Effective Solutions for Clogged Pipes - What To Do

It's important to make sure your pipes are well cared for. There are homemade solutions to get rid of any blockages.
Effective Solutions for Clogged Pipes - What To Do

Last update: 17 July, 2020

There’s nothing worse than trying to get the gunk out of a sink, shower, or toilet. We’ll show you some effective solutions for clogged pipes.

When we shower or wash our hands, we wash waste down the drain with the water. When this waste builds up, it can get stuck in the pipes. This can cause problems with water drainage, as well as bad odors, bacteria, or even bugs.

When this happens in your home, you must deal with any clogged pipes right way. The pipes are the “veins” of your house. They allow water to circulate and, indirectly keep you and your family healthy.

Clogged pipes in the kitchen, what to do?

Clogged pipes can cause bacteria.

The kitchen sink accumulates all kinds of waste, such as food scraps, coffee grounds, and other things. First, we recommend that you get a stainless steel drain cover to collect waste before it goes down the drain.

This way, you prevent the drain from getting clogged. However, some debris may pass through the filter. This can lead to waste accumulating in the pipes. This situation can even cause pipes to break, as well as causing bad smells.

Once a month, we recommend that you check that the drain is clean and remove anything that’s blocking the pipe. You should also pay close attention to the siphon since this curved area is where blockages typically occur.

Regular maintenance and supervision allows you to avoid any problems.

5 ways to unblock a toilet

clogged-toilets

Continued use of the toilet can lead to blocking. This can prevent the toilet from flushing properly. You should intervene immediately because one block probably means that waste has accumulated over time. Let’s look at 5 ways to solve this problem:

  1. Plungers are a tool that allows you to unblock anything close to the surface. However, this doesn’t work on deeper blockages.
  2. Older toilets are not good for removing waste. To prevent any future blockages, we recommend adding more water to the cistern then it usually has. This way can eliminate any accumulating waste.
  3. Boiling water helps destroy and remove any residue in the pipes. If you use boiling water once a week, you’ll see efficient long-term results.
  4. If you do have a blocked pipe, you can get a specialized product that destroys waste. You can find these in drugstores.
  5. Sodium hydroxide can also be effective for unclogging drains. However, this can be dangerous if it comes into contact with the skin or eyes. Therefore, you must work safely with this substance. We recommend using it only as a last resort if other options haven’t worked.

Problems with the shower? Here are some solutions

Someone cleaning a shower drain.

The shower can be one of the places that there is an accumulation of waste, such as hair and other residues. These usually clump together in the shower drain.

One effective solution to get rid of dirt is to use baking soda. We also recommend using cola and hot water.

On the other hand, we don’t recommend using coffee grounds to unclog pipes. While people thought this was effective in the past, the grounds can adhere to dirt and make the situation worse.

Again, we should mention some products that unclog pipes. These are usually very efficient. However, you can make an effective option with homemade ingredients.

Tips to avoid clogged pipes

A bath drain with hair and debris.

Up to now, we’ve suggested different options for dealing with blockages. However, we should mention that you must only use products that don’t damage the material of the pipes.

Some options contain powerful acids that are effective but can deteriorate the pipes after long-term and continued use. These substances can even affect your health.

You should look for homemade options or products that aren’t dangerous. This can help make your home a more sustainable one.

 


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Antúnez Soria, Francisco Martín; Mola Morales, Francisco José: Manipulación y ensamblaje de tuberías, IC Editorial, 2018.