Clogged drains are the kind of inconvenience that everyone has faced at least once in their lives. They make for an unsightly scene and produce a disgusting odor that is hard to ignore when you need to be around your drain for one reason or another.

Apart from damaging your plumbing and hindering your everyday tasks, these blocked drains cause serious health problems. They provide the best environment for the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms, making your household unsafe for your family.

In Australia alone, homeowners are regularly faced with clogged drains, so much so that the number of professionals working to fix blocked drains in Sydney has increased significantly in recent years.

In order to facilitate homeowners facing this problem on a regular basis, we have listed the 5 main causes of clogged drains.

1. Human Hair & Animal Fur

You must have picked out a ball of hair or fur from your bathroom drain more than once since it’s the most common thing that blocks your drains. Some people, especially women with long hair, are forced to perform this drain cleaning routine daily to avoid causing a bigger plumbing problem for their household.

Whether you are showering, washing your face or doing the dishes, your hair has a way to find its way into your drain and clog it.

If you don’t want to destroy your plumbing, it is a good idea to use a fur roller to pick up animal fur and remove hair from your house’s drains every day however disgusting it may sound. You can also use better hair products and oil your hair frequently to reduce your hair fall.

2. Tree Roots & Foliage

The roots of trees and dead foliage are one of the main causes of clogged drains around the world. This is the reason why all architects and city planners advise against plantation of big trees near residential areas.

Even if you plant a small tree, it will eventually grow to be a big one with wide-spreading roots. Horizontal growth of roots is more harming to your plumbing system than vertical growth, as it can interfere with not only your house’s drainage system but its sewage system as well.

Do not plant trees near your house’s plumbing system or you’ll have a bad case of blocked drainage at your hand. Furthermore, be mindful of dead foliage during the fall season as they are difficult to remove from the streets because of their large quantity. They get stuck in the main holes and destroy your plumbing system.

3. Soap & Other Toiletries

Small pieces of soap that break off from a bigger bar clog the sink and eventually your drain. They are so insignificant that no one pays attention to them until the situation gets out of hand. Some people think that these clogged up pieces will eventually disintegrate because of staying in the water for too long but that’s a misconception. The longer they stay in this state, the harder it becomes for them to dissolve in water. Over time, they keep solidifying until your drainage can’t handle them anymore.

Other toiletries like paper towels and cotton swabs are also among the most common causes of blocked drains. Make sure to always throw used paper towels and cotton swabs in the bin instead of flushing them down the drain.

4. Deposition of Grease, Oil, Fat a& Mineral

Oil, grease, and fat are the things that are most commonly found in our drains because of their heavy consumption in our everyday life. No matter what part of the world you belong to, you’ll use at least one of these things to cook your food.

The sticky nature of these ingredients makes it easy for them to stick to the walls of your drain pipes. Over time, these drains gather so much grease and fat that it becomes challenging for them to function properly.

Mineral deposition in drains is another thing that blocks your drains from within and it happens naturally. It is inevitable, especially when you don’t clean your drains regularly.

5. Foreign Objects

Foreign objects is an umbrella term for the things that we cannot categorize separately. Vegetable waste, leftover food, and other small substances have a way of getting stuck in your drain when you wash your dishes. Most people keep a plunger near their basins to tackle this problem effectively.

Moreover, things like rice and pasta are also responsible for clogging your drains. Pasta has an ingredient that swells up when exposed to water so if you regularly drain the water that was used to cook the pasta in your kitchen sink then it will soon block your drain quite badly.

Flour is also harmful to your drain when it is washed down the sink. It becomes a slime-like substance that is hard to get off from a surface. Other foreign objects that clog your drains are fiber and fruit pulp that blocks the blade in your drain, making it unable to function effectively.

Apart from this, there can be some very unusual things that can cause your drain to act up. Small pieces of jewelry, candy, and toy parts are just a few examples of those things.

In Summary:

Keeping your drains in their prime condition for proper functioning is not an easy task. It takes a lot of time and effort for someone to be mindful of the things they wash down the drain. Thorough research about the topic should be enough to encourage you to take the necessary actions to protect your plumbing system. The first step towards doing better for your house is knowing all these causes behind clogged up drains and looking for effective ways to avoid them.