A slow drain can be a real annoyance. Whether it’s your shower drain or your kitchen sink, water that drains slowly can be exasperating. So, what can you do about it? Knowing how to clean your drain will help slightly, but that only solves part of the problem.
You could call a plumber, but maybe you’d like to try your hand at clearing the drain yourself. However, it’s important to know that store-bought chemical drain cleaners can be corrosive, and could potentially damage your pipes. Homemade drain cleaner is a viable solution to a stubborn drain. Below we’ll cover how to clean your drain using homemade drain cleaner.
Baking soda and vinegar
This combination is good for more than just creating a volcano as a science experiment. These two chemicals will react when combined and produce a fizzing effect. To clear your drain with it, mix ½ cup of baking soda and ¼ cup of table salt and pour it down the affected drain. Next, take one cup of heated vinegar and dump it down the drain.
If you can, plug the drain with a stopper or some duct tape to prevent the foamy mixture from rising out of the drain. Wait for 15 minutes and finish by pouring hot tap water or boiling water down the drain for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat this process as needed.
Salt, Borax and vinegar
It’s important to know how to clean your drain with the supplies you have. If you need to make homemade drain cleaner, you might not have any baking soda on hand. If that’s the case, don’t worry, because this mixture should do the trick just as well.
Begin by pouring ¼ cup of salt down your drain. Follow that up by pouring ¼ cup of Borax into the drain. To top it all off, pour ½ cup of vinegar into the drain, and complete the process by pouring a pot of boiling water down the drain. Leave it for an hour and rinse any residual material down the drain with hot tap water.
Cream of tartar, baking soda and salt
This drain cleaning solution is for the home chefs out there. You can start by mixing up two cups of baking soda, ½ cup of salt and ¼ cup of cream of tartar. Put everything in a jar, seal it up and shake it until it’s mixed together. Next, pour two cups of boiling water down the clogged drain and add your combined mixture from in the jar. Leave everything alone for at least an hour.
The baking soda and the salt will hopefully take care of the clog, while the cream of tartar acts as a metal cleanser. Run water from the faucet for a few minutes to ensure you clear the clog and flush out the mixture you’ve created. Wipe up any powder that may have spilled onto your sink’s basin and enjoy your clear drain!
Call us today about your clogged drain
Hopefully these homemade drain cleaners do the trick and allow your drains to work as intended. But if you find you still can’t remedy the problem with your drains, call the experts at Big City Plumbing, LLC. Our master plumbers are certified to clean drains and would be more than happy to help you get your drains back in working order.