Home upkeep and maintenance always require the assistance of professionals. While you may be taking care of your place and investing a good amount of time and money in cleaning the place, there are certain issues that can only be dealt with by a professional. One such area that needs professional expertise is blocked drains. Clearing blocked drains can be problematic sometimes if the issue is grave. At such times you would certainly need the help of a plumber who can fix up the issue at the earliest.
Few Basic Tips For Clearing Blocked Drains:
Having professional help is always good; they have an eye for detail and with their expertise and right set of tools they can easily resolve the problem, but there are certain basic measures that you can adopt at home and get rid of blocked drains before calling in for professional help. A few of the basic tips are enumerated below:
1. Mixture Of Baking Soda And Vinegar
One of the easiest ways for clearing blocked drains is by using a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. Both these ingredients are easily available at home or store and are cost-effective. However, we recommend using this method at night when you can allow the mixture to work on the drain pipe. So, here is how it goes – you need an equal portion of baking soda and vinegar, mix it up and pour it down the pipe. Allow the mixture to stand overnight and in the morning, add hot water to the drain pipe. This will flush away anything that is blocking the drain. Following this practice regularly will keep the drain pipe clean and free from clogging.
2. Use Of Chemical Cleansers
The good thing about this tip is that you can easily purchase these chemical cleaners from the market. These are highly effective. Some of these are in the form of powder while there are others that are present in the form of liquid. Add them to the clogged area for clearing blocked drains. Make sure that you wear gloves and cover your face with a mask while using them. Some of these chemicals are strong, and their smell might act as an irritant.
3. Use A Metal Hanger
Hair strands are one of the common culprits for blocked drains. To get rid of blockage done by hair strands, you can take a metal hanger and open it up. Bent one side to form a hook-like structure and push it in the drain hole, and try to fish out. If there are some lumps of food or hair strands or any other particles blocking the drain, you can fish it out.
4. Use Hot Water
This is something that you can practice daily. But before you follow this method, you must check that the drainpipe is heat-resistant, if not, hot water may damage the pipeline. So, what you need to do is – boil the water and then pour this hot water into the drainpipe. If there is anything that is blocking the drain, it will get flushed out from the drain with hot water.
These are some of the basic methods that you can adopt for clearing blocked drains. However, if you notice that the problem still persists, then it’s time to contact a plumber. Professional plumbers have the expertise, and they know the right way to clear blocked drains. They have the right set of tools and techniques that can clear the blocked drains easily.
However, you must choose a plumber who is qualified and has license to provide plumbing services. Relying on an amateur plumber may aggravate your problem. Hence you must check their experience, reviews, and ratings before hiring.
Clearing blocked drains might appear small initially, but ignoring them for long can be problematic, and hence you must contact a plumber immediately.
