How to Prevent Clogging of a Bathroom Sink

Sep 23
21:17

2009

Jason D

Jason D

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Here are some tips to help prevent drain blockages

mediaimage
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

Drain blockages are still common occurrences in the modern world.  Whether you have soap or another chemical buildup sitting at a turn in your drain,How to Prevent Clogging of a Bathroom Sink Articles or you have simply washed a head full of hair down your sink, your pipes are eventually going to get clogged or blocked at one point in the future. Despite the frustration of turning your faucet on and finding it slowly filling up with water, there is hope. No more opening up the pipes underneath your sink to find a rabbit-sized furball jammed into your plumbing system, nor any more withstanding of the dirty plumber’s fingers prying into the social life that is the bottom of your bathroom sink drain. Here are some simple precautions that just may help in preventing these simple drain blockages:

-Refrain from washing lengthy hair down the sink. I know this may be a difficult habit to break, but it is a very common cause for drain blockages. If the hair is longer than the drain is wide, chances are it’s probably going to cause some sort of backup. Save yourself some worry and put your loose strands in the garbage instead.

-Refrain from using your sink for purposes it wasn’t meant for. For example, don’t dump your leftover spaghetti down the bathroom sink. Kitchen sinks are designed to be able to handle this kind of use, whereas bathroom sinks are only really capable of managing liquids. Also, place objects which would not typically dissolve in water (i.e. plastic, rubber, or other hard objects) in the trash, not the sink.

-Always rinse after you pour something down the drain! This will help tremendously in making sure nothing gets caught up in the pipes. Even if it’s a little soap, mouthwash, or toothpaste, let the faucet run for a second or two afterwards. If you spit some toothpaste into the sink and just decide to let it turtle its way down your pipes, it’s going to end up drying and collecting a couple feet beneath the drain. Running water helps keep whatever you’re washing moist and broken apart. Water molecules are naturally polar in nature, meaning that they are a sufficient, albeit weak, cleaning agent. Take advantage of this!

Despite any precautionary measures, drain blockages are, oftentimes, unavoidable. If you are forced to clean a blockage, here are some things to consider before calling a professional:

-Boiling water works wonders on most bathroom drain blockages. Most of the time, these consist of loose hair and soap buildup. If you don’t feel like spending a couple bucks on drain cleaner, just boil some water and pour it down the drain. This will help erode any soap or dried liquids immediately. Do not try this, however, if your drain is not seeing any movement. If it is completely backed up, you may end up needing to call a professional or use a drain snake.

-Another more environmental-friendly solution is to pour baking soda and vinegar down your drain. Simply pour a small amount of baking soda down your drain, and then chase it with vinegar.

If these solutions do not yield results, chances are you will need to call a professional. Good luck!