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Tips on unclogging those drains that are doing overtime during quarantine

Posted at 4:32 PM, May 12, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-12 17:32:42-04

Many of us are home all day now – some in a house full of people – and let's be real, the plumbing's getting a workout.

“Just the fact that people are in their homes, they're hunkered down, they're using their plumbing more often,” said Paul Abrams with Roto-Rooter. “There are more showers. There’s more handwashing. There are more dishes being washed. There are more laundry loads. All of that just contributes to plumbing overuse.”

That can lead to a lot of clogged drains. Abrams says you can usually fix those yourself.

Keep it simple and be sure to have some important items on hand.

First, use your drain zip to get any hair out.

“When you're fishing down in the drain, twist it a little bit and then pull it back,” said Abrams. “You'll usually pull a lot of hair out of there. It's surprising how much accumulates over time.”

Next, put some tape on the overflow hole. Put water in the sink and plunge away. Use a sink plunger, not your toilet plunger. They're not the same.

Then, you want to get a half cup of baking soda and sprinkle it on the drain opening. Pour in a cup of vinegar and watch the cleaning magic happen.

“You'll notice that it sizzles in there and that's going to push down into the drain a little bit,” said Abrams.

Finally, Abrams says to finish it off with an enzyme-based cleaner to get the last bit of the gunk out.

Keep it clean and simple.