Household Items That Commonly Cause Drain & Sewer Clogs
If you’ve ever stood ankle-deep in a “shower-turned-bathtub” or watched your kitchen sink burp up last night’s pasta water, you already know how annoying clogged drains are. They’re messy, smelly, and can be downright expensive to fix.
Blockages happen to the best of us at some point, but there are clear steps you can take to prevent future incidents. Here’s a breakdown of the most common causes of plumbing clogs and how to keep your drains flowing.
Common Causes of Bathroom Clogs
These items may be clogging your bathroom without you even realizing it:
- Loose hair
- Oil-based skin and hair products
- Products with exfoliating beads
- Wipes (even “flushable” ones), paper towels, and tissues
- Feminine hygiene products
- Cotton balls, swabs, and floss
- Toys and other random items
Hair
Hair is one of the biggest culprits behind clogged shower drains. When mixed with soap and shampoo residue, hair strands mat together into slimy, spaghetti-like clumps that cling to pipe walls and continue collecting gunk over time.
Preventative measures:
- To keep your luscious locks from wrapping around your pipes, remember to wipe up any hair at the end of your shower. A hair trap over your sink and shower drains can also go a long way.
- If hair’s already causing slow drainage, avoid yanking it out with a coat hanger—opt for a drain snake or call your plumber.
Soap Scum From Oil-Based Products
You would think soap is meant to go down the drain, but certain ingredients in personal care products can contribute to plumbing backups. These products—such as soaps, cleansers, conditioners, body oils, and bath bombs—mix with Orange County’s hard water, forming a sludgy residue called soap scum, which clings to everything and narrows your pipes over time.
Preventative measures:
- Consider switching to soap- and oil-free cleansers.
- Avoid products with exfoliating beads, which don’t dissolve and can also build up in your pipes.
- Pour baking soda or a mixture of hot water and vinegar down the drain every so often.
- Install a whole-home water softener.
“Flushable” Wipes
Just because something is advertised as flushable doesn’t mean you should put it down your toilet. As experts in our field, we stand behind the idea that the only thing that should go down the toilet is waste and toilet paper!
Wipes, tissues, and paper towels don’t break down like toilet paper. Unfortunately, they tend to get stuck in pipe bends or join forces with grease to form epic pipe clogs.
Preventative measures:
- Keep a small wastebasket in the bathroom.
- Remind family members and guests to avoid flushing anything that isn’t toilet paper.
Toiletries
Small plastic items like shampoo caps and razor covers can easily fall down the drain and get stuck in your pipes. Cotton balls and feminine hygiene products swell and stick when wet. Dental floss wraps around debris like a drain lasso. Though they may seem harmless, these items were never made to be flushed.
Preventative measures:
- Be mindful of where you place small plastic caps and covers.
- Keep a small wastebasket in the bathroom for disposable products.
Toys and “Oops” Items
You’d be surprised how many action figures and LEGOs we’ve rescued from drains. Kids love flushing things to see what happens, and sometimes items just slip and disappear before you can grab them.
Preventative measures:
- Use toilet locks if you’ve got toddlers.
- Install catcher-style drain covers in the tub and sink.
Common Causes of Kitchen Clogs
Here are the top kitchen clog culprits:
- Grease, oils, and fats
- Coffee grounds
- Eggshells
- Bones and fruit pits
- Pasta, rice, flour, and other starchy foods
- Non-food Items like produce stickers and bits of packaging
Grease
Never pour grease down the drain, even with hot water. Grease, oils, and fats solidify when cool and will stick to the inside of pipes like artery-clogging cholesterol until nothing can get through.
Preventative measures:
- Let leftover grease cool in a can or jar, then toss it in the trash.
- Wipe down greasy pans and plates before rinsing.
- Avoid putting fatty foods down the disposal.
Food Scraps
Skip the bones, pits, and peels. Your disposal can handle a lot, but it’s not invincible. Hard scraps like fruit pits and bones are best left for the trash can. Food items like rice, pasta, coffee grounds, and eggshells tend to expand or clump and should also stay out of the sink.
Preventative measures:
- Scrape plates into the trash or compost.
- Run cold water before, during, and after using the disposal.
- Clean your disposal blades with salt and ice cubes to knock debris loose.
- Use a drain strainer to catch food scraps before they go down the drain.
- Avoid letting food scraps sit in the drain overnight.
Smart Fixes to Keep Your Drains Flowing
A little prevention now saves headaches and mess later. When you’ve already got a lot on your plate, opt for these simple clog management methods.
- Install hair traps in showers and strainers in sinks.
- Use enzyme-based drain cleaners like BioOne instead of harsh chemical drain cleaners. BioOne is gentle on your pipes and septic system while breaking down organic material building up in your pipes.
- For shallow clogs, a clean plunger can work wonders. Just make sure to use a different plunger for your sink drains and your toilet!
- If your clog is a little deeper, a drain snake can pull out that debris. Just make sure it’s the right size for your drain so you don’t make things worse.
- For multiple, major, or persistent backups, schedule a hydro jet drain cleaning with Barker and Sons.
The Orange County Homeowner’s Drain Care Checklist
| Monthly | Quarterly | Annually |
| Clear shower hair catchers | Use an enzyme drain treatment like BioOne | Schedule a camera inspection |
| Run hot water for 30 seconds in all drains | Clean your disposal with citrus and ice cubes | Have a professional hydro-jet your main line if needed |
Local Factors That Also Contribute to Clogs in Orange County
Even with perfect habits, clogs can sneak up on you over time. Drain cleaning is one of the most common reasons we get called out, especially in homes over 30 years old. Here are the local environmental factors that commonly contribute to clogs:
Tree Roots
This one is a biggie in older Orange County neighborhoods where mature trees line the sidewalks. Roots are naturally drawn to moisture, so one small crack in your sewer line is all it takes for them to sneak in, grow, and completely block drain flow.
Warning signs of root intrusion include frequent backups, slow drains across multiple fixtures, or gurgling sounds in the toilet. If you suspect roots, we can do a camera inspection and clear the line with hydro-jetting or trenchless repair.
Mineral Scale from Hard Water
Even when hard water isn’t mixing with soap to form soap scum, it’s still loaded with minerals that love to coat pipes and reduce flow. Over time, hard water can build layers of calcium and magnesium deposits called “scale,” which behave like slow-growing clogs.
A water softener and annual descaling treatments can help. If you’ve never had your pipes checked for buildup, we’re happy to give them a good look with one of our video camera inspections.
Pipe Sagging or Misalignment
This one’s invisible until you have a recurring issue. Over time, soil beneath your home can shift or settle (especially after irrigation or heavy rains). This causes pipes to dip or misalign underground, creating low spots or “bellies” where waste accumulates and refuses to move.
You can’t spot this on your own, but we can. If clogs keep returning despite drain cleaning, a camera inspection might reveal what gravity is hiding.
Enjoy Fast Drains with Barker and Sons
The next time you think about turning to your drains to get rid of common items and materials, we hope you’ll step back and remember that not all products are plumbing-friendly. With just a few tweaks to your habits and a little help from our team, you can protect your drains, your sanity, and your schedule.
Prevention is always the best tool in your toolbox, but Barker & Sons is standing by when DIY measures don’t cut it. From preventative maintenance to emergency service, call us to handle your drain-related woes with professionalism and care. us a call! With hydro jet cleaning, you’ll get fast drains, peace of mind, and one less thing to worry about.
