If you follow the advice given below, you will help to keep your drains clean and clear, prevent clogs and unsanitary conditions, and also help to avoid any unpleasant smells from developing.


Avoiding clogged-up Drains
- Purchase a drain strainer. This fits over the plughole, allowing water to drain through it, but catches any food particles that get into the sink. They are available from hardware stores.
- Grease and oil cause clogging. Be sure never to pour leftover fat down the drain. Instead, pour it into a can or jar, cover well, and refrigerate – then throw it out.
- While you are cooking, keep a very small trash container for food debris close by. Any kitchen store should have a mini size. Line it with the smallest trashcan liner available and use it for discarding cooking scraps. Likewise, when rising your plates and dishes after a meal, make sure you put as many of the leftovers as possible into the mini trashcan to keep food debris from getting into the drain. After you have finished preparing and eating your meal, remove the liner from the mini trashcan and discard it, and replace it with a new one.
- To prevent a buildup of grease in the sink and waste pipes, flush them once a week with a solution made from one cup washing soda crystals and two-and-a-half caps hot water. Alternatively, use a commercial drain cleanser.


Homemade cleansers for regular maintenance

To clean and deodorize
Pour three-quarters cup baking soda down the drain, and then slowly drip warm water into it. Alternatively, mix three-quarters cup washing soda in one gallon warm water. First, pour hot water down the drain, then pour down the baking soda solution, followed by more hot water. Use either method once every two weeks to keep the drain clear.

To disinfect and sanitize
Add just less than one cup chlorine bleach and one tablespoon powdered laundry detergent to one gallon warm water. Pour the solution into the sink, let it drain, then rinse with warm water. Do this once a month.

Homemade cleansers for clogged drains
- Pour a half cup baking soda down the drain, followed by one cup vinegar. Alternatively, mix two teaspoons ammonia with one quart boiling water and pour down the drain. Use a plunger after either solution.
- Eco-friendly enzymatic drain openers can be put down the drain. These are freeze-dried blocks of bacillus bacteria, which eat the material clogging the drain.