All of a sudden you realize that your wedding ring is gone! You’ve been washing dishes, and it probably slipped off your hand and went down the drain. Don’t feel alone, a wedding ring in a drain is a common occurrence. We’ve found Matchbox cars, toy trains, stuffed animals, cell phones, screws and nuts and hair brushes in drains, just to name a few.

Here are some things you can do to help you avoid clogged drains and potentially expensive maintenance plumber visits.

In the kitchen sink:
NO Grease
NO Coffee Grounds
NO Food

You maybe under the impression you can put anything you want down the disposal. But a garbage disposal is made to help break down the chunks of food that accidentally went down the drain. If you give your garbage disposal things like pea pods, carrot peels and egg shells, the ground up particles will build up over time and clog your drain. And if you do accidentally pour grease or oil down the sink add a couple of tablespoons of grease cutting dish washing liquid and run very, very hot water down the drain for 5 minutes. This should stop any problem before it starts and take care of a potentially costly problem.

In the bathroom:

Hair builds up rapidly in bathroom drains. So clean drain strainers at least quarterly. You may have to unscrew the drain opening to take out the built-up debris. Make sure you clean the strainer before replacing it. The pop up sink drains should be lifted out and rinsed weekly. To catch hair and debris before it goes down the drain, use a drain insert. You can pick one up at the hardware store.

Don’t clean things in your bathtub. You may wash more grease and grime down the drain than it was designed to handle. If you wash your dog in the tub make sure you brush him well to remove loose hair before you suds him up. Put a hair catching insert in the drain before you start the grooming.

These easy steps are a good place to start to prevent clogged drains. They may even stop plumbing problems before they occur. If your drains are draining slow call John Stevenson Plumbing at (760) 452-0702. During March, all sink clogs cleared starting at $89. Call (760) 452-0702 for details.