For the most part, I love being a homeowner and prefer it to the experiences I’ve had as a renter. But there is at least one big drawback to life as a homeowner—you don’t get to call up the landlord when you’re dealing with a clogged pipe! ;-)
I’ve faced many a clogged pipe in my life, which is part of why I’ve written so extensively about how to unclog drains in both sinks and toilets. But it recently occurred to me that I haven’t devoted much time to exploring how to avoid clogs in the first place!
Clogs are entirely preventable, and it’s much easier to prevent a clog than it is to clear one out. So today I’ll be sharing some highly useful tips that will help you keep your drains clear and clog-free! :-)
The Secret Plumbers’ Trick To Keeping Your Drains Clear
One of the biggest keys to keeping drains clear is to reduce the amount of greasy gunk clinging to the insides of your pipes. Greasy buildup can trap other gunk moving down the drain, and can eventually create a stubborn clog that you’ll have to deal with.
But there’s a simple way to eliminate greasy buildup, and you already have it at your disposal—dish soap! I always recommend using Dawn dish soap because of its effectiveness against grease, but you can use whichever one you happen to have on hand.
I originally stumbled upon this tip on the website of a plumbing business, but I soon learned my son Erik had heard it too! He had been chatting with a plumber who was called out to the dog kennel where he worked, and the plumber said dish soap was his secret weapon for avoiding clogs.
So not only is this method easy and effective, it’s also plumber-approved! :-) Here’s how you can do it at home.
How To Use Dish Soap To Keep Your Drains Clear
You’ll need:
Directions:
- Start by pouring a good amount of dish soap (a few tablespoons or so) into the drain and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Put the drain stopper into the drain, then fill the basin with cold tap water.
- Remove the drain stopper to drain the water, which will whisk away the loosened grease and grime!
You can use this method on kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, bathtubs, showers, and even toilets! If you’re dealing with a particularly greasy drain like your kitchen sink, try using hot water instead of cold.
4 Bonus Tips For Clog-Free Pipes
- Every day, run water down your drains for about 30 seconds to keep them free of debris.
- To keep your garbage disposal clear, continue running the water for about 5 seconds after you use the disposal.
- Never pour hot oil or grease down a sink, regardless of whether or not you have a garbage disposal!
- Keep a simple plumbing snake handy. If you do end up with a clogged pipe in your sink, tub, or shower, you’ll be able to remove it yourself and avoid the cost and hassle of calling a plumber!
Do you have a tip you use to keep your drains clear?
I use the Dawn to clear drains, particularly the shower drain, which eventually begins to indicate soap buildup by making a gurgling sound while showering. But to make it even more effective, I wait until the last shower in the evening, then, in addition to putting a dose of Dawn down the drain, I add a cup of hot water so that the Dawn is carried into the P trap, and then let it sit overnight. Next day the junk is rinsed out and gone as soon as the shower is used, and the gurgling sound is gone. This is also the way that you should clean a kitchen sink drain if you do not have a dishwasher to flush it out for you as it is draining.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m not troubled with blocked drains but will use this method, with hot (not boiling!) water to keep my plastic pipes clean and grease free so thank you for this. For the bathtub I use a fine mesh cover to prevent hair getting in the pipe in the first place but of course there’s body fat down there too. Just ask anyone involved in swimming pool maintenance about what they call ‘body soup’ ugh!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The bar soap used while bathing/showering will also cause buildup in the pipes, the same way it creates soap scum on the tub and shower walls and glass doors.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used about three tablespoons of my inexpensive, generic dish soap in my bathroom sink drain, letting it set a few minutes and then filling the sink with cold water…then pulling the plug and letting it drain. Wow! It worked like a miracle! Great tip Jillie. Thanks so much.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.soap will work ok if you have pvc pipe but if you have galvanized steel or cast iron that’s a big no no. It will cause a black sludge that will buildup on the interior of the pipes and eventually back you up and potentially cause a huge dirty mess.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Not suggested if you have a septic tank! Over use of any chemical, including Dawn dish soap will kill the good bacteria in your septic tank. You need the bacteria to break down solids in the tank and work properly!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had issues with hair in my tub drain and tried just about everything with no help, then I was reading and article on Apartment therapy that recommended this product Tubshroom ( and it works like a charm)
https://amzn.to/2we4tZz
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What about HE washers? I do not see a lint trap in mine. I do empty the lint trap in my dryer every time I use it. Can you put vinegar and baking soda in your HE washer? Or what else would you suggest? Thank-you
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Most H E washers do not have a lint trap. Consult your owners manual to see if yours does or not.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you for sharing this idea. It’s new to me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.One of the best and easiest ways to keep the kitchen sink drain flowing and grease free is probably sitting right there next to you sink. It’s called a dishwasher. It won’t do the job if it isn’t run properly, however. Start by running the hot water to the sink first so you are not just filling the dishwasher with all the cold water in the line between the dishwasher and water heater. Next, turn on any heat boosters on the dishwasher (high temp wash, sani rinse for example). Your water heater, if set correctly, should only be supplying 120 to 125 degree water, which will be even less by the time it gets to the dishwasher. The heat boosters on the dishwasher will raise it to140 degrees or more, which will help the soap to work much more efficiently, thus breaking down and removing grease and oil from the machine and your sink drain line. And one last thing that too many people fail at is using rinse agent (Finish, Jet Dry), which are actually water softeners that not only eliminate water spots on dishes, but keep mineral deposits from forming also.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Think in. UK all dishwashers are cold fill only nowadays. Not the case in US?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry Al S, silly me, of course you’re meaning the hot water emptying from dishwasher will help clean out the sink drain pipe? I’d still have to deal with the length of sink pipe (which includes the s-bend) above the dishwasher hose entry point because of how mine is plumbed.
Yes, the (presumably) hot water draining from the dishwasher after washing with the dishwasher soap in it certainly should keep the drain line clean.
I see you are using this in a kitchen sink, but will it work on bathroom sinks too?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, Jenni it will… and your bathtub and toilet too! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I found out that “flush free wipes” clog up toilets eventually. I had to use a plumbers snake to unclog the toilet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes they do Ruth! Here is a post I just recently shared about that and an alternative to those wipes. https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/homemade-bum-spray/
Please log in or create a free account to comment.To keep my drains clear I’ve always followed some simple rules:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.1. Avoid pouring oil or grease down the drain in the first page, I always have an empty, large pickle jar in the under sink cupboard, any oil/grease to be discarded goes straight in there, once the jar is full, it goes in the bin.
2. When washing grill pans and other pans that are greasy don’t just put the greasy pan in the sink with all the grease, pour or scrape as much residual grease as possible into the waste grease jar.
3. With more shampoos, conditioners etc containing shea butter, avocado oil etc I pour washing-up-liquid (US dish soap) down the drain, then after 30 minutes put the shower on full heat and jet spray and hold it at the plughole for 5 minutes.
Hope these help also…
In the UK glass jars can be recycled and since glass won’t biodegrade in landfill, why not line a plastic tub with paper towel (which is compostable) and put accumulated fat, oil etc (minus the plastic box!) in food waste bin or nestled among dry waste in your bin?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Recently my shower drain was starting to back up so I poured about a cup of your shower cleaner (Dawn and warm vinegar) in. I let it sit overnight and the next day it was clog free!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s great, Joyce! Thanks for sharing this! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Why COLD water?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The grease will solidify and clump up when in cold water, and the whole sink being filled with water and then release will push those solidified pieces out. Therefore, it’s more abrasive than hot water in that way and will work better.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you for pointing out that grease, oils and fats should never be poured down the drain. Even if they don’t clog your own drain they create havoc in the sewer system that city workers have to fix. I would imagine that for those who use the sink often to wash hands or do dishes, liquid dish soap gets washed down the drain on a regular basis anyway. But the occasional, deliberate drain-cleaning probably would’t hurt regardless.
I love your faucet!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also very detrimental to septic systems.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I do like Barbara below. Baking soda and vinegar and then hot water especially works good for the kitchen sink. And i do run hot water down the drains a couple times a day. In the bathroom i am dealing with hair more than anything. I still use the baking soda thing but have heard too that the dish soap is a good tip for the toilet and bathroom sinks. Recently someone suggested Mr. Plumber , you can get at the Dollar Tree for a dollar…..works great for me. Where others have suggested straight bleach. Good luck.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I do two things: once a week I clean the pipes with 2 TBSP Baking Soda and 1/3 C White Vinegar, let sit for 20 min then run water for a few minutes; I use a fine mesh strainer that fits into the drain. Its not fool proof but works really well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Many clogs are caused by hair. I use a wire mesh strainer in my bathtub and shower drain. It’s much easier to clean the strainer than remove a clog. I also use a strainer in the kitchen sink, as I don’t have a garbage disposal.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hair is probably the main reason that nasty, caustic drain cleaners are needed, as these are the only things that actually dissolve hair. An ounce of prevention! But in lieu of a mesh strainer in our tub, we have cats…for some reason they are fascinated by our tub drain and spend hours hanging out in our master tub, looking into the drain and fishing out any wads of hair that we (I) might have left.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was also going to suggest the strainer. Have long hair and it is godsend
Please log in or create a free account to comment.dump some nair down your drain. it dissolves hair
Hey there Christy,
I never would have thought of that one.
In my experience Nair (and other depilatories) doesn’t dissolve hair, simply removes it from skin. I can see the small facial hairs it removes from my face sitting in the cream when I scrape it off. Suspect the gooey/greasy texture of these creams (similarly to hair conditioners etc) might also leave gunge in waste pipes for stuff to cling to?