A few weeks back, I extolled about the wonders of baking soda when it came to cleaning our stovetop. Today, I’d like to share my favorite use of it for unclogging slow or stuck drains. I was a user of Drano and Liquid Plumber for years until we had to have the drains snaked at our rental place a few years back. The plumber who did the work told us that he advocates not using commercial drain clog removers because they are so corrosive that they damage your pipes. So, I wondered what we could do to find an alternative solution. Around the same time, one of the magazines I read (it might have been Real Simple, which sadly has tapered off in its quality over the years) had an article about green cleaning and this baking soda tip was amongst the gems that they shared.
I use this method in our shower drain every other month whether it’s a slow drain or not in order to keep everything moving. The pictures below were taken a month ago when we were having issues with our sink drain.
Step 1: Remove the sink stopper or the plate on your shower drain and try to get any gunk out that you can with a tissue or the end of the screwdriver that you used to open the plate. Put the bathroom fan on or open a window because the vinegar smell that is to come might be a bit strong.
Step 2: Put 1 cup of baking soda down the drain. It is okay if it makes Mount Baking Soda. It doesn’t have to all fit down the drain.
Step 3: Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.
Step 4: Heat 1 cup of white vinegar in the microwave for 1 minute. It should be hot, but not boiling. (This and heating up caramel sauce are really the only reason I keep this appliance.)
Step 5: Pour vinegar down the drain and revel in your third grade science class memories.
Step 6: After 15 minutes, the large pot of water is probably boiling. When it is, pour it down the drain over the baking soda and vinegar mixture and let settle.
Step 7: Give it a couple of tries with your standard plunger and run the hot water down the drain for a bit. Turn off the hot water, see how it drains. Repeat the plunger if need be.
Sometimes, a drain can be so bad that you have to repeat the process twice. But, we’ve been lucky to only have that happen twice in the last 5 years.
I like using this method because it’s less corrosive on the pipes, I know I’m not sending any more bad chemicals into our water system and there are no dangerous fumes in the house anymore. In addition, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a commercial drain clog remover. You can’t beat that.
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