A clogged drain is something that every single one of us dreads hearing.

“The water is not going down the drain!” Any parent will dread their child saying this. It is then going to be wet, gooey, sticky, and slimy, and will probably smell awful. I am sure that every one of you has faced the problem of clogged drains at least a couple of times in your house.  Here is a list of twelve reasons that could be causing the drainage problem.

  1. Oil residues:  One of the things that clog pipes is the residue of oil that remains inside them. Kitchen sinks usually clog when cooking oil and grease cake on the pipe wall. Furthermore even small food particles will expand in water, attach themselves on oil residues, and leave you with a sink that refuses to let water flow down the drain smoothly. For this reason, you should pour the waste oil elsewhere, instead of in the drain.
  1. Hair strands: It is well known that small hair particles twirl and attach themselves to the drain pipes thus blocking water and other small particles that would have otherwise flowed down the drain. Once mixed with soap, hair strands often wrap around extended parts of the drain and overtime accumulate to reduce the flow of water. As such, be sure to comb your hair before stepping into the shower.
  1. Coffee grounds and tea leaves: Coffee grounds and tea leaves may look miniscule, and may give the illusion that they would not do much damage. But in reality, they are the exact opposite. They take a long time to degrade, and clog the drain pipe.  Therefore, use a strainer to filter them and throw them in the dustbin.
  1. Pasta, rice, potatoes and beans: Even though they make a tasty meal for you, they aren’t quite as good on your drain. They soak up water, and expand to form a paste like substance inside of the pipes to block water flow.  Therefore, do not let pasta, rice, potatoes, and beans get into the drain. For these reasons, these products should be thrown into the dustbin.
  1. Liquid drain cleaners: It is in fashionable these days to use the store brought liquid drain cleaners, and to pour them down the drain to unclog it. However, these “cleaners” sometimes do the opposite. Thus, instead of buying liquid drain cleaners, simply remove the clogged particles manually.
  1. Feminine hygiene products and pre-moisturized wipes: Unlike toilet papers, these products absorb water but refuse to get dissolved. They instead expand in the water, and are unable to pass through the drain.
  1. Dental floss and cotton: Small blobs of cotton appear as if they can easily pass through the drain, but when they get in contact with water they expand and clog the drain. Dental floss, on the other hand is similar to hair particles, they too get tangled inside the drain and block the flow of water. Therefore dental floss and pre-moisturized wipes should never be flushed down the toilet; they need to be put in the dustbin.
  1. Cigarette butts: Cigarettes are harmful to both your body and your drain. Their residues mix with water to form even more stubborn particles that are never properly flushed out. Remember this the next time you light a cigarette.
  1. Plastic packaging: Plastics are a straight flat “no” when it comes to drainage. They get stuck in your drain and stop the flow of waste to your sewage. Much of the food you purchased for home probably had come in plastic wrapping. Make sure you do not cut them open over the sink, as scraps of plastic can still fall in and create a build-up later to block the drain.
  1. Cardboards: Cardboards when mixed with water expands and get stuck in the pipe. They form a huge blob of gooey and sticky substance that clogs the drain.
  1. Baby toys: If you have a child, keep an extra eye on him every time he takes a toy into his hand while entering the washroom. This is because he is unaware that even small parts of his toy, if they fell into the toilet can block the whole drainage system.
  1.  Vegetable peels: Vegetable peels in the kitchen pipeline also tend to block the drain. Make sure that you never peel any fruits or vegetables over the sink as they do not degrade easily, and their residues stick inside the drain and clog it.

Therefore, if your drain gets clogged regularly, you may want to check if any of your family members has been unknowingly putting the above mentioned “dirty dozen” in the drain. With a bit of extra care and consideration your drain will start flowing like new.