Cleaning blocked drains

is simple when you know how and can save you lots of money calling a plumber. Remember, prevention is better than cure!

Baths and shower drains

1) Most blocked drains in the bath are caused by hair, it is a nasty messy business to get it out but once done, there are several cheap gadgets you can use to stop most of hair going down again.
Hair caught in a bath drain causes a net which will catch anything going down and eventually block the drain causing bad smells and potential leaks.

Don’t let this happen to eeeeuwwww!
A hair blocked drain

2) Give your blocked drains a good clean and clean/check them on a monthly basis to keep them clear.
Here is an eco friendly recipe, there are also lots of proprietary brands available

Using Baking Soda

1.Clean the strainer or stopper. …
2.Boil water in a tea kettle. …
3.Pour the boiling water directly into the drain. …
4.Pour ¼ cup of baking soda and 1 cup white vinegar into the drain. …
5.Wait 15-20 minutes. …
6.Boil more water in the kettle. …
7.Pour hot water directly down the drain.

Sinks and basin drains

Use the same solution down sink or basin drains and keep them clean.

I you have blocked drains in the bathroom or kitchen you can usually undo the trap from below and empty out the nasties that have gathered there. No special tools should be required for this, but put a bucket underneath before you undo the trap.

You can also use gadgets and nets in the plug hole to catch small things that might block it, peas, rice etc in a kitchen sink and they’ll stop you losing the caps off bottles or toothpaste down there (which can also block the drain).

Prevent a blocked sink by preventing debris from going down it

Special kitchen advice

Never never never put fat or oil down the sink!

It will cool and congeal causing a bad blockage. If you ‘re able to wash it down it ceases to be your problem, but the major drains still get clogged by it See this news article from BBC’s NewsBeat about a bus sized ‘fat berg’ that threatened Chelsea