The 10 Most Common Things Found Blocking Drains

Blocked drains… urghhh! A phrase that all home owners dread! Having a blockage in your home’s drainage system could mean an array of issues. Besides being a massive inconvenience to our daily lives, it can cause damage to our property and even our health! Finding out about the common causes of clogged drains could save you from drainage doom.

It may seem like a minor issue to some, but blocked drains often mean major implications for your home. Not only can it impact on your day to day routines, such as washing and going to the loo, but it could mean flooding. This could damage your property and possessions, cause pipes to crack or burst (which could be hugely costly to fix!) or even impact on your health. How? Well, water that gets backed up in a clogged drain becomes the perfect prey for harmful bacteria to flourish, yuck!

Many home drainage issues are caused by the home owner, however unintentionally, due to the waste that they dispose of down toilets. Avoid the need to call out an emergency drain cleaning service by familiarising yourself with the 10 things most commonly found in blocked drains.

The Most Common Things Found in Clogged Pipes

Here are 10 things that are being flushed that just shouldn’t be.

Wipes

Probably one of the worst offenders, these ‘moist towels’ are becoming increasingly popular within the household. They’re available in a variety of forms, from household cleaning wipes, baby’s wet wipes andfacial cleansing wipes, but whatever the use, (despite some packaging stating otherwise) these should not be flushed down the toilet. These pesky wipes are blocking and clogging drains across the nation.

Fat

Maybe something most of us are guilty of at some point, but you should NEVER put fats, oils or grease from cooking into your home’s drainage system. Although it’s in liquid form when you pour it down the plug hole, when it’s in the pipe it cools down and congeals, which clogs the pipe up a right treat! If it’s good fat, why not save it in a jar for cooking other things?Or just bin it if unwanted.

Dental Floss

These tiny pieces of thread, surely can’t cause any harm can they? Flushing dental floss can cause drain blockages due to its ability to wrap itself around other items within the pipe line.

Plasters

Otherwise referred to as bandaids, being made from non-biodegradable material these blood capturing bands can block drains.

Cotton Buds and Balls

You might think this bathroom essential will softly drift through the drains, but they seem to group and gather together in pipe bends, causing pretty hefty blockages.

Paper Towels or Kitchen Roll

Even in times of toilet paper shortage, paper towels should not be discarded down the W.C, as they are just not designed to break down the same way as tissue and can cause big problems if flushed.

Medication

It might seem wise to flush away unwanted medication so little hands can’t get hold of it, but these drugs are likely to destroy bacteria, contaminate groundwater suppliers and can even affect wildlife. It’s best to take them back to the pharmacy to dispose of correctly.

Sanitary Items

Ladies sanitary wear is a major cause of household pipe clogging issues, as they don’t break down in water. Save yourself a fortune on drainage repairs and just discreetly bin them ladies!

Cigarettes

As ‘lovely’ as it is seeing a fag butt floating around the bottom of the bowl, they release toxic chemicals and don’t break down either… your pipes demand a toilet smoking ban!

Disposable Nappies

Although some of the contents are the correct waste for the loo, nappies are not! They are far too big to easily manoeuvre through the system and will cause extreme blockages.

Don’t Block it…Bin it!!