substances enter your drain by properly disposing of them.

Cover old grease with a lid. Then throw it away (or remove it from the sink). This will prevent spills and keep drains clear.


pouring grease down kitchen sink


Regular cleaning of your bathroom sink

The bathroom sink is a common place to brush and style your hair. Falling hair strands will go down the drain.

Often, people think turning on the water and pushing hair down the drain will clear the sink. As a result, clogs recur. Use a towel to catch your hair in the sink. Once it's fallen, toss it in the trash.


Fix old pipes

Corroded and old pipes are prone to blockages. Make sure your drains stay clean and clog-free by upgrading old pipes. Your plumbing system will be more efficient to avoid future issues.


old pipes causing blockages


Pour hot water

Pouring hot water down your drains regularly can also prevent clogs, as hot water dissolves grease or oil build-up in the pipes. Don't pour boiling water, as this can cause more damage than good, as your PVC pipes can be damaged by boiling water.


Use baking soda and vinegar

Sewer pipes get stuck with grease. When grease dampens, debris is trapped. Use vinegar and baking soda to degrease the surface. As a result of the chemical reaction, grease is gradually removed.

By pouring this mixture down the drain, you can clear minor grease clogs. If this solution can’t unclog a drain, it’s better to call a plumber in Brisbane like howzat plumbing for professional plumbing services.


What You Need to do to maintain a clean drain?

The best way to keep drains clear is to limit what you put in them.

Our experts at Howzat Plumbing recommend a weekly drain cleaning of your property’s drainage system.

If there’s debris in the drain, remove it and rinse the stopper before reinserting it in your bathroom sink.


Here are some PRO tips to do so:

  • Using a bent wire or hair-catching brush, remove the drain stopper from your shower or tub drain.

  • Keep your drains clean by flushing them weekly. You should fill your tub with hot water and then drain it. After each shower, run hot water down the drain.

  • A deep cleaning of your tub drain should be done once a month. The spring or rocker arm can be reached by removing the overflow plate and raising the pop-up assembly. Replace the pop-up assembly after removing any hair or debris.

  • Maintain your drains once a month by using a bacterial drain cleaner. Biodegradable and non-corrosive, bacterial drain cleaners will not damage your pipes, unlike chemical drain cleaners. It's best to prevent sink, tub, and shower clogs before they happen. A little maintenance and cleaning will do the trick.

Hire Howzat Plumbing professionals to clean your drains

Maintaining your plumbing regularly is the best way to prevent clogged drains.

We know that clogged drains aren’t unpleasant to deal with, but you can prevent them by following the above tips from our plumbing professionals!


Drain clogs should always be handled by a professional plumber. Your pipes may even be damaged if you try to fix the problem yourself.


DIY plumbing causing plumbing issues

Getting a professional drain cleaning services like howzat plumbing services may be necessary if your drains are constantly clogged.

Our professional plumbers have the tools and experience necessary to keep your drains flowing smoothly.


professional Brisbane plumber fixing kitchen sink

In addition, they can identify any potential problems with your pipes and take steps to fix them before they become worse.

Get in touch with howzat plumbing, if you have any questions about drain clogging or would like to schedule professional drain cleaning services.

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