Clogged sinks and showers are irksome, frustrating, and easily preventable. Take it from Joe Klosterman Plumbing, a family owned plumbing business that has truly seen it all, and that's been offering their toilet repair, faucet repair and sump pump maintenance services to those in the Cincinnati and Mack North areas for over 25 years. According to the long-time plumbing experts at Joe Klosterman Plumbing, knowing how to properly clean your own drains could potentially save you a great deal of time and money down the road:

Here is a break down of the dos and don’ts of drain cleaning:

• Do regularly clean your drains to prevent a plumbing emergency.
• Don’t ignore slow working floor drains. When water is not properly draining into a floor drain, it ends up sitting in the trap. If the water remains in the trap long enough, it can evaporate and fill your home with unpleasant smells of sewer gas.
• Do remove the drain plug at the first sign of a clog. Hair is usually the culprit behind a clog and, if it is, it should come out of your drain along with the drain plug.
• Don’t pour excessive amounts of cooking oils and grease down your drains. Oils tend to harden inside pipes and clog them up.
• Do clean your garbage disposal by grinding up ice and baking soda in it.
• Don’t use a chemical drain cleaner. They are known to damage pipes.
• Do pour boiling water down your drain to loosen a clog, but only if you know that your pipes are metal.
• Don’t combine different types of chemical drain cleaners. Mixing chemical solutions can be dangerous to your health, and might compromise your pipes.
• Do call your local plumber if you have any questions!

For help with your plumbing issues, give the experienced plumbers at Joe Klosterman Plumbing a call at (513) 941-6766.