Strainers and hot water do help, but they're not foolproof—especially if you've got long hair or cook with oils. Enzymes aren't magic either, but they can save you headaches down the line. Just depends on your household habits, I guess...
I've found that regular baking soda and vinegar treatments help quite a bit. They're gentle on pipes and safer for the environment. Not perfect either, but definitely cuts down on buildup—especially handy if you've got kids dumping who-knows-what down there...
I've tried the baking soda and vinegar thing too, and honestly, it's been pretty reliable for me. But one thing I've noticed from my years dealing with clogged drains (both professionally and at home) is that prevention really helps. My kids used to constantly pour leftover cereal and milk down the sink—talk about a recipe for disaster. I finally got one of those cheap drain strainers, nothing fancy, just a silicone one. It catches most of the chunky stuff before it gets into the pipes, and I swear it made a noticeable difference.
Also, every once in a while, I pour boiling water down the drain after dinner cleanup. Seems simple, but it loosens up grease and prevents buildup before it hardens. It's not perfect either (nothing is, right?), but combining these small habits definitely cut back on how often I had to deal with serious clogs.
