Have You Noticed a Pink Ring Around Your Drain?

No matter what you do, you keep seeing pink stains around the drain in your sink or tub. You scrub them away, but they keep right on coming back.

There are two likely culprits for the pink stain:

Iron. Excessive iron in your water is most common if you have a well. Iron is harmless in water, but can give it a disagreeable taste, especially in tea or coffee. Iron stains tend to start out red and become lighter over time.

Serratia marcescens. This is a bacteria that occurs naturally in soil and water. Although generally harmless to healthy adults, it has been linked with eye, urinary, and respiratory infections.

The first thing you need to do, thus, is work out which of these two is your problem, as the solutions are different. For iron contamination, a whole house filter is your best option.

For Serratia marcescens, you should take the following precautions:

1. Clean the affected sink or tub with chlorine bleach. The bacteria is generally killed by chlorine.
2. Don't allow water to pool in the sink and provide a habitat for the bacteria. Serratia marcescens cannot survive in chlorinated water, but it only takes thirty minutes for enough chlorine to be lost to the atmosphere for it to take hold.
3. Make sure to clean your sink regularly so as to remove soap residue.
4. Clean and empty pet dishes regularly.
5. Cover contact lens solution, as there have been instances of Serratia marcescens contaminating contact lenses and causing eye infections.

As a note, if you use an activated water filter it will remove the chlorine, which can allow this bacteria to take hold in your pipes. As the bacteria is airborne, it's more common at times of year when you routinely leave your windows open. If it keeps coming back despite scrubbing and bleach, it's worth calling a professional. If you need help with pink stains or other water problems, contact BioClean today.