Has the pandemic had you looking around for your next home project? It may not be as exciting as a new build or a paint refresh, but as a residential plumber that sees it all, I bet your plumbing could use some TLC. Think of it as getting a head start on spring cleaning!
With entire families having spent so much time at home the past several months, everyone’s plumbing has been working on overdrive and would benefit from a good cleaning. Fortunately, our residential plumber knows a handful of simple and effective ways you can clean your plumbing fixtures without many tools.
1. Clean Those Drains
While the drains in your home may be functioning just fine at the moment, consider giving them a quick clean. Gunk and grime will pile up over time leaving you with a clogged drain if you do not clean regularly. Cleaning out your sink, tub and shower drains every so often will also prevent future clogs.
What you need: white vinegar, baking soda, hot water
- Pour ½ a cup of baking soda down your drain
- Pour ½ a cup of white vinegar and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes
- Boil water
- After 15 minutes, pour one cup of your hot water down each drain
- Repeat if necessary
2. Clear Your Traps
If you didn’t know, the “trap” is the curved pipe beneath your sink connecting the drain pipe to the sewer pipe. The purpose of this pipe is to hold some flushed water. This sitting water creates a seal in the pipe that prevents smelly sewer gases from coming back up. The unfortunate part of this curve is that it can also retain other items you flush. A regular trap cleaning can prevent clogs.
What you need: rubber gloves, bucket, wrench, scrub brush and soap
- Put on rubber gloves
- Place a bucket beneath the trap
- Loosen slip nuts using a wrench (you can also try by hand)
- Remove the trap and pour everything inside into the bucket
- Scrub out your trap with soap and water
- Replace the trap and tighten the slip nuts.
- Run the sink to ensure water is flowing correctly
3. Clean Shower Heads
Showerhead nozzles get clogged overtime with scale build-up from water minerals and the usual grime. When your home uses hard water, you’ll find this happening more often. To get the most out of your shower, use this quick cleaning method.
What you need: white vinegar, baking soda, gallon size plastic bag, rubber band
- Pour ⅓ cup of white vinegar into plastic bag
- Put ⅓ cup of baking soda into plastic bag
- Shake the bag and tie it around the nozzle with the showerhead submerged
You can also try removing your showerhead and scrubbing the nozzles from the inside. You’ll need to remove the filter, so clean that out while you’re in there!
4. Clean Grout Mold
Dark and humid environments are the perfect place for mold spores to spread. This means showers can be one of the biggest culprits that carry mold in your home. Take a look at your grout lines and see if there are dark spots between the tiles. Over time, if this mold grows, it can spread to other parts of your bathroom and eventually affect your health.
What you need: white vinegar, spray bottle, coarse scrub brush, toothbrush, caulk
- Ventilate your bathroom
- Put white vinegar into a spray bottle
- Spray the solution onto mold and scrub with brush
- Use a toothbrush for hard to clean grout lines
- Caulk any missing or worn out grout lines once you are finished cleaning.
Need Assistance? Contact Our Residential Plumber Today!
Take it from this residential plumber that your energy is never wasted on a quick cleaning. However, if you do not have the time or motivation to clean your plumbing, we are here to help. Moonlight plumbing covers Mystic and Stonington, CT, and we are open and ready when you are. Whether you need a plumbing cleaning, fixture repair or replacement, we can handle any job no matter how big or small. Contact us today!
