Clogged Toilets: The Most Common Plumbing Nightmare and How to Avoid it

One of the things that sends people into a panic is that moment when you flush the toilet and you realize that it’s clogged. At that point, the best solution is to reach for the toilet plunger and do your best to unclog the toilet. However, there are things you can do to keep all your drains working properly:

Do not use “flushable” wipes.

It may read on the label that wipes are flushable but not all plumbing systems, especially older ones, are built to accommodate such products from being flushed down the toilet.

Do not dump any grease or coffee grounds down the drain.

Save all your old cooking grease and coffee grounds on a milk carton or an old coffee container and dispose of it in the garbage.

Run hot water through the drain after each use.

The accumulation of grease on the drain is one of the biggest culprits; letting hot water run through the drain dissolves and washes down grease residues.

Pour Dawn dishwasher soap down the drain.

If you have stubborn grease still left in your drain, adding a ½ cup of Dawn dishwasher soap, followed by 2 quarts of boiling hot water will do wonders to help dissolve.

Pour a solution of salt, baking soda and vinegar down the drain.

Pour ½-cup of baking soda with a ¼-cup of salt into the drain. Then pour a ½-cup of vinegar. Ideally, you should let it soak overnight but if this is not convenient, anything over 15 minutes will help. Then, pour 2-3 quarts of boiling hot water. This procedure can be done periodically to insure cleaner drains.