Before you send the Thanksgiving and Christmas party invitations¦
check these cost-saving tips
I know this is not at the forefront of your daily routine, or your holiday planning. However, be aware that your toilet paper can affect your holiday budget.
Before you send the Thanksgiving and Christmas party invitations, prepare your bathrooms with the proper toilet paper, and prepare your plumbing for the additional flushes because your paper can clog your toilet and cause expensive plumbing repairs. Expect to pay between $150 and $250 for a simple and short plumber visit. On the flip-side, a DIY drain snake costs between $5 and $50, so it may be affordable for you to take the first attempt at unclogging it yourself.
The first line of toilet clog prevention is to be wise selecting your toilet paper, use proper products and be consistent in the way you clean, maintain, and protect your plumbing lines.
The toilet paper you choose should quickly dissolve. If it doesn’t,your toilet paper can build up in your pipes and clog your plumbing. This is especially true if you own a low-flow toilet. While these toilets save water, they provide less pressure to push the toilet paper down the pipes. The toilet tissue simply does not dissolve quick enough, so human waste and bathroom waste becomes stuck in the toilet or the sewer line.
Beware – Extra soft toilet paper doesn’t break down easily in the water, so it can stick to your pipes and cause damage over time.The thicker the toilet paper, the longer it will take the material to break down in your plumbing system.
Unbleached toilet paperis your safest option. Cottonelle takes the crown, followed by Angel Soft. Another winner is the Scott® Rapid-Dissolving toilet paperis septic-safe toilet paper that’s perfect for your RV and breaks down 10x faster vs the leading brand.
Preventing Clogs & Maintaining your plumbing healthy and clean “ Experts say to pour some Vinegar in your toilet tank, and kitchen drain because it contains acetic acid, which helps break down the cellulose fibers in toilet paper, making it easier to flush away. However, stubborn toilet clogs are best cleared by plunging or using a snake to remove the clog. Vinegar also helps push down the grease from your kitchen sink. A word of advise is to pour any grease in a glass jar, and not dispose of it in your drains.
For your toilets – It is safe to leave a mix of 1/3 cup of baking soda, 1/8 cup of Dawn dish liquid, and 1 cup of vinegar to work overnight to unclog a drain. Always flush this mixture down with warm to hot water”no matter how long you leave it sitting in the drain. Avoid flushing with boil water if you have PVC plumbing.
Another tip to avoid septic overflows is to pace your laundry frequency – space out the loads so that the system has time to recover between each one. Two to three loads per day is the average for a regular household plumbing lines in older properties.
Some of the very good chemical options recommended by plumbers are Green Gobbler, because it is safe for all pipes and septic systems, and it’s free of odors and harsh fumes.
Another plumbers’ favorite is Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, because it is a strong acid that is commonly used to dissolve clogs in drains.
However, be careful with rubber pipes because they can be damaged by all clog removing chemicals if not used as specified by a plumber.
Bottom Line – Include the aforementioned items in your grocery list this holiday season to make sure you are fully prepared for your guests and also keep your plumbing lines clean to avoid unnecessary plumbing costs.