Tips for a Drain Friendly Cleaning Routine
Simple habits that help keep your drains clear and reduce the risk of blockages at home or in a commercial property.
A few small adjustments to your regular cleaning routine can make a real difference to how well your drains perform over time.
In the kitchen
Kitchen drains take on the heaviest workload, particularly where cooking oil and food waste are involved. Letting fat cool in a container before binning it, scraping plates before washing up, and using a sink strainer to catch food scraps will all reduce what ends up travelling down the pipe.
In the bathroom
Hair and soap residue are the main causes of slow bathroom drains. A simple hair catcher over the plughole in the shower or bath, cleared out regularly, prevents most of this from ever reaching the pipe. It is also worth avoiding flushing wipes, cotton buds or sanitary products, even those labelled as flushable, as they do not break down the way toilet paper does.
- Use a hair catcher in the shower and bath
- Never flush wipes, cotton buds or sanitary products
- Avoid pouring cleaning chemicals down the drain in large quantities
- Rinse the plughole area when cleaning the bathroom
Outside the property
External gullies and drains collect leaves, silt and general debris, especially during autumn. Clearing these by hand every so often, and checking that gully covers are not blocked, helps rainwater and wastewater flow away as intended rather than pooling around the property.
A periodic professional check
Even with a good routine, some build up inside pipework is inevitable over time. A periodic high pressure jetting visit clears out anything that has accumulated on the pipe walls, while a CCTV drain survey can confirm that everything is in good working order, particularly for older properties.
Support when you need it
If your routine has not been enough to keep a drain flowing, Rapid Drainage Services provides drain unblocking, jetting and descaling across London and Essex, with 24 hour emergency call outs available. Call 020 3488 6280 or email info@rdrainage.co.uk.