Avoid These 10 Mistakes to Keep Your Home Sanitary

Avoid These 10 Mistakes to Keep Your Home Sanitary

Keeping your household clean and sanitary is important for the health and safety of everyone at home, as it keeps disease-causing pathogens, irritants and allergens at bay. It also helps keep your place smelling fresh. And to ensure cleanliness at home, you can begin by taking care of plumbing problems as soon as they arise.

Backed up toilets and clogged drains are among the plumbing problems that not only release foul odour and cause water damage but also pose serious health risks.

To help you steer clear of blocked drain issues, Fluid Plumbing says you need to avoid the following common causes:

1. Hair

One of the most common causes of clogging is hair, which, of course, doesn’t dissolve naturally. The best way to prevent hair clogging is by installing a drain catcher in your bath or shower area.

2. Toiletries

Most people usually flush down toilet paper – which is generally fine. However, you also need to check if the toilet paper you’re using is flushable. Meanwhile, diapers, cotton swabs, wipes and feminine hygiene products like tampons and pads don’t dissolve, so don’t try flushing them.

3. Food scraps

Both big and small fragments of food can get stuck in the sink or beneath it and clog your drains. So, make sure you use sink traps to prevent food scraps and other debris from blocking the smooth flow of water. Throw those scraps with the rest of your food waste instead.

4. Cooking oil, fat, grease

Fat, cooking oil and grease usually solidify at lower temperatures, leading to pipe blockages. This is why you should never dispose of these substances directly in your sink or drain. Instead, wipe it off when it’s in a semisolid or liquid state, and include it with your compost pile.

5. Mineral build-up

Mineral, scale or sediment build-up is common with hard water. To prevent scale formation, use a water softener. You can also regularly descale or practise mineral build-up removal.

6. Soap scum

Soap scum is produced when the fat in conventional soap mixes with the minerals in bathwater. This scum can cause pipes to get clogged, so it’s best to use soap-free substitutes and subject your pipes to regular pressure cleaning.

7. Foreign objects

Accidents can happen in a toilet, which is why sometimes objects that don’t belong there end up getting dropped or lost in it. To prevent this from happening, all showers and sink drains, need to be fitted with guards.

8. Natural debris

Leaves, twigs, soil and all sorts of debris can end up in the gutter and cause blockages. To avoid such a situation, make sure your garden and gutters are always clean.

9. Cat litter

Conventional cat litter is formulated with clumping material that helps ensure cat waste solidifies and is deodorised. However, avoid flushing cat litter down the toilet – even the flushable variety – especially if you have a water-saving toilet. Instead, dispose of the litter using biodegradable bags.

10. Tree roots

If tree seedlings are planted too close to a house, it can lead to the tree roots penetrating the piping system in the next few years, thereby leading to leaks and blockages. So, when planting trees, allocate enough space for a growing root system to develop without causing any damage to the surrounding structures.

If there is a major drain blockage or a sewage backup in your home, be sure to call a professional plumber right away. Some blockages will require a licenced plumber to clear and resolve efficiently. Moreover, plumbers have the protective gear needed to minimise the health risks of exposure to sewage and dirty water.