Most people can easily manage small clogs, but if your child dropped a toy down the toilet, it might be time to have a professional drain cleaning. Water slowly filling up in the sink as you wash your hands? Do you find that your shower turns into a bath with water rising up to your ankles? Your problem is a clogged pipe and your answer is exhaust cleaning. Eventually, toilet paper, food waste, hair, and even lost toys can create blockages in pipes which causes water to rise up to the top and drain back down excruciatingly slowly. If left for too long, they will eventually completely block and you can get stuck with a sink or bath full of stagnant, smelly water that can be a health hazard and is rather unsightly and embarrassing if you have guests.
Drain cleaning is best done as quickly as possible and preventative measures can help clean them clean and running smoothly. For prevention, run a very hot tap a few times a week. This can help loosen and unblock any bits that may collect on the sides of the pipe before they gather more debris. Some people find that a half cup of vinegar and a half cup of baking soda poured into the drain is a bit more powerful and can loosen up smaller clogs like hair and paper.
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For toilets, you can flush down hot water and some baking soda, but if it seems like there is a bit bigger of a clog, a bit of plunging will do wonders for opening it up. Plungers also can work on some showers, baths, and even sinks if it is small enough and the clog is not too far down.
There are other important drain cleaning preventative measures you can take to stop problems before they start. Do not allow anything that is not liquid down the drain if possible! That includes hair and face products that are particularly viscous such as hair waxes and gels. Toothpaste and shaving cream can dry, sticking to the sides of pipes and creating blockages. Hair from shaving is another clog culprit. Try to shave, trim, or cut your hair with the exhaust plugged and remove all hair before rinsing.
For severe clogs, you may be tempted to grab a harsh cleaning chemical product that claims to dissolve even the most stubborn clogs. While these may work, they can also cause damage if used incorrectly or too frequently. The strong chemicals can eat away at pipes, seals, and surfaces. You must read the instructions carefully and follow them exactly or you risk harming yourself and the fixture.
If you have a particularly stubborn clog, it is probably time to have a professional clean-out by a qualified plumber. They will often use a snake, which is a long, flexible claw that can travel down twisting pipes to grab and free stuck debris. A professional cleaning should last for quite a long time if you use clog prevention measures and it is often a better alternative to using harsh chemicals that might not even be able to loosen all blockages.
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