# Fifteen simple ways to prevent blocked drains

Source: https://cantleyvidanjoraltyapi.com/en/blog/prevent-blocked-drains/

Published: 2026-10-17

## In short

- Wiping grease from pans and pots with paper and putting it in the bin is the most effective way to protect your kitchen drain.
- A hair catcher fitted to the shower and bathtub drain keeps hair from going down the pipe.
- Only toilet paper should go down the toilet; wet wipes do not break up in water.
- Cleaning balcony drains in autumn and spring prevents overflow in the rain.
- In apartment buildings, regular checks of the shared line prevent overflows on the lower floors.

The most effective way to prevent blocked drains is to control what goes into the pipe and to give the line a chance to clear itself. Most blockages come from grease, hair, soap residue and small objects flushed or dropped the wrong way, building up over weeks. Fewer drains close up suddenly because of a single event.

We have grouped the fifteen habits by area of the home and briefly explained why each one works. You do not need to apply them all at once; starting with the drain that blocks most often in your home is enough.

## In the kitchen, stop grease and food waste at the source

What strains a kitchen drain is grease: it looks liquid when hot, but it solidifies and sticks inside the cold pipe. When rice grains, coffee grounds and vegetable peelings cling to it, the layer thickens quickly. The following four habits greatly reduce the amount of grease and food waste reaching the pipe.

If you use a dishwasher, scraping food scraps into the bin before loading the plates serves the same purpose. If you take out the machine's filter once a month and rinse it under the tap, less residue ends up in the drain.

- 1. Wipe pots and pans with a paper towel before washing them. Most of the grease goes in the bin, and the layer that would stick to the pipe gets thinner.
- 2. Collect frying oil in a bottle with a lid. Oil poured down the drain solidifies in the bends, while the oil in the bottle can be taken to a waste oil collection point.
- 3. Fit a fine-mesh strainer over the sink outlet. Small food scraps stay in the strainer instead of going down the pipe, and you throw them in the bin.
- 4. Run warm water for a while after you finish the dishes. The greasy water in the pipe is carried further down the line and does not sit in the trap.

## In the bathroom, keep hair and soap from binding together

Bathroom drains are mostly blocked when hair combines with soap and shampoo residue. Hair on its own passes through easily, but once it catches on soap scum it forms a tight, fibrous plug.

Bathroom drains are usually narrower than kitchen ones, and floor drains work with a shallow trap. That is why even a small clump of hair slows the flow noticeably.

- 5. Fit a hair catcher to the shower and bathtub drain and clean it every week. The hair collected on the catcher would otherwise build up in the trap.
- 6. Once a month, pour baking soda and vinegar into the sink and shower drain, followed by warm water. This mixture softens light soap residue; it does not clear an existing blockage and works only as maintenance.
- 7. Take apart and clean the sink trap once or twice a year. Place a bucket underneath, tighten the joints by hand and check that the seals are in place.

## In the toilet, limit what goes down the bowl

Although the toilet line looks wide, the bends inside it catch anything that does not break up in water. Most sudden toilet blockages start with a single wrongly flushed item and grow as paper piles up against it.

- 8. Flush only toilet paper. Wet wipes, sanitary pads, nappies and cotton wool do not break up in water and can even tangle together into a plug.
- 9. Put a small bin with a lid next to the toilet. When there is somewhere to throw things within reach, the habit of dropping items into the bowl fades on its own.
- 10. If the flush is weak, have the cistern adjusted. Too little water cannot carry the paper further down the line, and the paper builds up in the bends.

## On the balcony and terrace, keep the rainwater line open

Unlike the drains inside the home, balcony and terrace drains are blocked by loads that come from outside. Leaves, soil and sand build up unnoticed for a long time and only show themselves as overflow in a heavy downpour.

In most buildings, balcony drains share the same rainwater pipe with the balconies on the lower floors. Soil washed down from a drain on an upper floor can cause overflow on the balcony of the neighbour below, so balcony cleaning is also a matter of good neighbourliness.

- 11. Clean the drains in autumn and spring. The layer that forms on the strainer after the leaves fall blocks the water at the first downpour.
- 12. Put saucers under flowerpots, and do not sweep soil toward the drain when washing the balcony. Soil goes down the pipe with the water and turns to mud in the bends.

## In apartment buildings and workplaces, do not neglect the shared line

Keeping one flat's drain clear is not enough if the building's shared line is blocked. In apartment buildings, the waste water from all flats runs down the shared stacks into the same main line, and a narrowing in that line affects the lowest floors first.

- 13. Plan regular checks of the shared line and manholes with building management. A CCTV drain camera inspection reveals build-up and cracks before the problem grows.
- 14. If there is a risk of backflow on ground and basement floors, have a backflow valve fitted. The valve stops water from returning into the building when the main line fills up.
- 15. In restaurants, cafés and shops, tell staff in writing what must not go down the drains. Drains in busy workplaces build up grease and residue much faster than those at home.

## How do you know prevention is not enough?

If a drain keeps slowing down despite these habits, there may be a lasting build-up, a collapse or root intrusion in the line. The same drain blocking at short intervals, several drains gurgling together, or a smell from the drain that does not go away all show that someone needs to look inside the line.

In such a case, Cantley's teams inspect the inside of the pipe with a camera, clear the build-up with a drain snake or high-pressure water jetting, and reopen the line without breaking tiles. On a cleared line, your preventive habits work for much longer.

## Frequently asked questions

### What can you pour down a drain to prevent blockages?

The safest option for preventing blockages is warm water run after use. Baking soda and vinegar applied once a month can soften light soap and grease residue. Using chemical drain openers regularly as maintenance, however, can damage pipes and seals.

### Does boiling water prevent drain blockages?

No, boiling water is not recommended. It can soften the joints of PVC pipes and crack toilet porcelain. Hot or warm water from the tap does the same job safely.

### Do coffee grounds block a drain?

Yes, coffee grounds can block a drain. They do not dissolve in water, and when combined with grease they form a mud-like layer in the pipe. It is better to put the grounds in the bin or in the soil of your plant pots.

### What can building management do to prevent drain blockages?

Building management can prevent blockages by planning regular checks of the shared line and manholes. CCTV drain camera inspection and, when needed, high-pressure water jetting remove the build-up without affecting the flats. A backflow valve fitted on the lower floors also protects against backflow.

## Do you have a drain that blocks often?

If the same drain blocks again despite these precautions, call 0212 923 66 85 or write to us on WhatsApp. Our team looks inside the line, shows you the problem and clears it without breaking anything.

Phone: 0212 923 66 85 (tel:+902129236685)  
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/905315687185