Tricks From A Plumber, How To Prevent Kitchen Sink Clogs

Don’t you hate when the sink backs up just when you need it most?  Today’s  post is tips to help prevent sink clogs. I got these tips from a professional plumber. It’s always nice to talk to experts.

 

 

Here’s a few ideas to keep your pipes clean.  Aging drain pipes can be a reason but this is rarely the cause.  Clogging can happen in any household due to lack of proper maintenance. You don’t have to deal with a clogged kitchen drain frequently if you follow a few upkeep methods. They will lessen the occurrences of obstructions as well as their severity.

 

I. Place a mesh screen or cover on  drain

The majority of the objects that cause clogs (and even drain smells) are foods and other meal leftovers that are forcibly drained. Placing a mesh cover is an easy and efficient way to separate the solid wastes from the liquids. More importantly, the mesh will also act as a barrier to prevent the solid wastes from entering the drain pipes that can possibly cause blockages. Get a mesh cover/screen that  fits your kitchen sink drain. This will allow for  less hassle with its set-up and cleaning (yes, the mesh still needs to be cleaned frequently) .

 

 

 

 

 

II. Don’t ever drain cooking oils and grease in the sink.

 

 

 

Don’t be fooled with the fact that oils and grease have liquid form. These condiments or leftovers can solidify once they entered the drain. In order to avoid this problem; you should throw fats, grease, and oils into the trash can.

 

 

III. Install a garbage disposal

 

 

 

Photo Home Depot

 

 

 

A garbage disposal can definitely make your kitchen drain-cleaning easier and faster. This device can grind certain food wastes so that there will be less garbage produced  and also lower the instances of clogs. However, you need to keep in mind that not all food leftovers can be processed by the garbage disposal. Avoid putting seeds, fruit and vegetable peels, bones, big food portions, etc. Avoid vegetable strings, such corn silk. If  string wastes are put in the disposal, they can wrap around your garbage disposal and it will freeze up. Don’t forget to clean your garbage disposal since it can accumulate food particles – and become less operational or just smell bad from the decomposing food wastes.

 

IV. Pour hot water if you have drains. Run cold water if you have a garbage disposal

 

 

 

 

Pouring hot water after each time you use the drains can ‘melt’ grease, oils, and scum that are sticking down the pipes. You need to do things differently if you have a garbage disposal. It’s highly recommended to run cold water for your disposal unit since this causes grease and oils to harden. Solidified oils are easier for the garbage disposal to process.

 

 

V. Apply baking soda

 

 

 

Baking soda is widely known for its variety of applications in home cleaning and even hygiene. You can actually use baking soda for drain maintenance. It’s effective on some small clogs, but applying baking soda is more appropriate as a form of drain upkeep. Baking soda can also help remove odors which is handy if you also have bad smells.

Baking soda use for your drains.

1. Pour hot water before applying baking soda.
2. Place one cup of baking soda and then pour more  boiling water.

 

Alternatively, you can mix baking soda and white vinegar in order to have a more potent drain-cleaning solution. This mixture works well regardless if you have a garbage disposal or not.  I have found that little pieces of lemon peel helped clean my garbage disposal, but I’m not a plumber.  It certainly helped keep the odor clean smelling.