TeamAre you currently stuck at home? This may be a good time for you to take care of a few of those household chores you have been procrastinating, especially when it comes to cleaning your plumbing fixtures. Clogged drains are an extremely common incidence in a lot of households, and a clogged drain or toilet is the last thing you need right now. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to help ensure your plumbing systems stays fully operational. In this article, we’ll discuss the best plumbing cleaning to do while you’re stuck at home.
Clean Your Drains
Most of the clogs in the drainpipe don’t happen at once; instead, they accumulate inside your drain pipes over time. When you clear out those gunk and grime early, it will help prevent most future clogs. You can also avoid your pipe drains from clogging by not flushing things that are not supposed to go down the drain. We advise you to clean out the showers, drains, and frequent sinks even if they don’t seem clogged.
When you clean the drains on time, it will also make them more efficient and prevent foul smells in your bathrooms and kitchen. Since you have some free time at hand, you can start cleaning your drains with a small baking soda, white vinegar, and hot water. The reaction will help break up the accumulated gunk and help flush them away.
Clean Your Showerheads
While it may look like your shower is working alright, you may not be able to tell if something is wrong with it. In most cases, the issue lies inside the showerhead and not the shower itself. For instance, scale and minerals accumulation can clog up the shower nozzles. If you are dealing with hard water at home, you may experience quick mineral accumulation. The high mineral content of hard water can block your shower nozzles and restrict water flow.
Fortunately, you can easily clean the nozzles. All you need to do is get a toothbrush and a bit of baking soda, hot water, and white vinegar. Give the nozzle a nice scrub with the chemical reactions and flush it with hot water. In addition, remove the showerhead and take it apart to clean the filter. However, this part may be quite challenging and a bit technical. So, you need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Clean Out The Main Sewer Line
Having a clogged sewer line doesn’t mean your whole plumbing system is in jeopardy. However, it is still a serious problem, and if you fail to address the issue for weeks, your toilets and sinks are likely to pack up. You may not be able to fix the clogged main sewer line on your own if you don’t have the right knowledge and plumbing tools. However, you can still try to clean up the mess in the sewer line on your own.
Before seeking professional help, you can use a pipe wrench to open up the main sewer line cap. As soon as you open the cap, the waste will spill out of the mainline. And if you have enough drainage space, the waste will spill out completely. This cleaning is vital before you contact a plumber to fix any issue.
Clean Your Sink Trap
It is common for a sink to get clogged up, and this means cleaning the trap under the kitchen sink to remove the dirt. If you are lucky, you might be able to clear the clog in the trap without removing it. To start, pour some baking soda down the sink trap drain and then pour hot water. Sometimes this action will clear the clog. You can also use a plunger on your sink drain to try and dislodge the dirt out of the trap. If this doesn’t also work, you need to remove the trap since you may have a bigger clog.
Fortunately, you can easily remove the traps and clean them. First, you need to find the trap under the sink. Then, place a bucket under the trap. Loosen the trap by unfastening the slip nuts. Then, pour all the waste in the trap into the bucket, then scrub it out. When you are done cleaning the trap, replace it by re-fastening the clip nuts. Then, run the sink to make sure you fix everything correctly.
Conclusion
If you have the time, dedicating some of it to a little plumbing cleaning is a good idea. Any plumbing cleaning you do could prevent a much more time-consuming issue later on. However, if you detect minor issues during the course of the cleaning and it is not something you can do, you may need to contact a plumbing professional as soon as possible. This can also save you money in the long run.
