Note to readers: This post was updated on July 25, 2026 to refresh the maintenance guidance and add current links to our drain cleaning and sewer diagnosis resources. We refreshed the details below so the advice reflects how we approach this work today.
Nobody wants to deal with a plumbing emergency. Clogs and burst pipes disrupt your day and often cost more the longer they’re ignored. The good news is that many plumbing emergencies are easy to avoid with regular drain cleaning maintenance.
Western Rooter and Plumbing provides regular drain cleaning services for homeowners and commercial property owners in Monrovia and the surrounding area, along with hydro jetting to accurately and powerfully clear clogs from your plumbing system.
What Are the Benefits of Drain Cleaning?
Drain cleaning prevents clogs before they happen. Even careful households end up with hair, food particles, and residue collecting in pipes over time. Once enough builds up, it forms a clog that causes slow drainage, backups, and odors. Regular drain cleaning keeps water moving quickly through your showers and sinks instead of pooling.
What Shouldn’t You Pour Down the Drain?
Some materials cause clogs; others corrode pipes outright. Avoid pouring these down any drain, disposal or not:
- Eggshells: Ground-up shell bits stick to grease and other debris, snowballing into a clog over time.
- Coffee grounds: Not fully water-soluble, they mix with oils already in the pipe and build up.
- Butter and margarine: Water-resistant even when melted — it congeals again once cooled inside the pipe.
- Cooking oils and grease: Pour into a container and throw away once cooled, never down the sink.
- Pasta and rice: Both keep absorbing water and expanding even after they’re shredded.
- Chemical drain cleaners: These introduce chemicals into the water supply and corrode pipes over time, leading to leaks. Here’s why we don’t recommend them.
Flour, produce stickers, sanitary products, cotton balls, paper towels, and “flushable” wipes or cat litter cause similar problems and should go in the trash.
What If I Do Have a Clog?
If you already have a clog, our technicians inspect the drain or sewer line with a camera first to find the exact location and cause, then use hydro jetting to clear it with high-pressure water — no harsh chemicals involved. For recurring clogs or slow drains across multiple fixtures, it’s worth having the main line checked rather than treating each fixture separately; see our guide on telling a drain clog apart from sewer line damage.
If you’re a homeowner or property owner in Monrovia or nearby looking to prevent clogs before they start, contact Western Rooter and Plumbing about drain cleaning maintenance. We’ll help keep your drains clear and your plumbing system running the way it should.
