You’ve got guests for the holidays, and now your bathroom sink plumbing is playing up! How very inconvenient for you. Chances are your guests are the very reason why it’s happened; they aren’t familiar with the vagaries of your plumbing system, and you really should have had that faucet repair attended to before they arrived. You can always contact your local plumbers to take a look at the problem or read on to discover some novel ways of preventing this from happening.
Tip #1: Set Up Wash Stands
The old fashioned idea of a washstand in the bedroom is really handy when the occupancy of your home suddenly doubles or trebles. Often, this causes long waiting times for the bathroom. Equip each bedroom with an attractive bowl, a large jug of fresh water, hand soap and a small towel that guests can use to wash hands and faces and brush their teeth. Tip the dirty water into the toilet rather than the bathroom sink. You’ll not only reduce traffic through the bathroom, but you can also make sure you know what’s going down the drain and keep your sink plumbing healthy.
Tip #2: Print Reminders
It’s easy for your guests to forget they aren’t at home, especially if you’re a good host. The downside of this is that they may also forget to leave their bad habits behind them, such as combing wet hair while standing over the bathroom sink. Your sink plumbing might be far more sensitive than the one they have at home, and clumps of wet hair going down the drain could cause blockages you really don’t need.
A subtle way to remind them without having to actually broach the subject in person is to print reminders and paste them in strategic places before they arrive. These might be reminders such as:
- Not to allow anything besides toilet paper to be flushed,
- To avoid letting the hair fall into the drain, and
- To rinse out the bathtub after use.
That way, they’ll never know the reminders aren’t always there for your own family!
Tip #3: Allocate Washrooms
Most Toronto homes have more than one washroom, even if there’s only one full bathroom in the house. Often, the other washrooms are on different levels. Instead of having everyone trooping in and out of the main bathroom just because it’s closest to their bedroom, allocate washrooms to various visitors that are appropriate. Older children and teens, for example, can be sent downstairs to the basement washroom, because they are usually young and agile enough not to notice the hike. This helps to prevent excessive use of the bathroom sinks and avoid sink plumbing problems as a result.
Peace of Mind
Keeping your sink plumbing healthy will help prevent unhappiness and inconvenience during the holidays, and allow you to enjoy the presence of your guests without worrying about the cost of future repairs. For peace of mind, a full plumbing inspection ahead of your visitors’ arrival is the best way to identify any potential problems before they occur.
