How Often Should You Clean Your Drains

Keeping your drains clean helps maintain a healthy plumbing system. Regular drain maintenance helps prevent clogs, foul odors, and costly backups.

But the real question at hand is, how often should you clean your drains? In this guide, we’ll cover when to clean your drains, how to keep drains clean between professional visits, and when you might want to call in drain pipe cleaning services for a little extra help.

Why Regular Drain Cleaning Is Important

Neglecting your drains can lead to several serious problems that affect your home’s plumbing and overall comfort. The risks of ignoring routine drain maintenance include:

• Clogged drains with slow or completely blocked water flow
• Unpleasant odors from trapped debris and bacteria buildup
• Wastewater backups that can damage floors, walls, and belongings
• Increased likelihood of pipe corrosion and long-term damage
• Costly emergency repairs and potential plumbing replacements
• Attraction of pests like insects and rodents drawn to standing water

Regular drain cleaning helps prevent these issues, saving you time, money, and hassle down the road.

How Often Should You Clean Drains in Your Home?

Short answer: it depends. You should definitely clean drains regularly, but “regularly” means something different for every drain. Here’s a general timeline to follow based on the type of drain:

• Kitchen drains: Monthly cleaning helps prevent grease and food buildup.
• Bathroom drains: Every three to four months since hair and soap scum tend to accumulate.
• Main sewer line: Annually, to avoid major blockages or backups.
• Outside drains: Clean at least twice a year, especially in the fall and spring when leaves and debris can clog pipes.

When it comes to drain cleaner, use it sparingly—ideally once a month or as needed. Overuse of harsh chemicals can damage pipes and disrupt your plumbing system. 

Monthly Drain Maintenance Tips

Doing a monthly house drain cleaning is easy and effective. Here’s a quick monthly drain maintenance checklist to keep things flowing:

• Flush drains with hot water weekly to break down buildup.
• Use a natural mix of baking soda and vinegar monthly to help clear pipes, or consider another type of drain cleaner.
• Check for slow drainage and address it early before it worsens.
• Remove and clean drain strainers or hair catchers.
• Inspect outdoor drains and clear leaves, dirt, or other debris to prevent blockages.

These simple steps can help extend the time between professional cleanings. 

How to Keep Drains Clean Between Professional Visits

While drain maintenance tips can keep your drains fresh, ideally, you should schedule professional drain pipe cleaning services annually to keep things in tip-top shape.

But how do you prevent clogs in between visits? Here’s how to keep drains clean:

• Avoid pouring grease or oil down kitchen drains.
• Use strainers in sinks and tubs to catch hair and food particles.
• Run hot water after each use to flush away debris.
• Run cold water while using garbage disposals to solidify fats and help them pass through.
• Avoid flushing anything but toilet paper and human waste down toilets.
• Use enzymatic drain cleaners occasionally as a gentle maintenance method.

While we recommend natural cleaners like baking soda and vinegar, there are other options. For more about choosing the right cleaner, see which drain cleaner is best.

When You Need Professional Drain Pipe Cleaning Services

If you notice persistent clogs, slow drainage across multiple drains, or foul odors coming from your pipes, it might be time for professional help. DIY methods can only do so much. Professionals use specialized tools to thoroughly clean your drain pipes and main sewer line, preventing costly damage and backups.

Don’t let things back up for good. If you need expert house drain cleaning or drain pipe cleaning services, schedule a professional inspection with a Roto-Rooter plumber before problems get worse. Call us today to get started!