The drains in your home's sinks and bathtubs are among the most important parts of your plumbing system. However, these components can be easy to overlook when it comes to maintaining the house. You can greatly minimize some of the problems that your drains can potentially experience through following some care tips that homeowners will often fail to do.
Protect The Drain Against Food Debris
Debris from food is easily one of the most common forms of clogs when it comes to your kitchen sink. However, a simple drain strainer can dramatically reduce the amount of food that makes it into your drains, which can lower the odds of a clog developing. When installing the drain strainer, you will need to make sure that it is flush against the drain. Otherwise, food particles may be able to get through the small gaps around the edges of the strainer. At least once a week, you will want to remove the strainer to clean it. This will involve removing any food that may have gotten stuck in it. Tapping the strainer with a spoon while you hold it over a garbage can may be the easiest option for cleaning these strainers.
Dissolve Mineral Deposits From The Drain Grate
The drain grate is designed to block large items from making it down the drain. While this is an essential function for minimizing the problems your kitchen can experience, these grates can gradually develop mineral accumulations. These accumulations can close the holes in the grate, which may cause the drain to slow. You can remove these deposits by rubbing baking soda over the grate and pouring vinegar on it. The reaction will help to dissolve and break up these substances.
Flush And Deodorize The Drain Regularly
While clogs can be particularly common, this problem will usually develop rather slowly. As a result, you may be able to avoid potentially disruptive clogs by flushing the drain with extremely hot water every few months. The heat from this water can help to loosen clogs, which will make them far easier to flush out of the pipe.
Additionally, you will want to deodorize the drain to keep your home smelling clean. When deodorizing, you can easily neutralize odors from the drain by pouring a large amount of apple cider vinegar down the drain. For those that do not like the smell of apple cider vinegar, there are specialty cleaning products that will deodorize your drains, but this option will be more expensive.
Contact a company like Royal-T-Rooter Service for more information.
