How do I clean the pipes in my house?

Work from the top of the drain down. Most sink and tub buildup is within arm's reach.

### Step 1: Clean the stopper and strainer

Bathroom sinks and tubs collect hair and soap on the stopper. Pull it out, wipe it clean and rinse it. Kitchen sinks collect food on the strainer basket. Our guide to adjusting or fixing a sink pop-up stopper shows how to remove the common types, and unclogging a shower drain covers tubs and showers.

### Step 2: Clean the P-trap

The P-trap is the curved pipe under the sink. It holds a little water to block sewer gas, and it's where heavy debris settles. Put a bucket under it, loosen the two slip nuts by hand, and pull it off. Clean it out, rinse it, and put it back with the washers seated. Run water and check for drips. Our guide to fixing a slow-draining sink walks through it.

### Step 3: Plunge or snake the line

If the trap is clean and the drain is still slow, the buildup is further down. A cup plunger works on sinks and tubs: block the overflow opening with a wet rag so the pressure goes down the drain. A hand snake reaches farther. Our pages on a drain snake vs a toilet auger and whether a drain zip tool works help you pick the tool.

### What about hot water, baking soda and enzymes?

Each has limits:

• Hot water doesn't clear grease. The City of Phoenix says grease poured down a drain, "even when followed by hot water," eventually "cools down, congeals, builds up, and hardens," forming a plug. Hot water can simply carry the grease farther down the line before it sets.
• Baking soda and vinegar is weak. Poison Control explains that the fizz makes carbon dioxide, but "Since drains are not airtight," the gas escapes and "generally does not build up enough pressure" to clear a clog. It adds that the mix is "unlikely to be strong enough to melt away tough drain clogs due to oil and grease." Our page on whether baking soda and vinegar really unclog a drain goes further.
• Enzyme products are slow maintenance, not a fix. Poison Control says enzymatic drain cleaners "contain bacteria and enzymes that dissolve clogs." Our guide to whether enzyme drain cleaners work explains where they help and where they don't.

It's better not to. Poison Control says many drain cleaners "contain highly concentrated corrosive chemicals" and "must be used with great caution." Common ingredients include sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, and alkalis such as sodium and potassium hydroxide. Splash-back is a real risk: Poison Control says injury can happen "if the drain cleaner is poured from too high up, or if too much product is poured into a completely blocked drain." A fully blocked drain is exactly when people reach for the bottle.

If you do use one, Poison Control's advice is to wear goggles and rubber gloves, pour carefully and close to the drain, and keep the container closed and away from children. MedlinePlus says drain cleaners "contain very dangerous chemicals that can be harmful to your health if you swallow them, breathe them in (inhale), or if they come in contact with your skin and eyes." If someone is exposed, call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222 or 911.

There's a practical reason too. If a chemical cleaner doesn't work, the drain is now full of it, and whoever opens the trap or runs a snake next has to deal with that. Tell your plumber what you poured. Our guide to safe alternatives to chemical drain cleaners lists the options.

When the buildup is past the trap and past what a hand snake reaches, or when it's in the main line. Signs include:

• Several drains slow at once, or a toilet that gurgles when the sink drains.
• Water coming up in a tub or floor drain when another fixture runs.
• The same drain clogging again within weeks of clearing it.
• Roots. The City of Phoenix names grease and roots as "the two primary causes of sewer backups and overflows." Roots enter through cracks and joints and form a ball that blocks the line.

For those, a plumber uses a cable machine to cut through the blockage, or hydro jetting, which scours the pipe walls with high-pressure water. A camera inspection shows what's actually in the line. In Phoenix, owners are responsible for "cleaning and maintaining the sewer line that runs from the house to the connection with the city sewer main." Our guides to what hydro jetting is, how often to get drains cleaned and a sewer line problem making multiple drains back up cover the rest.

### How do you keep pipes clean afterward?

Prevention is simpler than cleaning. The EPA lists "fats, oils and grease (FOG), and some household products (including some marked 'flushable')" among the materials that "may create blockages" in sewers. So:

• Let grease cool and put it in the trash, as Phoenix advises.
• Flush only toilet paper, even when a wipe says flushable.
• Use strainers in sinks and tubs.
• Scrape plates into the trash.

Our guide to what not to put down the drain has the full list.

Not from the inside, in a typical home. The supply pipes are pressurized and closed, so there's no way to scrub them. What you can clean are the places where hard water and sediment collect:

• Faucet aerators and showerheads. The EPA suggests inspecting them for scale and using "white vinegar or another cleaning product to remove any buildup that may be restricting flow." Our page on low flow from one faucet shows how.
• The water heater. The EPA says to flush it once a year "to reduce sediment buildup which can decrease efficiency." Our guide to how often to flush a water heater in Phoenix has the steps.

If water pressure has dropped everywhere, or the water runs brown, the pipes themselves may be the problem, such as old galvanized steel that has corroded inside. That calls for repair or repiping, not cleaning. Our pages on how hard water damages plumbing and low water pressure in the whole house explain what's going on.

HQ Plumbing & Air clears drains and cleans sewer lines across the Phoenix area, with snaking, hydro jetting and camera inspections. We're available 24/7, licensed and insured, and every job starts with a free estimate and upfront pricing. See our residential plumbing services.

Clean drains start with what goes into them.