Millions of drains are clogged each year in England, which causes people to throw toxic bleach down sinks and spend around £80 on basic plumber call-out fees. Clogged drains can also cause stinky toilets and garden floods. Prevention is better than cure!
use silicone sink stoppers (one-time purchase)
This silicone suction cup sink stopper stops hair and coffee grounds etc from clogging sinks & blocked drains (silicone is a blend of sand & fossil fuels but it lasts for years, is easy to recycle and doesn’t break down into millions of microplastics, unlike single-use plastic). Just place over the drainage hole and engage the suction cup, for a secure seal. Designed to fit nearly all sinks & tubs, it’s easily cleaned with a cloth and mild soap. The pack includes 3 units.
This silicone bathroom hair catcher fits over any pop-up bath drain protect, using a ring-donut design with slot-based filtering holes to stay in place, even when you take a bath. It also helps stop small objects (like contact lenses & earrings) from getting lost. A great purchase for hotels.
ShowerRing is placed over the shower drain (again a great multi-purchase for hotels, gyms, care homes & hospitals). Made from from stainless steel and silicone, this fits a wide range of drain sizes for walk-in showers and shower stalls. The precision-engineered gaps allow water to flow freely, while trapping unwanted materials (like hair).
sink filters for hand-laundry
Microplastic catchers are usually sold for washing machines, but this sink filter is for hand-washing. To stop synthetic fibres (like nylon and polyester) from breaking off and going into the sea or clogged drains. Just collect the fibres and bin securely. Also use plastic-free cleaning cloths, to avoid the same happening.
don’t pour cooking oil down the sink
One main cause of blocked drains is pouring cooking oil down sinks. This cooking oil recycling container is ideal to recycle leftover cooking oil, before you take it to the council depot for recycling. Also read how to cook & bake without oil.
Cool oil before pouring in containers (scrape & bin grease from pans & tins, and absorb small amounts of oil in newpaper, then bin). Don’t give leftover fatty foods to garden birds or wildfowl (it smears on feathers, affecting waterproofing & insulation).
Suitable for all types of cooking oil (and residual oils in tinned food), the removable filter prevents solids from passing into the container. The wide opening allows for easy filling, and the pouring spout has a drip-catch system for quick easy emptying.
never flush baby wet wipes down loos
Baby wet wipes are the cause of 90% of sewer blockages (often sold as ‘flushable, in a market worth £20 billion worldwide). Avoid thick ‘thick luxury loo roll’ and instead use forest-friendly 3-ply bathroom tissue (alongside Wype biodegradable gel to make your own soothing wet wipes – still bin them, don’t flush).
For clogged toilets, pour a cup each of baking soda & cleaning vinegar into the pan (it will fizz). After 10 minutes, pour in a kettle of hot water (repeat if not clear). For bad clogs, Luigi toilet plunger goes right inside the u-bend and is easily cleaned with a little oxygen bleach (then plunge in cold water). To avoid clogged bath drains, avoid bath bombs (leaves lumps of oil), plastic bath ducks (microplastics break off) and thick body oils (like coconut).
zero waste silicone toilet brushes
Conventional toilet brushes have plastic nylon bristles, which leach microplastics down the bowl and into the sea, each time you use them. Silicone is made partly with oil (along with sand), but does not break down into microplastics, and is easy to recycle.
Choose unscented biodegradable toilet cleaners for pregnancy/nursing/medical conditions. Keep essential oils (especially citrus) away from pets.
This silicone toilet brush gives a 360 degree deep clean to reduce bacteria and odours, and has anti-drip protection. Easy to rinse under the hot tap, the anti-slip handle means your skin never touches areas being cleaned, and the brush remains in one piece during use.
Designed not to wear out, the inner pocket holds water, to drain from the brush into the outer pocket. Includes a damage-free wall sticker (to mount on tiles or sides of toilet basin, not for painted or wallpaper walls) to tuck out of reach of small hands, and avoid it being knocked over.
choose biodegradable drain cleaning brands
Bio-D Drain Cleaner & Maintainer is a tin of 10 fizzy tablets, each one contains millions of good bacteria to digest drain build-up (bad smells, gurgling noise or collecting water). Free from bleach and caustic soda, use one tablet daily for a week, then once a month. Also as commercial liquid drain cleaner.
Another option is to pour a mug of soda crystals with hot water down the sink, and leave to dissolve build-up of grease, soap & shampoo (to remove smells, sub with bicarbonate of soda instead).