While using body scrubs may leave your skin glowing, they can cause a Houston plumbing stoppage. Unfortunately, many of these beauty products contain ingredients that harm your drains and can easily clog your pipes. For instance, body scrubs often contain un-dissolvable items, which can quickly turn to a clogged drain. This can cause water damage, drain backups, and standing water. Rather than risk a Houston plumbing stoppage, learn which body scrub ingredients can clog your plumbing. This can help you avoid plumbing problems and save you money in plumbing repairs.
Exfoliating Ingredients May Cause a Houston Plumbing Stoppage
Whether you purchase your body scrubs at a beauty counter or make them from a DIY recipe, many of them contain ingredients that can harm your plumbing. Some can cause a Houston plumbing stoppage immediately and some may build up over time. Some common ingredients in body scrubs that can harm your plumbing include coffee grounds, oatmeal, and ground nutshells. These items don’t dissolve in water and can get caught in your drain, leaving you with a Houston plumbing stoppage that you’ll need a plumber to correct. Since these ingredients are solid and generally not dissolvable, they are difficult to break up. For example, chemical drain cleaners usually will not be able to deal with body scrub clogs. Instead, your Houston plumber will need to clean your drains with a drain snake or with hydro jetting services.
Also, most body scrubs feature a lot of oils, which can also cause a plumbing clog or make it worse. Many body scrubs use olive oil or coconut oil to help moisturize the skin. However, oils from these products can quickly cause a Houston plumbing stoppage. Many of the oils you find in body scrubs solidify as they cool off. That means that while you’re running the hot shower, they may seem like liquid, but as the oils cool off in your plumbing, they can easily block your drains. Oils also have a tendency to catch and hold onto grime, hair, and other things that lead to clogs. Therefore, keep this in mind when putting body scrubs down your drains.
What to Use Instead to Avoid a Houston Plumbing Stoppage
So, are you just supposed to stop using exfoliating beauty products? Well, the best way to prevent drain clogs from your body scrubs is to stop using them. You can try swapping your body scrub for an exfoliating cloth instead to help save your plumbing. However, if you still want to use these products, it’s important to understand that you’ll likely still experience clogs from time to time depending on your plumbing system and its condition. In addition, you may need more frequent drain cleaning.
There are some things you can do to help prevent plumbing issues from face and body scrubs. This often depends on the type of pipes you have as well as the condition of your plumbing. Therefore, it’s best to ask your Houston plumber about your specific plumbing. Using the right scrubs in moderation and with regular maintenance may not harm your plumbing.
Use Dissolvable Ingredients
If you want to use a body scrub in your shower or bathtub, it’s best to choose scrubs with dissolvable ingredients. For example, sea salt and sugar break down in water. However, keep in mind that sugar can be sticky, which may cause issues for your pipes. In some cases, salts and sugars may not break down completely and get stuck in the drain. This may lead to a Houston plumbing stoppage as well, since undissolved salt and sugar can easily catch hair and other things that may clog your plumbing.
Drain strainers are also a good idea to help prevent a Houston plumbing stoppage. Drain strainers help catch hair and other solid materials that can clog your plumbing. In addition, they can also help catch undissolved salts and sugars or even the solid exfoliating ingredients like oatmeal. Make sure that your shower drain strainer uses small enough holes to catch the items that may damage your plumbing.
Using Different Oils
Also, you may want to swap out your coconut oil for something thinner, like olive or jojoba oil. These oils can still create clogs but are less viscous than coconut oil and therefore may reduce the likelihood of a Houston plumbing stoppage. Organic coconut oil solidifies at temperatures under 76° F, which means that even slightly cool pipes could end up blocked with coconut oil. Olive oil and jojoba oil, on the other hand, generally starts to solidify at about 50° F. Therefore, they are more likely to stay in their liquid state as they run down your drains.
However, even with thinner oils, it’s important to use them sparingly. Otherwise, you could end up needing emergency drain cleaning services. Over time, they can build up, slowly causing a Houston plumbing stoppage. Therefore, it’s still best to limit how often you use body scrubs in your shower. These tips from your Houston plumbing company will help you enjoy your exfoliating beauty products without paying the price for clogged plumbing.
Call Your Houston Plumbing Company for Drain Clogs
At Santhoff Plumbing Company, we are Houston’s trusted plumber for your home and business. If you have a clogged drain or any other plumbing problem, we are here to help. We’ve been offering you quality, affordable plumbing services since 1974 and have the skills and experience you need for your home’s plumbing. Our goal is to provide you with innovative and affordable services to keep your plumbing in great repair. We offer a wide range of services, from drain cleaning to gas line installation. We pride ourselves on our prompt, friendly, and practical services. Whether you need preventative maintenance or emergency service, our team is here to help! Call us today at (713) 360-2185 to talk to one of our experts and schedule an appointment or request 24/7 emergency services. We are here to serve you.