No one likes clogged drains. At best, a clogged drain means a not-so-fun cleaning job for you. At worst, it means having to pay a plumber too much money to come and fix the problem.

We’d rather help you avoid both options!

So, in honor of our everlasting pursuit to save you, our readers and customers, time and money, here are four simple tips to prevent clogged drains.

  1. Watch the Hair!

Hair is one of the most common culprits for clogged drains. To avoid costly build-ups, take steps to avoid getting too much hair in your drains.

Brush your hair before you take a tub/shower, wipe up with a paper towel after shaving, and always try to wash your pets outside or in a separate washtub!

  1. Use a Danco Drain Hair Catcher

Danco has recently released a new line of drain hair catchers for the bathroom sink and tub.

These brand-new products keep hair and other debris from flushing down your drains. Installing these simple-to-use tools can save you a lot of time, money and hassle down the line!

Choose from the external sink and bathtub drain hair catchers, easily placed on top of your drain and held in place with an innovative suction-cup design, or our internal 2-in-1 Bathtub Hair Catcher, made of long-lasting silicone, and designed to fit snugly into the bathtub drain itself.

  1. Careful What You Pour Down Your Sinks

Just because it can go down the drain, doesn’t mean it’s good for your plumbing system!

To avoid future drain issues, avoid pouring grease, oils, coffee grinds, egg shells, pasta and rice down your drains. All of these can lead to gunky build-ups that will eventually clog your drains completely.

  1. Care for Your Drains

Regular drain maintenance is a must for every homeowner!

Once a week, flush each drain in your home with extra hot water to help keep gunk from building up. You’ll also need to clear hair and other debris from your drain strainers and hair catchers at least once a week.

Once a month, treat each drain to a more stringent cleaning. There are many DIY drain-clearing recipes to choose from here. Boiling water, baking soda, and vinegar (1/3 cup each) mixtures, environmentally friendly drain cleaners (e.g. Method or Ecos) and enzyme treatments are all great ways to keep your drains clear. Try combining two or more of the above treatments for extra clog-clearing power.

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And that’s it for today!

Use the above tips and tools, and you’ll likely never have to deal with a clogged drain again.

For more advice on dealing with and avoiding clogged drains, make sure to check out our other articles on drain maintenance, here and here.