Preventing blocked drains: 8 things that actually help

We deal with blocked drains for a living, so we've got a pretty good view of what causes them. Here are the eight habits that genuinely cut blockages — and the ones that don't.

1. Fats, oils and grease go in the bin, not the sink

The single biggest cause of kitchen sink and shared-sewer blockages. Hot fat poured down the sink looks liquid, but congeals into a solid plug as soon as it hits the cooler pipework downstream.

Habit: Wipe greasy pans with kitchen roll before washing.

2. Don't flush wipes — even 'flushable' ones

The word 'flushable' on packaging is not regulated in the UK. They survive the flush, but they don't break down in the sewer. They bind with fats to form 'fatbergs'.

Habit: Wipes in the bin. Only the three Ps go down the toilet: pee, poo, and (toilet) paper.

3. Hair catchers in every shower and bath

A £2 plastic hair catcher saves you from a £150 drain machine job within a few years. Empty it weekly.

4. Clear gully gratings monthly

The grated drains outside your house — the gullies — silt up and leaf-clog far faster than you'd expect. Five minutes with a hand and a brush, once a month, prevents most surface-water flooding.

5. Don't pour latex paint or plaster waste into the sink

Both set in pipework. Plaster especially — it hydrates with water and turns into rock.

6. Annual jet of commercial kitchen lines

For restaurants, takeaways and care home kitchens — an annual or bi-annual jet works out much cheaper than emergency callouts. Get it on a maintenance schedule.

7. CCTV survey at 10-year intervals on older properties

Victorian clay and 1970s pitch-fibre pipework benefits from a baseline CCTV survey every 10 years. Catch root ingress and joint displacement before they cause repeat blockages.

8. Keep records of where your chambers are

When you do block, an engineer arriving knowing where every inspection chamber is saves 20–30 minutes of hunting. Photograph the manhole locations and save them on your phone.

What doesn't help much

• Caustic drain cleaners — short-term unblock at best, do nothing to prevent the next blockage, and damage some pipe materials
• 'Bio enzyme' monthly treatments — limited evidence they meaningfully prevent blockages in a typical domestic system
• Hot water 'flushes' — see point 1, just moves the problem downstream