Few things can be as annoying as finding
your bathroom or kitchen sink flooding up with water and refusing to
drain. While the old-school plunger might solve the problem at times,
it’s not always effective. The drains in the bathroom and the kitchen
are filled with soap scum, hair, toothpaste, grime, and food crumbs, and
can often form an almost impenetrable clog. Using harsh chemicals might
provide results but they can damage your drain pipes in the long run.
A better and safer alternative would be to
use some natural cleaners like baking soda, borax, vinegar, and salt.
When used properly, they can be surprisingly efficient in unclogging the
drains of your house. Let’s take a look at some of the natural homemade
drain cleaners that can get you great results.
1. Baking Soda and vinegar
Vinegar and baking soda are both used often
to clean a variety of household items. They are also effective in
unclogging sinks - this is a tried and tested formula that has been
proven to work on kitchen and bathroom drains. The method is quite easy
to follow, too.
* Mix 1/3 cup of baking soda with 1/3 cup of vinegar in a measuring cup.
* Pour it down the drain immediately as the mixture will start to fizz
instantly.
* Plug the drain and let the mixture sit in the drain for about 45
minutes to an hour. The fizzing action is exactly what helps get rid of
the grime or hair from the drain.
* Now, unplug the drain and pour a pot of boiling water down it to flush
the mixture and other stuff from it.
* Keep pouring the hot water until the drain is clear.
2. Baking soda and salt
Baking soda is known to be effective in
unclogging a sink when mixed with salt.
* Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda and salt in a bowl and pour the mixture
into the drain.
* Let the mixture sit for about an hour. If the drain is overstuffed,
you can even leave the mixture overnight.
3. Liquid dish soap and boiling water
This method is particularly useful for
clearing grease clogs from your kitchen sink. The boiling water and dish
soap mixture heats the grease and melts it back into liquid form. Then
it can be easily pushed out of the pipe. This mixture is also good for
mild blockages in all kinds of sinks.
* Boil about two liters of water and mix in a few tablespoons of liquid
dish soap.
* Pour the mixture down the sink. You might have to repeat the process a
few times if the grease is a little thick in the drain.
* Pouring just boiling water too works surprisingly well for clearing
certain bathroom clogs. For stoppages due to soap scum, in particular,
this might really do the trick. Pour the water into the drain three or
four times and you should see immediate results.
Sometimes, baking soda and vinegar aren’t
enough to clear your drain of hair and grease. In that case, you might
have to look for a more potent cleaning product, like borax. Borax is
the favorite laundry cleaner in many homes as it's very efficient in
eliminating odors. It can also be used to unclog the sink when mixed
with salt and vinegar.
* Mix 4 tablespoons of borax, 4 tablespoons of salt, and ½ cup of
vinegar together.
* Pour the mixture down the drain and let it sit for an hour.
* Follow it with a pot of boiling water to clear all ingredients down the drain.