Prepare for House Guests with These Drain Maintenance Tips

Although it’s great to host friends or loved ones in your home, your home’s drains are subjected to additional strain due to increased use. If you’re expecting additional house guests, you’ll definitely want to ensure your drains are running as smoothly as possible.

Increased toilet use, more showers, and running the dishwasher more frequently increase the risk of clogged drains.

There’s nothing worse than having an overflowing toilet or a slow draining sink while hosting guests.

Let’s look at how to prepare your drains for house guests.

Install Drain Coverings

When you have houseguests, be prepared for all sorts of things to potentially go down your drains. With more people taking showers and using the sinks, there are chances that more food particles, hair, and other items will be flushed down the drains.

It’s advisable to install drain coverings in your kitchen sink, bathroom drains, and floor drains to keep strange things from clogging your drains.

Guard The Garbage Disposal

There’s a lot of work that goes on in the kitchen when you’re hosting guests in your house. So it’s easy for people to treat the garbage disposal as a trash can.

You should be mindful of what goes into your garbage disposal. Some of the things that should never go into your garbage disposal include bones, coffee grounds, celery, fibrous vegetables, eggshells, fruit pits, grease, potato peels, nuts, and fruit pits.

If you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen, place a garbage bin next to the sink and encourage your guests to use the bin to dispose of items that shouldn't be put in the garbage disposal.

Clean Your Drains

You should have an experienced plumber clean your drains ahead of time to ensure water and waste flow smoothly when your guests arrive.

Prevent Your Pipes from Freezing

If you’re hosting guests during winter, you have to take preventative measures to prevent your pipes from freezing when the temperature plummets. It can be frustrating having no water coming out of your faucets when you have guests in your home.

Here’s what you can do to prevent your pipes from freezing.

• Insulate your pipes
• Keep the thermostat set above 50 degrees Fahrenheit
• Let faucets drip slowly
• Keep the garage door closed
• Open cabinets regularly to let warm air circulate around the pipes running through you’re the cabinets
• Disconnect garden hoses
• Seal cracks and openings that allow cold air inside

Signs You Need Drain Cleaning

• Gurgling noise coming from your drains
• Your sinks drain slowly
• Your kitchen sink, bathtub, or toilet back up
• Strange and unpleasant odors coming from your drains
• There’s a sudden increase in the number of fruit flies in your home—this is an indication of food waste building up in your drains.
• You’re dealing with frequent clogs

You can be tempted to ignore these warning signs hoping that they will go away on their own, but ignoring signs of clogged drains can lead to expensive repairs and replacements.

If you’re in need of drain cleaning, call Mr. Rooter Plumbing to help you out.