How Often Should You Clean Your Drain?

Hand pouring baking soda down bathroom sink

Functional plumbing and sewage systems are essential to keep your home safe and running smoothly, and one way to keep them working well is by cleaning your drains. Arrow Sewer & Drain provides specialized drain repair and cleaning services and more throughout central and northern New Jersey. Our expert staff has fifteen years of experience in the industry and is here to help you with any plumbing and sewer needs you have. Here, we share more information about how often you should clean your drains and what methods we recommend.

Drain Cleaning Methods

If you’ve noticed that the drains in your home have been moving slowly or smelling foul, they may be blocked or clogged, and it’s time to give them a good cleaning. There are many methods that handymen and plumbers recommend to clean and clear drains, but not all of them are advised. These are some steps you can take to clean your drains:

Clear the Clog

Before actually putting any cleaners in the drain, you’ll want to try to remove or break up the clog. In bathroom sink drains, remove any hair you can, and in kitchen sinks, do the same with food. If the clog is deeper, you can try using a plunger to clear the clog or a drain snake or bent wire hanger to reach the hair or buildup further down the drain. 

Use Home Remedies

Although many homeowners’ first instinct when experiencing a clogged drain is to reach for the Drano or similar chemical drain cleaner, most plumbers don’t recommend using these. They’re made with strong chemicals that can be harmful to the environment or your pipes. If you can’t remove the clog with a plunger or hanger, you can try pouring boiling water or a mixture of baking soda and vinegar down your drain to break up the clog and clean your pipes.

Contact a Professional

If no home remedy is going to fix your drain problem, contact professionals with experience in drain repair and cleaning, like Arrow Sewer & Drain. We use both traditional and innovative methods like our hydro jet drain cleaning system to get your drain back in working order. Arrow Sewer & Drain also offers 24-hour emergency service for when you have an urgent matter that can’t wait.

These methods are the best routes to take when experiencing drain problems. You can also check out our blog post on preventative maintenance tips for more information.

Drain Cleaning Frequency

It’s best to prevent clogs and blockages in the first place by cleaning drains and getting maintenance done by professionals, but you’re probably wondering how often you should be doing it. Frequency can vary depending on the use your drains get, but we recommend getting professional cleaning done at least once a year. If your drains receive a lot of use, you can set up more regular maintenance plans or use biological drain cleaners that don’t contain corrosive chemicals. Overall, you shouldn’t have to do too much cleaning of your drains if you take good care of them and get any problems checked out swiftly.

Contact Arrow Sewer & Drain Today

If your drains need to be cleaned or repaired, Arrow Sewer & Drain can help you out, along with any plumbing or sewer services you need. With more than fifteen years of experience in the central and northern New Jersey area, Arrow Sewer & Drain has experienced plumbing technicians with the expertise and knowledge to complete a wide variety of jobs. Contact us today to learn more or get started.

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