Celebrate National Pet Month with us! At Miamisburg Plumbing & Drain, we recognize that every member of your family, including your pets, plays a vital role in your happiness. As animal lovers ourselves, we understand your priority is to ensure your pet’s safety, happiness, and health. As homeowners, you equally prioritize maintaining your home and an optimal plumbing system. Interestingly enough, even pets with the least demanding needs can affect your home’s plumbing if not managed properly. Hence, we invite you to explore with us the best practices to safeguard both your cherished pets and your plumbing system effectively.
Consider Pet Grooming
Maintaining your pets’ grooming is essential not only for the upkeep of your home clean but also for keeping your pet’s coat healthy and clean. However, pet grooming does present its own unique challenges, especially to your plumbing system. Here are some helpful tips:
Baths: Bathing your pet at home is not only an effective method to manage odors but also plays a crucial role in maintaining the healthiness of their coat. However, undertaking this task can lead to plumbing challenges, including fur accumulation and potential blockages in your bathtub.
- Installing a hand-held showerhead (if you don’t have one already) is a key step toward improving the pet bathing process. It offers a more efficient and manageable experience.
- To avert drain blockages, use a drain screen over your bathtub or shower drain to help capture detached fur during washing.
- If feasible, try to bathe your pet outdoors when you can.
Brushing: Frequent grooming of your pet plays a crucial role in minimizing shedding and preventing the build-up of fur in your home, especially during bathtime.
- Selecting the correct brush tailored to your pet’s hair type makes all the difference in the grooming process.
- For superior results and to reduce the spread of stray fur indoors, fur brushing sessions outside is always a great idea whenever feasible.
- For pet owners with long-haired companions, we strongly advise implementing a weekly brushing schedule. This practice not only promotes the health of your pet’s fur coat but also plays a crucial role in preventing unnecessary strain on your plumbing system during bath times.
Consider Pet Food & Pet Waste Disposal
Pet Food: Disposing of dry pet food (kibble) through your kitchen sink or garbage disposal is highly discouraged. The reason for this is because dry pet food absorbs water and expands, potentially causing significant blockages within your plumbing system. Moreover, once wet pet food dries back up, it becomes hard, further aggravating any blockage issues. Instead, simply dispose of unused pet food in your trash bin.
Cat Litter: Managing pet waste is a crucial component of responsible pet ownership, and the methods utilized for disposal can have a significant impact on your home’s plumbing system. Surprisingly, a prevalent myth is that flushing kitty litter down the toilet is a safe practice. This, however, is strongly discouraged. The majority of kitty litters are not formulated to disintegrate in water, posing the risk of substantial blockages within your plumbing infrastructure.
While some cat litter brands market their products as “flushable,” we strongly recommend against doing so. This is because products labeled as “flushable cat litter” may claim to be biodegradable, yet they break down at a slow pace. This slow decomposition can lead to a gradual accumulation of clogs in your plumbing system as undissolved clumps of used litter build up. It’s just not worth the risk in our opinion.
Consider Pet Safety Tips
Digging: Watch out for pets with a knack for digging. Keep a close eye on your curious pet to prevent them from digging near your home’s foundation or around buried pipelines. Protecting the integrity of your plumbing system is crucial, and so is ensuring your pet’s safety. This advice serves a dual purpose: safeguarding your home’s infrastructure and your pet’s well-being.
Toilet Water: If you’re a pet owner, you might be familiar with the sight of your furry family member quenching their thirst straight from your toilet bowl. While it might seem harmless, and a tad gross, it’s important to understand the health risks this poses to your pet. Cleaning products like toilet tabs, bowl stamps, rim hangers, and various chemical cleaners to maintain toilet freshness and hygiene. However, these products contain potent chemicals that can be detrimental to your pet’s health.
To protect your beloved pet, it is recommended to keep the toilet lid closed and consider installing a child-proof lock if your pet tends to be extra stubborn.
Keeping both your pets and plumbing system safe is possible with proper care and appropriate planning. For more insights on keeping your home and plumbing in top shape, we encourage you to delve into our extensive library of blog articles!
Should you encounter any challenges or have queries, our team stands ready to offer our expert assistance. Miamisburg Plumbing & Drain is open 24/7, 365 days a year. So, what are you waiting for? Contact us today at (937) 705-0297, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here!