The plumbing in your home can be a fickle thing. And because children don’t generally understand how the plumbing works and what the best practices are for using your plumbing systems, many families have experienced issues with clogged drains, overflowing toilets, blocked bathtubs, and broken garbage disposals.
But with preventative measures and the right knowledge, your family may be able to avoid a lot of the issues that other families experience with their plumbing. To show you how this can be done, here are three tips for protecting your plumbing from your children.
Be Clear About What Can And Can’t Be Flushed Down The Toilet
Because everything in the toilet just disappears after you flush it, your young children might think that anything that gets dropped in the toilet can easily be flushed down. Sadly, that’s not the case and can often result in some major plumbing issues.
To keep this from happening in your home, Joe Perritt, a contributor to Angie’s List, advises that you teach your kids what can and can’t be flushed down the toilet. Let them know that the only things they should be putting in the toilet and flushing down are their own waste and toilet paper. Everything else needs to go in the garbage can. And once you have these rules in place, make sure you follow them as well so as to not create confusion.
Install The Right Shower Drains
Having kids take baths or showers can sometimes result in items getting washed down the drain that really shouldn’t be there. In fact, even things that just naturally wash down the drain, like hair, can cause your bath and shower to have issues with draining.
But with the right shower drains installed, many of these issues can be avoided. According to Joe Bousquin, a contributor to HouseLogic.com, the best shower drains to have when you’ve got kids around are the ones that have screens to catch items like hair or anything else and can easily be removed for cleaning.
Scrape Your Plate Before Putting It In The Sink
The bathroom isn’t the only part of your home where you should be concerned with your plumbing when kids are around. If your little ones see you using your garbage disposal, they might be under the impression that anything can be ground up once dumped into the sink. However, this way of thinking can get you in trouble with your plumbing.
To avoid this, teach your kids that they should scrape their plate before putting it into the sink and letting any leftover food goes down the garbage disposal. And when food does get into the garbage disposal, Candice Harding, a contributor to Today’s Homeowner, advises that you be sure that the food is already cut up into small pieces.
If you want to avoid issues with your plumbing that are often brought on by children, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.
