Bad Shower Habits that Can Ruin Your Plumbing in Chicagoland

Bad Shower Habits that Can Ruin Your Plumbing

Taking a shower is part of most people’s daily routine. A good shower can do wonders for your mind and body. Cold showers can increase alertness, help muscles to recover and even improve immunity, while hot showers can detox your body, repair cells and ease anxiety.

Showering may be beneficial for your well-being, but if you fall into a couple of common bad habits, it can take its toll on your plumbing. If you’re not careful, you may find that a relaxing shower quickly turns into a stressful morning where you have to deal with some rather serious plumbing problems!

Here are six bad shower habits you should try to avoid in order to keep your bathroom looking great and your plumbing in Chicagoland working properly:

Habit One: Leaving Puddles on the Floor

If you’re in a rush in the morning, then cleaning up the little puddle of water on your bathroom floor from your shower may be the last thing on your mind, but perhaps it shouldn’t be. You wouldn’t ignore a water leak, and you certainly shouldn’t ignore water spillage from the shower!

Leaving water on the floor of your bathroom is a recipe for disaster. That water could cause mold growth, ruin your floor and potentially cause much more widespread problems. Investing in a bath mat and cleaning up water spills after a shower will help to prevent serious water damage.

If you’re used to seeing a puddle of water next to your shower, then you may not notice immediately if you have a leak – which could result in a flooded bathroom, or worse!

Habit Two: Not Removing Calcium Deposits

Did you know that just turning the water on in your shower could be damaging to your plumbing? Hard water, like the water in Chicago, is often rich in certain minerals that can clog your showerhead.

When hard water dries, it leaves deposits. Over time, these deposits will block the showerhead nozzle and reduce water flow. Thankfully, this common problem has a very easy solution!

Just a little white vinegar is normally all that’s needed to remove calcium deposits, improving the appearance and function of your shower head in minutes.

Habit Three: Staying in the Shower Too Long

If you’re partial to taking long showers, then there’s a good reason to curb the habit – mold! All the steam that builds up in your bathroom during long showers can result in the development of mold, which is not good for your family’s health.

Mold will quickly spread to all the nooks and crannies in your bathroom if you don’t have good ventilation. Shower curtains and loofahs are also breeding grounds for mold and bacteria and may need regular cleaning if you’ve noticed signs of mold.

One way to prevent mold growth is by reducing the temperature and length of your shower. You can also increase ventilation and reduce mold by opening a window or installing an exhaust fan.

Habit Four: Letting Hair Clog the Drain

One of the worst shower habits for your plumbing is letting hair get into the drain. Over time, a few hairs can become a lot of hair and suddenly the drain is blocked and you’re making the call to an emergency plumber in Chicagoland to fix the problem.

Like most bad shower habits that can ruin your plumbing, this one has a simple solution – a drain stopper. Drain stoppers are an affordable and effective way to stop hair and other debris from clogging the drain.

Habit Five: Using Chemical Drain Cleaners

If you’ve noticed a clog in your drain – whether from hair or other debris – then one of the worst things you can do is reach for a chemical cleaner. Chemical cleaners may get rid of the clog, but they could potentially leave you with a more serious problem.

Not only are chemical cleaners bad for the environment, they’re also bad for your plumbing. Those harsh chemicals will corrode your pipes, which isn’t as easy or affordable to fix as a simple clog.

Plungers and plumber’s snakes are safer tools to remove blockages that won’t cause damage to your pipes in the process. If ever in doubt about how to unclog a drain, it’s always best to call a trained plumber in Chicagoland who’ll be able to assess and solve the problem quickly.

Habit Six: Ignoring Small Plumbing Problems

Many plumbing problems come with plenty of warning signs before true disaster strikes. This is especially the case in the bathroom, where your shower is likely to give you a fair bit of advanced warning if all is not well!

Constant dripping may not seem like a major problem, but it could be a sign that you need to adjust water pressure before you ruin the plumbing. Similarly, hot water not lasting as long as you hoped is not only annoying, but it may also be a sign of a serious problem with your water heater.

Faster running water, slower running water, oddly colored water, poor drainage and any other alterations to the way your shower works or how the water looks need addressing quickly. It’s always better to call a plumber as soon as you notice small problems than to ignore the problems and risk them escalating.

The Best Habit to Improve Your Plumbing in Chicagoland

Not all habits are bad habits. If you can get into the routine of booking regular plumbing inspections and start paying attention to warning signs, then you can enjoy healthier plumbing and a reduced risk of disasters occurring!

For advice and guidance in a plumbing emergency or for the answer to any questions you may have about your bathroom plumbing, simply get in touch with Arco Plumbing. Arco Plumbing is one of the most well-established and trusted plumbing services in the Chicagoland region, and the only experts you need to call for plumbing advice in Westmont and the surrounding areas. 

Last Updated on May 6, 2020 by Arco Plumbing Services