Maintaining a clean and healthy home is a primary goal for most people. You likely have a cleaning schedule that you stick to that helps you cover all the major areas and surfaces. One place you might be overlooking, however, is the drains around your home. Dirty drains can cause more than just annoying clogs—they can significantly impact the overall hygiene of your home.
Curious about how that connection works? Let’s look closer at the link between drain cleaning and home hygiene.
- Bad Bacteria – Decomposing food particles, soap scum, and other organic matter that gets trapped in your drains and pipes will eventually start to break down. This creates an ideal environment for bacteria, leading to foul smells and potential health risks. Regular drain cleaning eliminates the buildup and the bacteria, giving you the twofold plus of fewer odors and less harmful microorganisms.
- Miserable Mold & Mildew – We already covered bacteria, but did you know that excess moisture in the plumbing system invites other potentially harmful microorganisms? Mold and mildew love moist, dark places, which means your drains are prime locations. Mold spores can even become airborne and spread to other areas of your home, making drain cleaning an important part of your home health system.
- Questionable Air Quality – As you may have guessed from our other points, the cleanliness of your drains can directly impact your indoor air quality. Bacteria and mold can release spores and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, compromising its quality. If you notice an uptick in your allergy symptoms while you’re indoors, add drain cleaning to your list of VOC mitigating actions.
- Pestilent Pests – Clogged drains are a hot commodity for unwanted organisms, including ones much bigger than mold and bacteria. Food residue, in particular, is an alluring temptation for fruit flies, cockroaches, and even pests as large as rats and mice. Keeping your drains clean deters pests and also reduces the likelihood of them spreading to other areas of your home.
Don’t fall into the trap of leaving drain cleaning out of your home maintenance tasks. Regular cleaning not only lowers the chances of clogs and other problems developing but also keeps your home more hygienic overall.