Hello everyone:

Today, I am blogging about drains. Have  you ever had to unclog a drain?  As you are aware, a clogged drain is not a particularly difficult challenge. All you need for a simple clog is a wire clothes hanger, opened up to its full length. Keep the hook crocked, so that you have something to hang on to. Put a smaller hook in the opposite end of the hanger. Thread the end with the smaller hook down the recalcitrant drain, twist it in circles several times, and pull the entire glob of gunk out of the drain.

You might have a buildup of hair and other items in there. You might actually be surprised by what you find clogging up the works. (Keep a paper towel handy, to wrap the mess in. You won’t want to touch it any more than necessary.) You will want to throw this gunk in the garbage immediately; make sure you seal it in a Ziploc bag when you dispose of it or it will stink up the house.

You should NEVER use muriatic acid on the pipes. When it is poured down a drain, it smokes, it smells, it gives off dangerous gas, and it doesn’t always work. It can kill you and yours. Do not use it, no matter what some well-meaning person at the local hardware store tells you. Ever.

Ladies, do not pour the grease from your cooking down your kitchen drain. Pour it into a throwaway tin can and toss it. Why should you dispose of grease this way? Because if you pour it down the drain, the pipes will become coated with the grease and gunk will build up on your pipes. This will slow down the draining of your kitchen sink and may cause the drain to be completely stopped up. The stench that comes out of the sink is pretty terrible, as well. You may need to take a plunger and plunge the sink, to clear the drain. The best bet on this is to not pour grease down your sink in the first place.

How do you unclog a drain? If selling your house is not an option, what would you do to get things running smoothly again?

Best,

Dr. Sheri