Preparing Your Home for Retirement

It can take a long time for a plumbing system to become blocked. However, once it does, you could be facing floods, insects, mould and dangerous strains of bacteria. It is obvious to most people that waste materials such as oil, butter and pet hair can cause major blockages in pipes.

Unfortunately, there are other less obvious causes of drain blockages. In fact, your morning routine could include some of them.

1. Shaving in the Sink

If you've ever tried to remove hair from your sink after a shave, you know exactly how difficult that can often be. Those hundreds of tiny hairs end up on the taps, the bathtub and a hundred other places. Imagine then what happens when you wash those hairs down the plughole every other day.

Eventually, the buildup of hair in your drain begins to collect other types of debris, such as soap and shaving foam. As a result, your drain will gradually drain more slowly until eventually it is blocked completely.    

2. Putting Shaving Foam Down the Drain

Have you noticed how shaving foam residue hardens when left in the open? Although you'll probably wash most of it away afterwards, some of that foam will remain in your pipes. If it forms a clump and lodges in the pipe, you could be facing blocked drains in due time.

3. Brushing Your Teeth with Toothpaste

Another bathroom item that is similar to shaving foam in terms of its state when left out is toothpaste. Leave a stray blob of toothpaste on your sink and within a few hours it will be hardened and difficult to remove.

Just as with shaving foam, toothpaste can cause blockages when other debris, such as hair, sticks to it to form a clump.

4. Washing Your Mud Mask down the Sink

If you treat yourself to a mud or clay mask every now and then, you should avoid disposing of the mask in the sink afterwards. Mud and clay are sticky and prone to clumping when forced together with other solids. As a result, disposing of facemasks down the sink drain on a regular basis will cause your drain to become blocked.

Instead of washing your mask off in the sink, wipe your face with a damp cloth or makeup pad.

Are your drains blocked due to a buildup of waste in your pipes? You may need an emergency drain cleaning to prevent your home from becoming tainted by sewage. Call a professional for help with this task.