Many homeowners spend a lot of time and money on their bathrooms. The problem is that when they spend this much time, effort, and money on making the bathroom gorgeous, they often neglect one simple thing – protecting the toilet from blockages.
According to plumber Sydney owner Justin Rizk, clogged drains are one of, if not the most annoying problems in every household. After all, nobody wants to deal with a smelly and potentially dangerous drain that is causing the water not to flow out of the sink or tub. Luckily, there is a solution for this problem and it is called drain unblocking. You want to make sure that the toilet always functions at its best. But if you are not careful, you could be dealing with clogs on a regular basis.
Here are some ways to keep your toilet safe from clogs.
- Use a plunger regularly. Make sure the plunger you use is clean and appropriate for your type of clog (e.g., if it’s a double-bowl sink, make sure to buy two plungers). (Note: “Clean” means that before using it, you run some clean water through the plunger after suctioning up all the dirty water.) If you do not have time to plunge every time you flush, find out what kind of clogs happen in your bathroom so you know how often to start plunging preemptively. For example, if everyone in your house flushes tampons down the toilet, watch out for tampon clogs!
- Cover the overflow drain hole, which is located on the back of most toilets and prevents you from having to plunge it more than once or twice a year (if ever). You can easily make your own toilet plunger out of an old soda bottle. Alternatively, if this has not solved your clog problem after trying it for at least two weeks, ask someone to help you remove the toilet tank lid (be careful not to drop anything into the water) and use an auger (a hooked metal rod with a handle attached; they are available in hardware stores) to manually clear out any debris. A word of advice: hire an experienced plumber to help you with this.
- Do not flush anything that is not toilet paper or human waste down the toilet. This means you should avoid flushing away products like feminine hygiene products or paper towels, which can cause clogs.
- Throw disposable wipes in the trash instead of trying to flush them down the toilet. Disposable wipes are known for being difficult to flush, so do not risk it if you want to keep your plumbing working well!
- If you have a septic system, avoid flushing anything other than human waste and toilet paper. This means no feminine hygiene products, disposable wipes, or even excess toilet paper (which can cause the toilet paper to not break down properly in the septic tank).
- Install a sink stopper so that you are not tempted to dump cooking grease or other oils down the drain. These substances will harden over time and create clogs.
- Throw used cooking oil in the trash (or store it in a container you normally throw away) instead of pouring it down the drain. If you must dispose of it by pouring it down the sink or toilet, pour lots of hot water after it to help break up the grease and flush it down the drain. This is necessary because if you just pour cold water down after cleaning out your pan with oil, it will solidify and clog up your pipes!
- Do not dump anything—especially not food—into storm drains! Doing so might be convenient for you, but think about where that substance ends up… Like septic systems, storm drains do not always have the ability to properly break down whatever you dump into them, which can cause clogs.
- Regularly check your garbage disposal for any items that should not be there (e.g., silverware, fruit pits, etc.), and remove them right away. These items can cause the disposal to overheat or even break, and they are not easy to fix! If you do not have a garbage disposal, see if your municipality offers composting as an option. This is a better way to dispose of food waste than sending it down the drain.
