It’s springtime once again! This is the time of the year when you get to enjoy the view and aroma of flowers blooming all over your garden.
Because of the sunny weather, you’ll also be able to see different kinds of animals who are either building their homes, storing food or taking care of their offspring. Everything in spring is incredibly pleasant.
Update: We’ve had a lot of people asking about how to make a DIY drain cleaner, so I’ve added in some extra details into this post to help you all out.
But before you can fully bask in the spring sunshine, take the time to do your spring cleaning first. You don’t want your unorganised home to disrupt you from enjoying the lovely summery evenings, right?
And what better way to start spring cleaning in your home than cleaning your drains! They’ve probably become a little blocked up over the months with hair, dirt and grime from the autumn and winter time
It's easy for some hair to get tangled in the plughole and act as a net which collects all kinds of other bits on their way down
The drains in your bathrooms and kitchen sinks are essential to you and your family. The locations of your drains are also the areas where you keep yourself clean, and prepare meals for your family. These are just some of the reasons why your drains should be clean all the time.
As a quick update, I recently found this helpful DIY guide on how to unblock your drains. It’s worth checking that out as well as the tips below and finding what works best for you.
To help you clean your drain, consider these tips:
1. Baking soda and vinegar: For sure, there will always be baking soda and vinegar in your cupboard. Aside from using these as ingredients in your meals, you can also use these to clean your drains. Just take 1/3 cup of baking soda and 1/3 cup of vinegar, and mix it together in one container.
As soon as this mixture fizzes, pour it down your drain. The fizzing action from the baking soda and vinegar will help remove any kind of gunk, grime and hair which might have built up in your pipe.
It’s best if you leave this mixture in your drain for at least an hour and even overnight. Once done, flush the mixture with hot water and your drain will work again smoothly.
2. The bent wire hanger: This is one of the oldest tricks in the book when cleaning your drain and you just need a wire coat hanger to do it. Straighten the wire, create a small hook in one end and use the hook to push past the drain cover.
I found a good video which always helps illustrate the point better than writing:
Once there, start fishing (being careful to not push too far) for any residue which might have caused your drain to clog. Be prepared to fish out hair and other stuff out of the drain. When you think you’ve fished out enough residue, run the hot water and everything should be clear in your drain.
This technique can be used in addition to step 1 above.
3. Vacuum: Yes, you’ve read that right. Aside from cleaning your floors and carpets, vacuums can also help in cleaning your drain. Clogs can be easily removed with a strong pulling force, the same force you can get from your vacuum.
Make sure that the vacuum is the right one though…We have reviewed plenty of vacuums, such as the GTech Pro, but those ones are not suitable for wet weather work!
To do it, tightly place your vacuum in the drain and let it work for you. You might need to attach a plunger head to create a tight seal but this is a proven method of cleaning your drain. Just make sure the drain is dry first…
4. Boiling water: Cleaning your drain doesn’t get any easier than this. If you’re not a fan of mixing your own solutions to clean your drain, use boiling water instead.
Put your kettle on and boil as much water as you can. Pour the boiling water in your drain slowly at least three times, allowing a couple of minutes between each pour.
This will help soften any residue in your pipes and flush these out easily. If this trick worked and there’s still hot water left, reward yourself with a cup of coffee or tea!
This could be used in combination with step 2 if you are not keen on putting solutions down your drains.
5. Soda: Because of the compounds found in soda (usually regular cola/coke), you can use this to clean out your drains even without adding baking soda!
This works by breaking up the residue in your drain, making it easier for the pieces to go down the pipes. You just have to pour out the soda down your drain and you’re good to go. You can repeat the process as frequently as you want. You can even use the soda to clean your sinks, too.
Call in the Pros When Needed
Your drain is a small part of your home, but it can play a huge role in your family’s hygiene and safety. If you don’t take the time to clean your drains, it won’t be long before you or your family can suffer from different types of illnesses and diseases.
This is something which you don’t want to happen. All of these reasons should motivate you to clean your drains not only during spring but regularly.
If you think the tips from this article aren’t enough for you, you can always call in the professionals which can give your drainage system a full clean, such as the Drain Service Toronto people.
It’s always best to consult an expert if things are not working properly. Sure, do a little DIY cleaning first with chemicals and home made concoctions, but after that doesn’t work it’s better to let someone who knows what they are doing look at it rather than breaking it yourself!