Dealing with a blocked drain? We’ve all been there—it’s frustrating, messy, and can leave your home less than fresh. The good news? Blocked drains don’t have to be a recurring nightmare. With a few simple tips, you can not only prevent clogs but also tackle those stubborn ones like a pro.
Grab a coffee (or your favourite drink), and let’s get straight into how you can keep your drains flowing freely!
6 Simple Tips for Preventing Blocked Drains
1. Use Drain Covers and Strainers
The smartest way to protect your drains is by investing in drain covers or strainers, particularly for your kitchen sink and shower. These small additions, which cost only a few dollars, can save you a significant amount of money on repairs down the line.
Drain covers and strainers serve as your first line of defence, effectively catching hair, food scraps, and other debris that shouldn’t end up in your pipes. By preventing blockages, they keep your plumbing in top shape with minimal effort.
All you need to do is regularly clean out the collected debris and dispose of it properly in your household bin. It’s a simple, cost-effective solution for maintaining your drains and avoiding costly plumbing issues!
2. Be Careful What You Flush
One of the leading culprits behind blocked drains and pipes is flushing products like wet wipes or sanitary items down the toilet. Despite being labeled as “flushable,” most of these wipes are anything but. They don’t break down easily and often cause costly clogs.
To keep your plumbing in top shape, remember that the only items safe to flush are waste and toilet paper. Anything else—wipes, sanitary products, or even paper towels—belongs in the trash. Sharing this simple rule with everyone in your household, including children and visitors, can help you avoid unnecessary plumbing disasters and costly repairs.
3. Dispose of Fats, Oils & Grease Properly
Similar to toilets, other drains can only handle so much. For sinks and showers, this means liquids only, with a caveat: no grease or fats!
While grease, fats and oil may be liquid in their heated state, they solidify as they cool, and trust us, you don’t want them to harden in your pipes. When they do, they expand and cause significant blockages and often even damage.
Instead, pour them into a disposable container and then chuck them into your general waste bin. The same goes for any food scraps such as fruit or vegetable peels.
4. Regularly Clean Drains
Even by taking particular care of what you let down your drains, it is unfortunately still important to put in a little elbow grease every now and again. Now, we don’t mean scrubbing inside the drain pipes, that’s not necessary. We just mean by pouring down some hot soapy water at least once a month.
5. Invest in Smart Tech
As effective as all these tips can be, it never hurts to have a little tech on your side. So, if you’ve got a few spare bucks to invest now, you can upgrade to safe, modern alternatives, such as:
- Smart pipe systems that detect small blockages before they hurt into a massive hassle,
- Eco-friendly, enzyme-based drain cleaners that eat through organic matter without damaging your pipes,
- Modern plumbing designs that minimise the risk of clogs.
6. Schedule Routine Plumbing Inspections
Finally, scheduling a professional plumbing inspection should be a no-brainer. Just as you’d get a check-up for yourself, your pets or your car, your plumbing also needs a check now and then. Even if you don’t really suspect an issue, some clogs can be minor and hide where the untrained eye won’t see them until they grow and turn into a major hassle.
Our plumbing and drainage experts know exactly what to look for and have all the necessary equipment to inspect your pipes and keep them flowing smoothly. So, be sure to schedule a routine plumbing inspection at least once a year.
Quick and Effective Methods for Clearing Stubborn Clogs
Even with all these tips, sometimes drains just don’t like to cooperate and can block anyway. However, if you’re following all of these tips, any blockage will generally be caused by good ole Mother Nature in the form of pesky tree roots trying to steal the water in your pipes.
When these blockages strike, you can try out the 7 clever methods to safely unclog your drains that we discussed in an earlier article. Or wave the white flag honourably and call up our professional plumbing family to quickly and effectively clear your blocked drains for you.
Keep Your Drains Flowing Smoothly with These 6 Simple Tips
By now you should’ve just about finished your cuppa or cold drink, so we won’t hold you up much longer. So, to wrap up, with a little investment and effort now can help keep your plumbing flowing smoothly and save you dearly going forward. No stress, no hassle, and most importantly no clogs!
Don’t forget that if you ever need a hand with clearing blocked drains, we’re here to help! Simply give your local Mario’s Plumbing team a call to schedule a drain inspection or unblocking service.
