As a parent, you have a lot to worry about, including making sure that your children grow up in a healthy environment. Oddly enough, part of this means taking care of your home’s plumbing on a regular basis.

But as we know, kids don’t always make that easy. As parents ourselves, the plumbing pros at Brown’s have a few simple plumbing tips for parents about how to child-proof your plumbing.

Plumbing Tips for Parents

Teach Kids How to Use the Toilet (And What NOT to Flush)

If you have children, chances are you’ll need to retrieve a small item from the toilet at some point. Whether it’s a toy, toothbrush, fish, or other item that falls into the toilet, most of the time, getting it out is just an icky chore. But if it is actually flushed down, you’re looking at a much bigger problem. Despite what Finding Dory says, not all drains lead to the ocean.

Naturally, children like to test their limits. And for some reason, toilets are at the top of the temptation list to push those limits. To prevent clogs, teach your children what they should and shouldn’t flush down the toilet.

As a general rule, remind them that only toilet paper, waste, and water are meant to be flushed. That means regular wipes and “flushable” wipes are not really flushable after all.

Turn Down the Hot Water Heater Temperature

Once your little one starts washing his or her hands or taking a bath in the big bathtub, you need to ensure the water temperature does not become hot enough to scald them. Even if you always test the water first, a stray foot or curious hand can accidentally turn up the heat.

The best plumbing tip we can give parents is to turn down the temperature of their hot water heater. This will help protect your child’s delicate skin and prevent possible burns. You can even install an anti-scald device that regulates the temperature of the water that comes out of a specific faucet, so adults can still shower in water as hot as they want.

Brown’s plumbing services can help you safely lower the temperature or fit your faucets with anti-scald devices.

Save the Drain

It’s no secret that hair can clog the drain in the bathtub and shower. Hair is the biggest enemy of bathroom drains. Nobody likes removing that tangled mess of hair, shampoo, soap, and heaven only knows what else’s accumulated over the past few months —  especially when you’re bathing little ones.

Instead, parents can prevent clogs in the first place by using a simple drain screen to catch any hair and throw it in the trash right away. Even if you’ve been diligent about keeping your shower drain unobstructed, you might still encounter a problem. If that happens, never hesitate to call in the local plumbing experts. We provide comprehensive drain cleaning services for bathtubs, sewer lines, bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks, and garbage disposals.

Childproof Your Toilet

We can’t begin to tell you how many unusual things we have found when fixing clogged toilets. The easiest plumbing tip for parents we have is to eliminate the temptation altogether. Keep the bathroom door shut tight when no one is in it, so toddlers can’t wander in. If necessary, install a child-proof door knob cover.

Parents can also install a toilet lid lock for less than $10. Just like cabinet locks, toilet locks prevent curious children from opening the toilet lid and dropping anything inside. Yet, they are easily removable when older children and grownups need to use the bathroom. (We don’t recommend keeping the lock on while potty training!)