Household disasters happen to us all – and sometimes require some much-needed guidance on how to clean them up, from wine-stained carpets to dirty windows.
But when it comes to the most common and gross cleaning issues we all have, it’s not what you may think it is.
If you guessed a dirty toilet, then you are wrong.
A clogged drain is the number reason Aussies call a plumber and it also happens to top the list of the most searched cleaning mishaps globally of 2021, according to money.co.uk.
The home insurance company scoured the internet to create a list of popular cleaning disasters
with data then collected to rank them into the top 10 most searched chores.
Clogged drains came in first with 17,300 monthly global searches, followed by pet hair at 15,200, limescale removal with 14,400 searches, grout with 12,400 and dirty toilet came in fifth with 10,800 monthly searches on Google.
Clogged drains became such an issue in Australia that during lockdown last year, Western Australia experienced a noticeable spike in drain blockages which cost authorities $3.3 million to clear.
It included more massive “fatbergsâ€, a term coined for when foreign objects flushed down toilets bind together.
“Things like wet wipes, nappies, sanitary products, toys, money, even a bedsheet, people’s mobile phones, sometimes the odd engagement ring — you know, all those things [that] shouldn’t be going down the toilet,†the Water Corporation’s Clare Lugar told the ABC.
In some situations the company had to use cranes to dislodge mammoth fatbergs and cart them to landfill.
But as for home blockages that are commonly caused by hair, money.co.uk suggests pouring hot water down the drain and following it up with baking soda and vinegar, letting it sit for 30 minutes and then adding more hot water to clear the clog.
Signs of a blocked drain
If you don’t know you have a blocked drain, there’s two ways you can find out, according to Yarrow Plumbing Services.
The plumbing company said hair, soaps and toothpaste can be the most common cause of blockages in bathroom drains.
“Ensure grates are over the waste outlets at all times. The grates can catch long hair, which can back up in the sewer,†it explains on its site.
The Queensland-based company states that a shower that pools with water at the base and a sink that holds water after the plug has been taken out after washing up, are all the symptoms of a blocked drain.
“Take notice if water won’t drain away from your fixtures or your toilet won’t flush away the effluent. In some situations, the waste water will overflow from the drain itself, which can be a nasty sight to see and smell.
“Go outside and find your overflow relief gully (ORG). The ORG on your property is a backflow prevention that ensures a sewer blockage on your main sewer line won’t back up into your house.
“Instead it will overflow (as the name suggests) from the ORG. Your ORG looks like a grated drain and is located outside. If your ORG has overflowed, you can be sure your house has a blocked drain.â€
