Steps to Ensuring You Have Clean Pipes in Your House
To ensure that the pipes in your home remain clean, they do require some attention. There are a few things that you can do every couple of weeks or so to make sure that your drains and pipes continue to flow freely, smell clean and remain free of clogs. If you follow these simple directions, you should have no problem keeping your home's plumbing pipes and drains in properly functioning condition.
You will need:
- Powdered laundry detergent
- Chlorine bleach
- Baking soda
- Drain cleaner
- Hot water
- Every now and then, pour boiling water through your home's drains. This is particularly important in the kitchen, because it will help to melt grease that may build up in your drain and pipes. This can be done anytime that you have left over hot water, such as after making tea or boiling water for pasta.
- To clean your pipes, as well as remove any bad odors, pour one-half cup to a cup of baking soda into the drains. Slowly drip hot water into the pipes. If you allow the water to enter the pipes too quickly it will just wash away the baking soda before it has a chance to work. This can be done every week or two.
- To deodorize, sanitize and clean your pipes and drains, mix three-fourths of a cup of chlorine bleach with a tablespoon of powdered laundry detergent and a gallon of water. Fill the sink or bathtub with the fluid and then drain it. Rinse with hot water.
- Applying drain screens also helps to keep your pipes and drains from becoming clogged and begin to smell. Also, do not put things such as food and hot grease, down the drains. This will cause them to become clogged.
- The above listed steps should only be used to clean and deodorize your pipes, not to remove clogs. If you do have a clog in your drain, use drain cleaner, a plunger or a plumber's snake to remove it.