Last Updated on April 16, 2025 by Anta Plumbing Master Plumber
Maintaining your plumbing system may seem like a pain at first, but once you get in the habit of periodically cleaning your pipes you’ll learn that it’s not all that bad.
Knowing how to maintain your pipes is not only important for yourself, it’s also important for the environment. A lot of people ruin their plumbing system by flushing and pouring down harmful chemicals or materials that decompose slowly and that can actually have a negative effect on sewage systems.
Not only will you get clogs in your pipes, but you’ll also throw city officials in a fit as they hastily try to rid sewers and pipes of thousands of wet wipes.
By exercising caution and common sense, you can avoid causing damage.
In this list we cover some tips on maintaining your pipes, using the right materials and what you shouldn’t put in your drain.
Let’s hope that with these simple tips, you may never have to experience the agony of clogged pipes.
Use a basket strainer
You can buy a basket strainer online for as low as $1 in varying shapes and sizes.
These little things come in handy in showers and kitchen sinks. Simply emptying a basket strainer every now and then versus calling a plumber is much easier and takes little time and effort.
The amount of food and hair you’ll catch using these things is quite surprising.
Clean those pipes!
Every now and then you’re going to want to clean your pipes so that they can operate with maximum efficiency.
One of the easiest methods is to simply pour enzymatic cleaner down your drains. These work better than corrosive or acid-based cleaners because they don’t ruin pipes, septic systems and plumbing equipment.
Instead, enzymatic cleaners are made up of bacterial cultures and enzymes that slowly break down material inside pipes.
Do this every now and then and you’ll avoid major potential headaches.
Careful what you pour down the drain!
There are a whole array of things that you shouldn’t be pouring down the drain. Including, egg shells, grease, oil, fat, car fluids, paper towel, and tons of other things that are pretty obvious.
Generally, it’s common sense what you can and can’t pour down the drain. But if you’re on the fence about it, you can always do a quick search online to see if it’ll go down.
Exercise caution and common sense, treat your pipes with care.
Heat up those sinks after your done
One cool trick to keep your pipes clean is to run hot water after you’re done using the sink. This keeps oils on foods and off your pipes preventing build ups and clogs.
Fats, oils and grease can accumulate inside pipes and restrict flow. This can cause untreated wastewater to back up into homes, businesses and streets, resulting in high costs for cleanup and restoration.
Once you’re done you can also put baking soda into the drain. This will not only help your pipes clear up, but it will also help them smell nice too.
