Express Sewer & Drain Blog

Clogged bathroom fixtures and drain pipes can turn into so much more than just home plumbing nuisances; if left unchecked, buildup in your bathroom’s plumbing system can lead to thorough, costly (and ultimately avoidable) renovations down the line.

If you can detect clogs in your bathroom drains quickly enough, you can greatly limit their extent with early home remedies and simple de-clogging techniques. Don’t sit back and let clogged drain pipes develop into full plumbing disasters… instead, try these straightforward care and maintenance techniques to resolve clogged fixtures early on.

Cleansing with Water or Mixture Solutions

One of the best (and not to mention, most economical) ways to deal with clogged bathroom drains is through cleansing via hot water or an acidic/chemical solution. Notice how we say chemical solution, and not chemical cleaner. This is because most commercial, chemical drain cleaning products can actually have detracting effects on your drains, and may even pose health risks to your family if used erroneously.

Commercial cleaning products can worsen plumbing problems by corroding your pipes, or reacting adversely due to the chemicals these products include (notably: bleach). Instead a simple hot water cleanse could be all your bathroom drain fixtures need to dislodge clogged debris and return to peak flow capacity.

If hot water flushes don’t do the trick, a mixture of vinegar and baking soda could be the next-best solution for your drains. Begin by pouring one cup of baking soda down the affected drain entrances (toilet drains, sinks or shower fixtures), and following with one cup of warm vinegar. These two elements react in a positive, safe way that can very often dislodge stubborn grime buildup within drains.

When all else fails, try flushing out frustrating clog material with standard, everyday soda products. The acidic qualities and carbonation of conventional sodas can actually perform as powerful, anti-clogging agents, and make your home drain cleaning simple and inexpensive. Why spend on cleaning services or professional grade tools, when you may have the right tools already in your kitchen?

Drain Tools to Clear Clogs Like the Pros

Sometimes, liquid mixture solutions, hot water cleanses or soda flushes aren’t enough to clear out a serious clog; the varying types of debris, materials and chemical gunk blockage inside your bathroom drain fixtures may act together against these at-home cleaning measures, and continually worsen over time.

In these cases, you may consider contacting plumbing specialists in your area to repair your drains and dislodge any clogged debris affecting your plumbing. However, before you touch the phone, you should consider the many, conventional plumbing tools you already have in your home, and those affordably available at your local home improvement store.

These include:

• Your standard toilet plunger; an effective tool you (hopefully) already have in your home for dislodging stubborn clogs is a conventional plunger. The same air pressurization and motions that make these tools work for toilet applications can be applied to bathroom sink, drains and shower fixtures, with much of the same effect.
• A specialized sink plunger; if you don’t have one, get one. These sink-specific variants of your everyday toilet plunger are form-fitted for sink applications, and can quickly resolve typical clogging with ease. As with any bathroom sink plunger application, be sure to cover up overflow vents!
• Wrenches, basin wrenches and pipe maintenance tools; even standard wrenches and carpentry tools can go a long way in returning your clogged drains to full working order. In some severe cases, you may have to dismantle trap-segments along your drain pipes (P-traps, S-traps, U-traps, etc.) to manually clear out clogged debris. Basic wrenches, and sometimes, specialized plumbing wrenches can usually do the basics.
• Drain augers, or “snakes;” these tools are the same ones the professionals use to dislodge frustrating clogs and clear out clogged drain sections. Essentially an elongated wire tool with a grabbing end, professional-level drain snakes are an as close to perfect DIY plumbing tools can get for clog applications.

Professional Drain Experts in Your Area

Every drain clog or bathroom fixture problem is unique; there are no universal clogs, or 100% guaranteed solutions. Sometimes, even the best drain cleaning tools and liquid solutions won’t be enough to dislodge clogged materials in bathroom plumbing. In these extreme cases, the best thing you can do to rid yourself of clogging issues is contact a seasoned plumbing expert in your area.

In many applications, local plumbing pros are keen to simple de-clogging practices that you may have never considered, and can use their specialized tools to resolve virtually any severe bathroom drain clogging. For bathroom plumbing issues in Sacramento, those experts are Express Sewer & Drain.