3 Different Ways to Clean Your Drains
admin • April 30, 2014

Be honest: when you first read the title of this post, did you immediately think of a bottle of liquid drain cleaner, the type sitting on a grocery store shelf near the mops and sponges? That’s what most people conjure up in their heads when they hear “drain cleaning.”

But the truth is that there are few methods worse for cleaning your drains than using a store-bough bottle of corrosive, toxic chemicals. These liquids will damage your drains, leave behind poisonous fumes, and can hurt your skin and eyes. Avoid them at all costs.

Let’s look at three ways that professional plumbers will handle cleaning your drains. These methods not only won’t damage the drains (or you) but do a much more thorough and dependable cleaning job. For a plumbing company that can offer you superb drain cleaning in Olympia, WA , call Brooks Plumbing today.

Effective Methods for Draining Cleaning

  1. Drain snakes: Think of drain snakes (also known as “drain augers”) as long corkscrews that can go down a drain pipe and drill into a thick clog. The twisting action of the metal ends of a drain snake screw into blockage, and then either removes the block or breaks it up. Although you can purchase manual drain snakes from hardware stores, you should allow a professional plumber armed with a motorized drain snake to take care of those clogs you can’t remove with a standard plunger.
  2. Hydro-jetting: This drain cleaning method uses high-pressure blasts of scalding hot water from a nozzle to scour the inside of drains. Hydro-jetting is extremely effective at breaking up clogs, but also at fully cleansing drain interiors of grease, fat, oil, soap scum residue, and all the other sorts of debris that will build up inside drains over time and lead to further clogging and spikes in pressure. Because of the potential danger of high-pressure water involved in hydro-jetting, leave this job to trained plumbers with the right protective gear.
  3. Targeted cleaning with video pipe inspection: This last one isn’t so much a drain cleaning method as it is an approach to effective drain cleaning. Video pipe inspection equipment is the result of miniaturization technology that allows a plumber to send a small digital video camera with a LED light down into plumbing at the end of a length of fiber-optic cable. The camera returns a video feed to a monitor that allows a plumber to examine problems with drains and where they are located. This is useful for targeted drain cleaning that must address specific issues. Video pipe inspection eliminates the guesswork that once went into drain cleaning, streamlining the process to save time, money, and materials.

If you need a heavy clog cleared away, or if you want cleaner plumbing in general, call Brooks Plumbing today. We offer expert drain cleaning in Olympia, WA with the finest technology available .

Clogged kitchen sink line in Olympia, WA home needs drain cleaning pre-winter plumbing maintenance.
By Paul Lightfoot October 24, 2025
Holiday guests and freezing temps strain plumbing. Prevent clogs, backups, and cracked pipes with pre-winter drain cleaning. Schedule service with Olympia’s trusted pros.
Plumber insulating exposed pipes in a chilly basement to prevent frozen and burst lines in Olympia,
By Paul Lightfoot September 25, 2025
Heading into winter? Watch for frozen or burst pipes, water heater failures, and faucet leaks. Get prevention tips and fast repairs from Olympia’s trusted plumbers.
Copper pipes secured with white plastic clips on a white tiled wall.
By admin July 14, 2025
If you're planning a bathroom remodel in Olympia, WA, you’ve likely already picked out new tiles, fixtures, and paint—but have you thought about the pipes? The post Choose the Right Pipes for Your Bathroom Remodel first appeared on Brooks Plumbing Co..
Children playing in the sprinkler on a sunny lawn; girl in floral dress, boy in shorts, laughing.
By admin June 9, 2025
Many homeowners call us this time of year for drain cleaning in Tanglewilde, WA, often due to clogs caused by extra usage during school break. The post Kids Home For Summer? Follow These 7 Steps to Prevent Plumbing Problems first appeared on Brooks Plumbing Co..
A person's hand is touching a water heater's drain valve in a utility room with pink insulation.
By admin May 12, 2025
A leaky water heater might seem like a small inconvenience—until the damage starts to pile up. The post Faulty Water Heater Leaks: Mold, Rust, and More first appeared on Brooks Plumbing Co..
Bright white modern bathroom with a glass shower, soaking tub, and window.
By admin April 7, 2025
However, before you start picking out tiles or dreaming about rainfall showerheads, there’s one critical element you need to understand: the plumbing. The post Planning a Bathroom Reno? Here’s What You Need to Know About Plumbing first appeared on Brooks Plumbing Co..
Show More