However fastidious you are when cleaning the kitchen, it is likely that you might neglect to clean the areas that are not visible such as the kitchen drain. Many people won’t even think about cleaning their kitchen drain until the effects are too bad to ignore and the sink becomes blocked. When you neglect cleaning your kitchen drain, you are leaving yourself open to many adverse effects that can negatively impact your health.
The Dangers of a Dirty Kitchen Drain
When you do not clean your kitchen drain, it will lead to a build-up of waste materials in the pipes, such as old food. Over time, a build-up of waste materials will likely cause your kitchen drain to become blocked. A blocked drain can have a number of different outcomes, all of which come with their own health risks.
Growth of Bacteria
A build-up of waste in a kitchen sink acts as a breading grow of bacteria and pathogens. In fact, your kitchen drain is likely the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Research has found that the moist environment of your kitchen drain creates the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive. A study has found that the kitchen sink can contain up to 500,000 bacteria per square inch, which is more than is usually found in the bathroom sink.
A number of different types of bacteria can grow in the kitchen sink, such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia Coli (commonly known as E Coli), and Staphylococcus Aureus. This build-up of bacteria can negatively affect your and your family’s health.
Back Flow
Blockage in the pipes can cause drained water and waste to flow back into your kitchen sink. This can essentially act as an eruption of bacteria into your home. This build-up of contaminated water has also been found to cause skin inflammation and irritation.
Growth of Pests and Mould
A build-up of waste in your kitchen sink can cause blockages, which will lead to a build-up of standing water. This standing water is the perfect place for pests like mosquitoes to grow. In fact, mosquitoes and other insects are attracted to stagnant water. This means leaving your kitchen sink dirty can lead to an increase in pests in your home. Not only will you likely attract pests, but a sink full of standing water can also cause mold and mildew to develop, along with all of the associated health risks.
How to Clean Your Kitchen Drain
To avoid the many potential health risks, you should clean your kitchen drain regularly. Maplewood Plumbing offers a number of helpful techniques you can use to clean your kitchen drain effectively. One easy method is to clean the p-trap by removing it with a pipe wrench.
Alternatively, an even easier method is to use chemicals. Use a cup to bail out as much water as you can from the clogged sink. Then pour in one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar down the plug in the sink, wait for five minutes, then pour in boiling water.
Not cleaning your kitchen sink can directly affect your health and the number of germs and bacteria in your home. Since cleaning your kitchen sink, to avoid potential blockages is relatively quick and easy, there is no reason why you should suffer from a clogged kitchen drain.