If you’re experiencing a funky smell in your bathroom and toilet, and your sink is taking forever to drain the water, you may have a blocked drain.

If you’re lucky, you might be able to unblock it yourself… Unless you’re someone like me that had to get plumbers near me because I had no DIY skills, but dealing with blocked drains all the time had me learning how to do drain cleaning by myself.

In the next few minutes I’ll take you through the common types of drain blockages in and outside your home, why they occur and how to avoid it.

How Do I Know If My Drain Is Blocked And What Causes It?

Smelly drain outside your home: The rotten stinky smell is the indication that your drain outside your home is blocked.

Overflowing: If the drain outside your house is overflowing, it’s an indication that it is blocked.

Kitchen sink water draining slowly: The most common causes of this comes from pouring oil and fat down your kitchen sink while cooking or cleaning.

Bathroom sink, bathtub or shower drain: This usually gets clogged up because of hair and build-up of soap clumps going down your drain.

How Does Outside Drains Get Blocked?

It’s never a bad idea to keep your outside drains clean and healthy. This will avoid many costly plumbing services. But what causes an outside drain to get clogged up? The common reasons are litter, mud, leaves and many other outdoor waste. But know this, the waste you pour down your drain from inside your house can be just as harmful, if not worse.

How To Unblock A Drain: DIY

There are a few steps you can take to unblock a drain yourself, but if you find yourself in doubt, rather call professional plumbing services near you who can do drain cleaning easily and effectively.

You’ll need a few items to take on the job: Long rubber gloves to protect your hands and skin from dangerous germs that can lead to serious health issues. The right protective clothing and goggles won’t be a bad idea. Drain rod. Face Mask to protect your face and it will help keep the smell away, at least for a bit. High pressure house.

Now that you have the right equipment, you can proceed to the following steps:

• Start by taking off the drain cover, you’ll probably need a screwdriver or something similar.. and please don’t let the cover fall down the drain.
• With your rubber gloves on, try to remove most or all of the blockage with your hands.
• Take the drain rod, insert it into the drain blockage and move, twist and keep on plunging it. It may be a bit stubborn but keep on till it feels easier, when the water starts draining, that’s your sign that it’s working.
• When it’s all done and the blocked drain is taken care of, start your drain cleaning with the high pressure hose.

How Do I Prevent A Blocked Drain In The Future?

Try not to pour fat and oils down your kitchen sink, and try and keep hair and soap clumbs away from going down the drain in the bathroom. It is also not a bad idea to keep your drains clean by investing in drain cleaning products that you can pour down to get it cleaned out.