What to Look For When Searching for the Best Drain Cleaner 

Clogged, dirty drains may be a common problem, but that doesn’t make them any less frustrating. Fortunately, most filthy drains can be fixed and cleaned with minimal effort or spending. Finding the best drain cleaner could certainly help matters along.

In this article, we’ll discuss how drains get dirty, what factors you may want to look for when choosing a drain cleaner. We’ll also touch on some of the best drain cleaning tactics you can employ to keep drains clear and in pristine condition.

How Do Drains Get Dirty?

When you’re dealing with hair-covered, poorly-draining shower or kitchen sink drains, you may begin to wonder just how your drains became so filthy. Unfortunately, there are several potential answers to this question.

Some of the most common causes behind unhygienic drains include:

• Dirt Build-Up
• Cooled Cooking Fat
• Old, Shedded Hairs
• Soap Residue and Scum
• Rotting Food Particles

By addressing these culprits separately, you can target each one and potentially prevent a significant amount of set-on grime. Unsurprisingly, one of the most significant causes of dirty drains is dirt.

Dirt

Even the tidiest homes can harbor tiny pockets of dirt. Dirt and dust can float around in the air for hours before settling on a surface. Over time, this microscopic filth accumulates and becomes noticeable soil deposits.

Consistently washing your hands is an excellent and hygienic habit to have. However, it can also lead to a build-up of dirt and soil in your bathroom drains. Still, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t bathe, shower, or wash your hands often.

Cooking Fat

Another common cause behind clogged drains, particularly in the kitchen, is a cooled animal or cooking fat. Used cooking oils can cool during the journey down a drain. Once cooled, they become solid and viscous, sticking to drain walls and bends.

Over time, these built-up deposits can block the flow of water and result in serious drainage issues. Additionally, pouring used cooking fats down the drain is an environmentally-disastrous decision. Always store and properly dispose of used oils.

Hair

When it comes to showers and bathtubs, hair may be the most common source of clogs and nasty, scummy build-ups around the drain. Natural hair loss and shaving contribute to hairs swimming off your body and down the drain.

However, not all hairs peacefully depart. Some stick to bits of soap scum, eventually attracting and collecting other wayward hairs. Before you know it, you may have a loathsome hairball lodged in the depths of the shower drain.

Hair-caused drainage issues can be particularly challenging to remedy and may require professional assistance. Fortunately, the same isn’t typically true for soap scum problems.

Soap Residue

Soap scum, also called soap residue, is a natural byproduct of warm, moisture-filled environments and repetitive soap use. It is often easier to treat soap residue than prevent it entirely. Still, when left to collect and settle, scum can cause some issues.

Set-in soap residue can cause discoloration, unpleasant musty odors, and an increased chance of developing a fungal infection. To protect your bathroom and your health, you may need to invest in a heavy-duty bathroom cleaner and drain cleaner.

Rotting Food

Lastly, there’s rotting food. Decaying bits of food, old coffee grounds, and rotting liquids can contribute to a dirty, clogged kitchen sink drain.

If you’re not careful about the types of foods you’re putting down your disposal, you could be unwittingly making things worse. Better disposal practices and a tough garbage disposal cleaner could help you find relief from severe smells and stains.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Drain Cleaner

When it comes to choosing a drain cleaner, there are a few imperative factors that you may want to consider. You’d likely take your time when choosing a carpet stain remover. Equally, you’ll need to carefully choose a drain cleaner.

Some of the most impactful aspects to think about include:

• Material Safeness
• Multipurpose Qualities
• Ease of Use

To help choose the best drain cleaner for your drains, we’ll take a quick look at these factors and why they’re so crucial to the shopping process. Firstly, you’ll need to consider material safeness. Otherwise, you may end permanently staining your sink.

Material Safeness

Just as some carpet cleaners cause permanent discoloration, some caustic cleaning ingredients may result in chemical stains, discolored metals, and surface materials. Before investing in a fast-acting cleaner of clog remover, you’ll want to check it’s safeness.

You can do this by researching the types of ingredients used in the product and checking for any adverse reactions with common sink materials. However, this can be time-consuming. Reading consumer reviews may be faster and more helpful.

Multipurpose Qualities

Purchasing cleaners and clog removers separately can be tedious and expensive. Having to wait for one to finish its work before using the next one can also cost you precious time. As such, it may be worthwhile to choose a multipurpose option.

Dual cleaner and clog removing solutions do exist, and they’re potent options that are designed to take on even the toughest drainage issues. These cleaning products could save you a little money and a lot of time, and they’re typically easy to use.

Ease of Use

You’ll want to choose a drain cleaner that is easy to use. While this might seem like a given, some cleaning solutions require users to follow a series of precise steps and procedures to prepare their drain cleaner. This is essentially at-home chemistry.

When done correctly, this type of application is entirely safe. However, most homeowners aren’t bonafide chemists. A wrong step or misinterpretation could pose dangerous or potentially fatal results, especially when strong chemicals are involved.

As such, it’s crucial to choose a drain cleaner that offers a straightforward method of application with minimal mixing. Doing so can help reduce stress and anxiety related to performing a standard drain cleaning and unclogging.

Besides, chemicals that arrive ready-to-use reduce the amount of time it takes for you to enjoy pristine, well-draining sinks. You don’t have to overcomplicate things in the hopes of achieving exceptional cleaning and unclogging.

By employing a few smart cleaning strategies, you might significantly shorten your overall cleaning time, every time.

Drain Cleaning Strategies

Before investing in a drain cleaner and liberally applying it to your encrusted drains, you may want to review a few helpful cleaning strategies. Spending a few extra minutes exploring these helpful tips and tricks could save you time overall.

You don’t have to work hard to turn your home’s dirty drains into sparkling, well-draining masterpieces. If you work smart, you can save yourself a lot of fuss and grief.

Constant Vigilance is Key

If you don’t let your drains accumulate long-term dirt, food debris, or hair, you may never have to perform a heavy-duty drain cleaning or scrub ever again. Consistent maintenance and cleaning can reduce drain dirtiness and help prevent costly repairs.

Schedule Your Cleaning

If you’re someone who benefits from keeping lists or writing things down, you may want to schedule regular drain cleanings far ahead of time. You utilize your favorite calendar app or physical calendar for this task. Just be sure to check in with is daily!

Invest in an Industrial-Strength Cleaner

Store-bought drain cleaners and clog removers often pale in comparison to industrial-strength options. If you’re serious about experiencing the cleanest drains and the fewest clogs, you may want to consider a heavy-duty clog remover.

Of course, getting rid of your clogs is often only the first step in returning drains to their optimal state. A garbage disposal deodorizer and cleaner can help any remaining gunk, grease, and residue disappear down the drain.

Find the Best Drain Cleaner Today

Several factors can contribute to a drain’s dirtiness. Dirt, soap scum, and hair are common culprits to watch out for and avoid. Still, arming yourself with the best drain cleaner could help you tackle even the most stubbornly stained and dirtied drains.

It’s crucial to consider a few influential aspects when choosing a drain cleaner. Surface compatibility and safeness is vital to keeping sinks blemish-free, and a dual cleaner and de-clogger can help reduce the number of products needed.

Still, shoppers should also be sure to choose a drain cleaner that is relatively harmless and easy to use. Naturally, it’s also essential to choose an affordable cleaner that doesn’t sacrifice effectivity for price.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about ecologically safe home products, contact us today! We look forward to answering your questions.