Sometimes, we notice a weird looking, almost creepy kind of black stuff that looks like it’s coming up out of the drain in our bathroom sinks. When you touch it, you’ll notice it’s both slimy and weird. Keep in mind that this happens, but isn’t normal and something you should have in your homes. So you’ll need to get rid of it right away.

What is drain gunk?

The weird looking black stuff in your drain is nothing more than a combination of things that go down your drain. This usually includes decomposing hair, soap scum, toothpaste grit, shaving cream residue, skin cells, etc. It’s an accumulation of the mildew, bacteria and decomposing items that’s growing at a rapid pace due to the lukewarm water used to wash your hands, face, etc.

What can you do about drain gunk?

If you have a drain snake, now is a good time to put it to use and clear your drain using the drain snake. This is the easiest solution. However, if you don’t have a drain snake, the next best thing to do is make a solution that you can pour into your drain to help clear it.

Drain cleaning solution

1. Put a pot of water on the stove; turn the burner on high; bring to a boil.
2. While the water gets heated up, pour some baking soda down the drain. Baking soda has the ability to neutralize fatty acids so it will work to eat away the grime while you are waiting for the water to boil.
3. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, remove it from the pot from the stove and pour the hot water down the drain.
4. Let the water and baking soda work at breaking up the grime for 10 minutes.
5. When the time is up, pour 1 cup of bleach down the drain to kill any remaining mildew or bacteria.

For sinks it is necessary that you repeat this process every few months. This is because sinks are used more frequently and for multiple reasons. Staying on top of your drain cleaning routine should keep the gunk from accumulating and clogging the sink drain.

How to prevent drain gunk accumulation and clogging

Bathrooms

For bathroom sinks and tubs, the number one cause of clogs is from toothpaste and long hair. If you have a clog in your bathroom sink or tub, cover the drain and fill it with hot water so you can let it out the drain and once and flush the insides of the drain. If it doesn’t work, try using a plunger or a drain snake.

After a shower or brushing your teeth, make sure some hot water is on to run down your drain and clear up the gunk from materials in your toothpaste or shampoo. If you have longer hair, invest in a drain saver for your bathtub that catches longer hair and lets you throw it away, instead of taking it down the pipes where it can clump and cause clogs.

Toilets

As a rule, there are only two things that should go down a toilet and that’s human waste and toilet paper. Anything else is advised against, won’t biodegrade, and will possibly get stuck in the pipes. No one wants to deal with a backed up toilet and the inconvenience it creates. If plunging and snaking a toilet doesn’t get rid of the clog, you should consider calling a professional.

Kitchen Drains

If you have a clog in your kitchen drain, you can use hot water and dish soap to loosen and eat away at the clog. Be sure to use super hot water down the drain to soften the clog, following up with some grease dissolving dish soap.

If this doesn’t work, try using a plunger, pouring a second round of hot water and soap and plunging again. You can also try putting a foaming mixture of equal parts baking soda and vinegar down the pipes to try and unclog the pipes naturally without causing any damages.

Drain cleaning is a very vital plumbing procedure that every plumber would recommend homeowners to do, and only with a professional, routinely.

Schedule Professional Drain Cleaning

Many homeowners try to handle severe cases of leaks and clogs themselves, and that’s a huge mistake because they end up doing more damage than good for their plumbing system. If you wonder whether you should schedule drain cleaning for your home, take some time to know about the process and the benefits that you can get from it.

Listed below are five important reasons why homeowners should choose a professional to do drain cleaning in their home.

Regular Chemical Cleaners Cause Extensive Damage

If you have repetitive clogs in your drains, you must know that using a chemical drain cleaner for your drains can often create a whole lot of problems. Homeowners often make the mistake of disregarding professional drain cleaning and relying heavily on chemical cleaners.

Most chemical drain cleaners would usually relocate a clog further down in the pipes instead of fully eliminating it. Also, chemical cleaners produce heat when they work, and this heat can cause certain pipe materials like PVC to soften. Additionally, the chemicals in drain cleaners can cause premature eroding in pipes and they may develop leaks.

Plumbers Reduce or Prevent Drain Clogs

The main reason why drain cleanings by a professional are so important is that they prevent clogs from occurring in drain systems in homes.

Clogs are such an annoying problem that can momentarily make plumbing fixtures unusable. But clogs are more than just an inconvenience. A severe clog could cause flooding in a plumbing fixture and that could lead to a large amount of damage.

Plumbers Drain Clean at Effective Times

Plumbers suggest that a great time for drain cleanings across a home is during fall. With drain cleaning in the fall, clogs and other drain problems are less likely to develop during the rainy season, especially for those with yard drains.

Plumbers Use Video Inspections to Identify Solutions

By employing an in-line video inspection camera, you will be able to see where the problem lies and experience faster and less costly repairs. The visuals taken by the camera are sent to a device which is controlled by the technician. These images are recorded for further review by the professional.

While this is done, simultaneously a radio transmitter on the camera gets the physical location of the line and its depth from the surface, so that the necessary repairs can be well planned and carried out. Once the professional diagnoses is given that a sewer line has to be repaired or replaced, there are a few repair options that you could choose from.

Plumbers Use Professional Equipment for Best Results

It is useful for homeowners to know what equipment the plumbers will bring into their home for drain cleaning. For drain cleaning, plumbers mostly use a drain snake to remove clogs. A drain snake is a long cable that will encounter pipe obstructions to break them apart and wash them down the drain.

In some cases, the drain clogs may be intense or very severe, at that time a plumber might resort to using hydro jet equipment to dislodge the clogs. Hydro jet equipment uses pressurized water to free clogs and buildup.

Hydro jetting is usually a plumber’s proffered solution when there is mineral deposit buildup or if you have clogged pipes. If you have hard water in your home because of mineral deposits, the need for hydro jetting would be more likely.

Schedule Drain Cleaning with All Utah Plumbing

If you’d like to learn more about drain cleaning or schedule drain cleaning for your home, contact us at any time to get more information on our services. We have an expert team of plumbers who specialize in fixing homes and taking care of all your plumbing needs.

Our experts can offer valuable solutions and service and also quick delivery time, with work timelines that can range from a few hours or within a day, based on the nature of damage and scope of work. This can be determined during a home inspection.

Contact us for further details, or if you’d like to book a home inspection for your homes plumbing health.