"The drain in your sink is plugged. What are you going to do about it? If you’re like most people, you reach under the kitchen sink and pull out a jug of Drano to clear the clog. But is this really the best course of action? Probably not. For those of you who are interested in doing more than just postponing dealing with the problem, here are a few drain cleaning tips to keep your water flowing smoothly:

o Identify what’s causing the clog. There are different ways of dealing with different types of clogged drains. The most common reason that a drain becomes clogged is because there is hair in the drain. This is particularly true for shower drains but may occur in sink drains as well. A drain stick with barbs on the side can be run into the drain to collect the hair. This same solution won’t work if you’ve got something, such as candle wax, that’s adhered to the sides of your drains. Knowing what solution to use requires that you know what’s causing the clog.

o Stock up on a few simple tools. You can’t do a job correctly if you don’t have the right tools to do it. And you don’t want to wait until you have a clogged drain to go out and buy what you need. The aforementioned drain stick should be a common household item. Get one that’s smooth and one with barbs. A small wet/dry vacuum is also a good item to have in the kitchen closet. And of course, every bathroom should have a plunger.

o Start with natural solutions. Instead of pouring the harsh chemicals like Drano down your drains, try out a solution that’s based in natural ingredients. A strong vinegar-and-lemon solution might do the trick if you just have some build-up that’s caking the sides of your drain.

o Take it apart and use some elbow grease. If you’re handy in the home repair department, you can take apart the pipes of your drain and clean them out. A toothbrush and scrubbing pad should do the trick. Just make sure that you know what you’re doing before you start dismantling your plumbing. You don’t want to get the whole thing taken apart and make it shiny brand new if you don’t know how to put it back together again!

The best thing that you can do to clean your drains properly is to prevent them from getting clogged. Use a strainer to catch hair so that it doesn’t get caught in the drain. Run a natural solution down the drain on a bi-weekly basis. Prevent problems before they occur. At the other end of the spectrum, don’t assume that you can take care of everything yourself. If you’ve dug out the hair, run the solution and dislodged gunk with the wet/vac and you still have a clogged drain, you need to call a plumber. You don’t want to do damage to the pipes that make your home run smoothly!"