The bathroom is one of the most visited places in the house. Constant washing leads to the fact that a large amount of hair and other organic waste accumulates inside the drain. As a result, a strong blockage is formed, and the water does not flow, and in the future, an unpleasant smell may appear from the shower. You can clean the blockage in the bathroom with the help of simple means.
Using a plunger against clogging
At home, a plunger will help deal with garbage in the bathroom. So that there is no air corridor, it is necessary to close the upper hole for draining water with a stopper or a cloth. Vaseline or any greasy cream will help ensure a tighter fit of the plunger to the rim of the toilet bowl. Then you need to put the plunger on the drain hole and start intensively and sharply expelling the dirt to get rid of them.
If using the previous method did not bring results, then you can proceed as follows. For more effective protection against clogging, fill the bathtub exactly one third with water. With the help of a plunger, it should be pumped into the pipeline and pulled out. The movements must be sharp. It is necessary to continue a similar procedure until it is possible to completely pierce the drain hole in the pipe from contamination.
Mechanical cleaning with a rope
What to do in a situation when boiling water in combination with a plunger does not cope with clogging in the sewer? In this case, the most reliable way will be a rope. You should be careful, because it is easy to damage plastic pipes with such a device, and they will flow.
To make a cable yourself, you will need a metal flexible wire. Then one end of the cable must be bent to make a small hook. It will be convenient for them to grab the garbage stuck in the drain hole and pull it out. As for the second end, a piece of fabric should be wound to it, making a handle.
Carefully insert the cable into the drain pipe and try to push the dirt out. For better cleaning, you can turn the device clockwise. Then pull out the cable with the rest of the garbage.
To flush the blockage completely, flush the drain with a strong stream of boiling water from the shower or faucet. This method is one of the most effective today. It is what most plumbers use.
Soda from small blockages
Soda in combination with salt will help to cope with small dirt in the bathtub without a plunger . For this:
- pour 125 mg of each agent into the drain hole;
- pour soda and salt with 3 cups of boiling water;
- do not use the bathroom for 7 hours;
- after this time, the drain should be rinsed with hot water.
The second popular way to eliminate debris in the drain hole with improvised means is the use of soda with vinegar . These components react with each other and effectively remove blockages.
Care should be taken when working with vinegar, as it is very easy to get a chemical burn.
- you will need 70% acetic acid (200 ml) and 3 tbsp. l. soda,
- soda is poured into a plum and poured with acetic acid,
- wait 40-50 minutes and carefully clean the drain with boiling water until the foam from soda and vinegar disappears completely.
It should be remembered that this method will help to destroy only garbage of organic origin. If the bath is clogged and it needs to be cleaned of inorganic impurities, it is best to use a cable, a plunger or store-bought preparations.
Other effective methods
- If the bathtub is not too clogged, you can use lemon. To do this, you need to squeeze the juice from three medium citrus fruits into the drain and wait 40-60 minutes. To get more juice, you can hold the lemons in boiling water beforehand. After that, you need to pour the drain with very hot water. Thanks to this method, not only garbage in the bath is eliminated, but also an unpleasant smell.
- Dirt in the drain hole can be removed with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a reverse blow function. The action of this method is based on the use of strong air pressure. Experts do not recommend using this method, as water can get into the vacuum cleaner. If you still decide to remove the blockage in the bathtub using this method, you should wipe the rim of the drain hole dry. Then attach the vacuum cleaner tube, pre-wrapped with a rag, to the drain and turn on the reverse blow.
What to do if folk methods do not help?
Chemicals sold in hardware stores will help to quickly and effectively get rid of the debris that is clogged in the pipe. They are designed to remove organic-based dirt (hair, pet dander, food residue, etc.). Their help is resorted to when it is impossible to cope with folk remedies.
In what form is it best to buy household chemicals? Despite the fact that similar preparations are sold in the form of foam, powders, gels and granules, they all have an almost identical composition.
The following tips will help clean a heavily contaminated pipe:
- it is very important to read the instructions before starting to use chemical solvents of clogging;
- experts recommend choosing solvents to remove blockages according to the nature of the pipe (for example, plastic or cast iron);
- both powder and liquid drugs have the same effectiveness, so it does not matter which type of drug will be used to clean a strong blockage in the bathroom;
- Clogging solvents in liquid form are immediately poured into the drain, and granules or powder are poured out, and then boiling water is poured into them;
- after the drug expires the time allocated to it in the instructions, you need to thoroughly rinse the drain with a stream of hot water.
It is also very important to use rubber protective gloves when working with such chemicals.
Measures to prevent pollution in the bathroom
In order to prevent pollution in the drain of the sink or bathtub, it is necessary to devote time to preventive procedures. Their implementation does not take much time, and the tools that need to be used will be found in every home.
So that the water pipes are not contaminated with waste, and a situation does not arise when the water does not flow well, it is necessary to close the drain holes with special nets for protection. This device will help minimize the ingress of food particles and other organic waste into the plum.
The accumulated garbage should be dissolved at least once a month. This applies even to situations where the clogging is not yet very large and the water flows freely into the sewer. This procedure will prevent the appearance of traffic jams. It can be carried out with the help of tools sold in the store (Mole, Tiret Turbo, etc.).
Ordinary washing powder can replace such chemicals. To prevent clogging, it is necessary to close the drain holes of the bathtub and sink once every 4-5 months. After that, pour a handful of powder and pour very hot water. After 5 minutes, the plugs should be removed. This method will also help to get rid of the unpleasant smell from the shower.
So that clogging does not appear for a long time, you can pour boiling water from the kettle over the drain hole. This procedure should be carried out within 2-3 minutes.
In addition, it is very important to remove the hair that got into the plum after each shower.