One thing homeowners in Bakersfield dread is water damage from plumbing problems. One of the most common plumbing problems in homes is backed up drains. Clogged drains, or even slow drainage, can cause water to backup and overflow – creating a huge mess and requiring water damage restoration services to solve the problem. Here are some ways you can keep water flowing smoothly and easily, and prevent your drains from clogging and causing major damage and restoration costs.

• Be careful about what you put down your drain.  Cooking grease, soap scum, hair, and coffee grounds are common culprits that could be clogging your drain. Avoid pouring any cooking grease down the drain, instead pour it into an old coffee can or cardboard container and throw it away in the trash. Coffee grounds should also be thrown in the trash, and not down the drain. You can use a screen or drain gate to help minimize hair and soap scum going down the drain. Most filters and screens are easy to install (most just need to be laid in place), and can be found at your local hardware store. 
• Clean drains after each use. Running hot water through the drain will help keep things moving, and prevent buildup along the interior surfaces of pipes. As buildup increases, drains will begin to be sluggish and eventually clog completely, so running hot water through it after each use will help avoid that problem.
• Regularly clean drains with baking soda. Baking soda is a terrific cleaning agent, and is also great at absorbing foul odors left behind in drain pipes. At least once a week, and more if needed, you should pour some baking soda into the drain and follow it with hot water to keep it smelling clean and avoid clogs. 
• Use vinegar to help clean and clear slow drains. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which acts as an excellent organic solvent in removing buildup in pipes. If clogging is a regular problem for one of your drains, you can really pump up the cleaning by adding vinegar to baking soda. When combined, vinegar and baking soda react by bubbling and foaming. Together, they form a powerful cleaner, and can help to lift away blockages and clogs. 
• If you don’t have a garbage disposal, avoid letting food scraps go down the drain. You can use a drain strainer in your kitchen sink to catch food and keep it out of your drain. Even if you do have a garbage disposal, you should avoid putting certain foods down it. Banana peels, eggshells, potato sins, and coffee grounds all are types of food that are thick and sticky so they do not grind well in disposals, and instead stick to the walls of the drain and pipes. 
• Never flush any paper products other than toilet paper down the toilet. Personal hygiene products and other paper goods can clog the toilet, and cause water to backup throughout the entire sewer and plumbing system.