ARTICLES

TIPS TO AVOID A CLOGGED BATHROOM SINK FROM SHAVING

JUN 29, 2017

Whether you enjoy a full beard or a clean-shaven face, you have likely become well acquainted with man’s decades-long struggle to avoid a clogged bathroom sink as a result of shaving. Over time, this common nuisance can cause serious damage to your plumbing. And so, we have broken down steps you can take to avoid it from happening to begin with. From preventative measures while you are shaving to drain cleaning techniques you can try yourself, we have a few ideas for homeowners so that they can stop stressing out over the clogged bathroom sink and make their morning routine more effortless.

AVOID A CLOGGED BATHROOM SINK

KEEP HAIR FROM HITTING THE SINK

It stands to reason that the best way to avoid a clogged bathroom sink when you are shaving is to keep any of your trimmings from hitting the drain at all. Men have come up with a myriad of ways to accomplish this, some of which are MacGyver-like in their ingenuity.

When we first saw pictures of this product floating around the Internet, we thought it was a joke. But it turns out that these things are not only good at helping you to avoid a clogged drain pipe, but also at scoring brownie points with the missus by helping to keep the bathroom clean. Numerous, reasonably-priced options exist and can be delivered extremely quickly.

Rather go about keeping beard trimmings out of the drain without investing in that ensemble? A lot of guys simply place tissue paper or cardboard or something similar in the bottom of the sink while shaving so that they can simply discard it when they are done. Or, if you can find one to fit your bathroom sink, most hardware or home improvement stores carry some sort of mesh strainer that will fit over your drain and catch the bulk of the debris that would otherwise be washed down the pipe.

However, it is worth pointing out that although this is an effective strategy for avoiding a clogged bathroom sink, this will not be helpful in keeping the remnants of your shaving from getting onto the counter around your sink, and may still result in nagging from the wife. You will need to dedicate some time after shaving to wiping up all around the sink and any leftover hairs inside the sink to keep your bathroom sparkling and keep all of those trimmings from falling into your drain after the fact.

DO SOME REGULAR CLEANING

About once a week (set a recurring reminder on your phone if it is helpful), lift the stoppers on your bathroom sinks and give them a thorough cleaning. Just because something fits down the drain does not mean that it is gone and doing your best to regularly clean out the areas of your drain that you can easily access will go a long way toward avoiding a clogged drain pipe.

POUR HOT WATER DOWN YOUR DRAIN

If you find that you are having issues with a clogged drain pipe, other preventative measures can be taken. For instance, make a habit out of running hot water through the sink after each use. Periodically pour a pot of boiling water to help undo any stubborn clogs. If these simple steps do not do the trick, it may be worth asking a plumber to recommend another drain cleaning product you can use to keep from getting a clogged bathroom sink or to assess whether you need to have the drain professionally cleaned. Frequent use of drain cleaning chemicals can cause damage to pipes and may not be getting to the root of the problem, anyway. If shave soap and hair seem to be causing frequently clogged bathroom sinks, the real culprit may be a clog somewhere farther down the line. Remedying it before it escalates from an annoyance to a full-blown plumbing nightmarecould save you tons of time and money in the long run.

The only thing more annoying than having to shave every day is having to deal with a clogged drain pipe on top of it. If even after following the tips outlined in this article you are frequently inconvenienced by a slow running or clogged bathroom sink, give us a call. Our experienced plumbers will be able to assess why the drain is chronically malfunctioning and help eliminate the issue once and for all. All of our work is fully guaranteed, we have same-day appointments available, you can request an appointment online and no job is too big or too small.