In the United States, there are up to 80 million dogs and 96 million cats. Around 35% of households has either a dog or a cat, and that’s not including other furry friends including rabbits, ferrets, pet pigs, mice, rats, and sugar gliders.
Every animal comes with particular quirks of pet ownership, and some of these are going to affect your drains. Take this advice and you’ll avoid premature drain cleaning in your future.
Don’t Flush The Kitty Litter: At first you might think “of course I shouldn’t flush kitty litter. What kind of a person would think that’s a good idea?” Trust us, it’s been done.
Another problem that arises with kitty litter is from the “flushable” kitty litter. As we’ve mentioned before, just because it says it’s flushable doesn’t mean that it’s good for your drains, and the marketers who put that on the label aren’t going to come and clean out your sewer drain when it clogs up. Sure, it’s goes down your toilet because it’s helped by the gravity created by the steep angle of your toilets drain. But when that angle lessens in your main sewer line, it’s more likely that your kitty litter can help lead to big clogs, requiring professional sewer cleaning. The best thing to do is just scoop the kitty litter into garbage bags like usual.
The Bathtub: All of the critters mentioned above, shed (well, you might not see much of the pig’s hair), but not all of these animals will require time in our tub getting scrubbed…it’s a bad idea to wash bunny or glider. But for those of you who take care of your dog and cat baths at home, invest in that most simply of inventions, the drain strainer. Some of them are built-in and can be removed, but it’s just as easy to get a small rubber one that will let the water out while straining out all the hair.
Pet hair can be so much more difficult for a sewer drain than human hair is. First of all, scrubbing your pet is going to release more hair than you ever thought could come off. Many pets will shed quite a lot in the tub, their hairs criss-crossing and weaving a clog-creating mat. Other pet hair is fluffy and seemingly lighter than air. But when it gets in the drain, it’s as if you’ve stuffed a bunch of cotton balls down there. Get the drain strainer in your tub and just accept that the water is going to drain slowly. Trust us, it’s worth it
Watch Out Under The Sink: Here’s yet another reason to avoid chemical drain cleaners…you don’t want your animals getting to them. if you don’t have the dangerous drain cleaning chemicals in your house in the first place, there’s no way they can poison your pet. Also, some dogs have a bad habit of chewing stuff that’s soft-but-not-really, and that includes PVC pipes that are under your drain. Keep the doors under your sinks closed and your pet will be much safer.
Want to avoid constant drain cleaning and rooter service. Follow these few simple rules and both your pets and your drains will be safer. But when you do need drain cleaning, give Garvin’s a call!