Living in London (or elsewhere, for that matter) and got a nightmare on your hands? Okay, so we’re being a little melodramatic here, evidently. While a drain blockage certainly isn’t (or doesn’t need to be) a nightmare, dealing with it yourself can seem a bit of a headache nonetheless. Especially when you have so many other household tasks to deal with.
But it doesn’t have to be a hassle – not when you have our handy drain clearance London guide by your side! No, your first thought when you discover a blocked drain doesn’t need to be: ‘how much is this going to set me back?’, or ‘how soon can this be fixed?’. Instead, you should be leaning towards: ‘how can I sort this issue out myself?’.
After all, completing the job yourself might save you a lot of money. On top of that, though, it’ll also save you time – and we could all do with a little more of that. Oh, and it might save you some hassle, too. No one wants to call out the wrong team of professionals to later realise they’ve made the situation worse.
So, what do you do about your drain clearance London issue? You start by tackling it yourself – the natural way. You don’t need harsh chemicals and bulky tools and equipment. Instead, you might be able to clear the blockage with a few handy household ingredients. Here’s what to try before you consider calling out a professional team…
How to Fix a Blocked Kitchen Sink, the Natural Way
If your kitchen sink’s out of action, you’ll know about it! The kitchen’s one of the most-used rooms in the house, so it’s vital you deal with the blockage and ensure the hub of the home is back in action sooner rather than later.
Here’s what to try:
Use a Floor Map
This forum is full of useful information on how to unblock your kitchen sink – and one user suggests a floor mop as a convenient plunger in an emergency.
Working with care, plunge the mop into the sink, pumping several times and over a 15 or 20-minute period. It can be a slow and laborious process but it may save you money in the long-run.
Try a Cable Auger
No floor mop or plunger? Try a cable auger and see the full tutorial over on the WikiHow site.
Above all, don’t be afraid of a little grime and grease. It may be that you have to fish around the plug hole a little to remove matted hair, food debris and anything else that may have found its way onto the very cusp of your drains. But all that’s fine if it means you don’t have to call out the experts.
As always, prevention is key. Ensure your children and anyone else living in the house know to clear their plates properly, instead of allowing food and crumbs to fall into the plug hole, and you could find that you don’t have an issue later down the line
What to Do About a Blocked Shower Drain: Naturally Great Tips
If your shower plug’s clogged up, it could be caused by clumps of hair making their way down the drain – nice! But while it’s clear you need to make more of an effort to catch stray hairs before they make it down the plug hole, it’s also evident that you need to crack on and sort the blockage to avoid it getting worse.
Here’s what you can try ahead of calling out a drain clearance London team:
Hot Water
Who knew that something as simple as hot water could be your saviour when it comes to unblocking a blocked drain? Well, it can!
Helping to break down the soap or grease that’s holding the clog together, hot water – and plenty of it – can clear the blockage in no time.
If yours is a relatively mild blockage, pouring a few cups of hot water down your drain might just do it. If, however, the clog has been caused by matted hair building up over a period of time, you might want to try hot water with another natural ingredient or two.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Very few households will be short of a bottle of vinegar and a tub of baking soda, which is why we love this natural method so much – it’s just so convenient.
All you need to do is pour around 230g of baking soda down the drain, before waiting for a few minutes. Then, simply add the same amount of vinegar down the plug hole, too. After waiting a little longer, you’ll want to test if this method has worked by pouring hot water down the drain and seeing if it still fills up and spills over your shower tray.
If you prefer to digest a tutorial by video (hey, you can even complete your drain unblockage while watching this!), then you’ll want to check out this YouTube video we found online.
Prevention!
Often, prevention is better than the cure, which is why it’s so important to keep on top of cleaning your shower, and realising when too much hair is sitting in the tray.
If you spot a build-up of hair or grease, take it out and discard it immediately. Leaving it may result in a blockage and then, later down the line, extra hassle for you.
Blocked Toilet Drain? Here’s How to Unclog It Naturally…
Is your toilet drain the problem when it comes to blockages? Don’t pick up the phone to a drain clearance London team just yet! Instead, try these natural methods…
Vinegar and Baking Soda
No, you’re not seeing double! That vinegar and baking soda tutorial you tried for your shower will work equally well for your toilet drain, if done correctly.
Take a look at this site for the full guide and an accompanying video. Basically, the how-to starts with you assessing the severity of the clog. You’ll then grab your baking soda and vinegar, as before, and get to work on the blockage.
The blog’s author says: “When combined, these two products create a powerful fizzing action that can do more than just produce an impressive amount of bubbles. It can also release even the most stubborn of drain clogs.”
So, get to it! Maybe this is the method to try before you give anything else a go. If that doesn’t work, opt to follow this next tutorial…
Plunge!
While it’s certainly more invasive than simply pouring hot water down the toilet, the plunging method isn’t as ‘harsh’ as using strong chemicals on your drains.
So, got a plunger? It’s time to use it.
First, keep the toilet from overflowing in the first place by avoiding flushing it. Taking the lid of the toilet tank and closing the toilet flapper (which looks like a circular drain stopper attached to a chain), continue by preparing the bathroom for any spillages plunging will create.
Place some paper towels or newspapers down on the floor and turn on your bathroom fan to mimimise any odours.
Think the clog is serious? Pop some rubber gloves on! If you can see the cause of the blockage, also work out if you can remove it now you have your rubber gloves on. It could be a child’s toy that’s causing the clog, for example.
Now, insert a heavy-duty rubber plunger into the toilet bowl, making sure it completely covers the hole and is submerged in water. Pumping the plunger over the hole, start slowly before continuing in a more vigorous manner.
You may find that this process takes a good 15 minutes before you can feel the clog loosen; give it time and patience and you should find the blockage will slowly start to break up.
Call in The Professionals
Did you try these natural methods and discover they didn’t work for you? It might now be time to admit defeat and either get on your hands and knees with a plunger once again, or save yourself the mess and call in the professionals.
It isn’t always easy to identify the reasons your drain has blocked in the first place – but leaving it may cause further damage. Tackling your blocked drain with ease, a drain clearance London team will be in and out of your property in no time at all.
Offering a range of convenient domestic and commercial drain unblocking services, a professional team like ours prides itself on providing a fast and efficient service. Above all, though, it’ll be economical, as we’re well aware that costly repairs aren’t high on your agenda when it comes to things to spend money on jobs that need doing around the house.
From emergency drain unblocking to the assessment and diagnosis of your sink or shower issue, we’ll get it sorted for you to save you the trouble.
Taking on all the burdens on your behalf, our team is fully trained and comes equipped with all the gear they need to get the job done swiftly.