30 secrets your plumber won’t tell you

Plumbers give us the scoop on clogged pipes, do-it-yourself plumbing repair, and more!

They don’t tolerate bad plumbers, so you know they’ll send you to the best of the best.

Don’t flush floss, tampons, or even so-called “flushable” wipes. They don’t break down like toilet paper does and can come back to haunt you later. “Toilets are more water-efficient now than they were 20 years ago, so there sometimes isn’t enough volume in the flush to force debris down,” says Marcin Wroblewski, president of ExpressRooter Plumbing. “An object will get lodged in the trap and cause blockage when waste builds up days later.”

I’d replace those flimsy rubber hoses with stainless steel ones. That way, you only need to worry about these other laundry mistakes that could ruin your next load of wash.

Here are 17 other household items you need to throw out as soon as possible.

“Don’t pour fat down the drain. Wipe your pan with paper towels and compost them,” Wroblewski advises. Grease can become rock-hard and may require professional removal.

Follow this guide for household cleaning made quick, easy and complete. 

Some allege that putting a brick in the toilet tank can save water, but doing that can keep your toilet from flushing correctly. Liquid drain cleaners are also bad news – they eat away at the pipes. Try a plunger or, better yet, a $30 toilet auger.

While bricks might not be your secret weapon in a toilet tank, check out these 11 extraordinary uses for ordinary household items. 

Buying a home? Have a plumber scope your underground drain system with a camera to check for roots, collapses and other problems that typically aren’t visible to home inspectors. “Spending $300 on an investigation could save you tens of thousands later in insurance claims for flood clean-up, excavation and pipe replacements,” Wroblewski says.

Not getting a plumber around pre-sale could lead to serious regret later down the track. Here are some of the other biggest regrets of first-time home buyers. 

I can’t tell you how many calls I get from people screaming and crying that their house is flooding and they don’t know what to do. The location of the main turnoff source is something every homeowner should know.

If you’ve got a Rapunzel at home (or even a rapidly balding man), buy a drain strainer or a hair snare or tell them to use a paper towel to clear the drain. Soap can gum up the pipes, too, so use as little of that as you can.

Using corrosive chemicals to dissolve a clog is like throwing a grenade down a rabbit hole. Instead, Wroblewski recommends flushing your drains weekly with a half cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar. Let it fizz in the drain for ten minutes, then pour in four cups of boiling water.

Here are 17 of the most brilliant ways to fix things with baking soda.