As a hair salon owner, you know that drains can be tricky. Most salons are equipped with multiple drains for shampoo stations, as well as sink and floor drains. Add to it lots of hair, gel, shampoo, and other products, and you have a recipe for major clogs. The following tips can help you avoid drain problems at your salon.

1. Size Your Pipes Right

When you first rent or purchase your salon space, one of your first calls should be to a commercial drain cleaning and plumbing service. They can do more than install your shampoo stations, they can also check your drains and make sure the pipes are sized appropriately. Some older retail spaces may have overly narrow drainpipes connecting to the main. Simply upgrading to a larger pipe can help prevent obstructions and clogs in the system.

2. Install Hair Catchers

A lot of hair makes its way down the drain in a hair salon, and this problem can't be easily avoided. Make sure all drains in the building are equipped with quality hair catchers. Combination screen and chain catchers work well, as these prevent most hair from getting into the drain, but the chain makes removal of any hair that does get past the screen easier. Choose hair catchers that you or your staff can easily remove and clean on your own so don't have to call a plumber to do this standard chore.

3. Avoid Chemical Cleaners

A lot of chemicals are already going down the drain at your salon. Perm and dye solutions, hair removal products, and setting lotions are all caustic in their own way. Adding more caustic chemicals in the form of drain cleaners could produce a dangerous reaction, such as hazardous fumes. Further, if the cleaner doesn't clear the clog, then your drain cleaning technician will have to deal with the chemical buildup to clear the drain. Rely on plungers, drain snakes, or a call to a plumber if you get a clog.

4. Flush Daily

Flush out the drains with a kettle full of boiling water at the end of each day to ensure that most soap and product residue, along with the hair it traps, has been flushed out of the system. You can purchase a small electric kettle to boil the water in the event you don't have any other facilities to do so in your salon.

5. Schedule Regular Clean Outs

Regular drain cleaning can help prevent major clogs down the road. Work with a drain cleaning service to determine the best schedule for your particular business. A tech will come out and flush all the drains to remove any buildup. Hydro jetting is often used because a high-pressure flow of water is usually all that is needed to prevent a clog in the early stages of formation.

Contact a drain cleaning service near you for more help.