When you read cleaning blogs and home
maintenance blogs, you may find it tricky to sort through and
distinguish the good advice from the bad advice. But you need to
separate the two since a misstep could mean that your efforts
actually damage your bathroom or kitchen. Often, your best bet is to
stick to advice from professionals.
Here are four ways you could
accidentally damage your plumbing fixtures even with the best of
intentions.
1. Boiling Water or Drain Cleaner
Boiling water is a common
recommendation for clogged or slow drains, especially if you want a
DIY fix. But if you pour boiling water into a drain with plastic
pipes, you could loosen the seals and cause a leak. And worse, if you
pour boiling water into a ceramic fixture (such as a sink), the
entire thing could crack through and start to leak.
The best way to avoid harmful drain
fixes is to use your drains wisely so they don't clog. But even
careful use may not stave off every problem. So if you do find that
your drains start to slow down, call for an experienced plumber to
help. A plumber can find the source of the clog, then physically
remove it so your drains run free once again.
Even worse than boiling water is
commercially available drain cleaner. These are so strong and
corrosive that they can put your health and safety at risk. But on
top of that, this type of drain cleaner could damage any finishes on
your enamel plumbing fixtures and corrode pipes, and necessitate a
much more expensive repair than a simple drain cleaning.
2. Toilet Bowl Cleaner Used on Other
Fixtures
While toilet bowl cleaner is likely
quite effective on the inside of your toilet bowl, that doesn't mean
it's a great all-purpose cleaner. On the contrary, it can be much too
strong for some surfaces. Like drain cleaners, toilet bowl cleaner
contains highly corrosive chemicals.
The strong chemicals could damage or
destroy the finish on your bathtub or other fixtures such as a sink,
and can also damage grout. You need to read every label carefully and
only use each type of cleaner on the recommended surfaces. Incorrect
cleaner use is not a clever subversive hack; it's a hazard to your
bathroom.
3. Toilet Tank Cleaners
Cleaner tablets that you drop into the
toilet tank may seem like a great time-saver, but you have to keep in
mind that they could shorten the life of your toilet's moving parts.
A toilet's function depends on pieces such as a flapper and flush
valve, which may be made of plastic.
The bleach in drop-in tablets can cause
premature failure of some plastic parts. While these plastic parts
won't last forever anyway, you probably don't want to pay for early
replacements on a regular basis.
4. Suction Bathtub Mat
Did you know that a suction mat on the
floor of your bathtub could damage the finish over time? This is
especially likely if the bathtub has been refinished. A better idea
may be to have your bathtub refinished with a non-slip surface
texture, rather than adding a mat afterwards.
These are just four ways you could
accidentally damage your plumbing fixtures through mistakes in normal
use and maintenance. Avoid these mistakes and your plumbing fixtures
will be more likely to last a long time.
Don't forget, professional maintenance
for your plumbing is just as important as home maintenance. For more
information about professional maintenance or correct home
maintenance, get in touch with AERO
Plumbing
today. We can help you with your indoor plumbing and
outdoor plumbing as well as sewer line care and repairs.
