Drains handle all the debris that we send down, including grease, hair, soap scum, food particles, and other solid wastes, so it’s natural for them to clog at some time. A clogged drain is a common issue that needs to be handled fast and effectively. Different drain cleaners in the market are effective, but most of them are expensive and contain chemicals that are potentially harmful to people and the environment.
Fortunately, there are natural homemade uncloggers that are effective when applied correctly. You can easily make these homemade recipes with available ingredients in your kitchen and home. However, in some cases, you need to hire professional services to help unclog your drainage. In that case, you need to find the best plumbers in your locality. You can achieve this by searching for terms like Plumber Perth or best plumbers in Perth on your browser.
For smaller clogs in the toilets, showers, tubs, and sinks, this article provides natural, inexpensive, and fast methods that will help you power through.
- Baking Soda and Vinegar
It’s one of the cheapest and most common home remedies to unclog a drain naturally. Chemically, vinegar is an acid, while baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a base. And mixing the two causes an explosive reaction, forming carbon dioxide gas. The pressure created by the chemical reaction breaks the clog into smaller pieces or loosens up the blockage.
Afterward, flush your drain with hot water to wash away the tiny clog particles from your drainage system. The baking soda to vinegar ratio should be one to two for best results.
Ingredients
- One cup of baking soda
- two cups of vinegar
- one pot of hot water
Procedure
- First, pour hot water down the drain. It helps melt some of the clogs, thus elevating the effectiveness of the carbon dioxide gas.
- In the clogged drain, pour one cup of baking soda.
- Add two cups of vinegar and enclose the drain with a plug to allow the explosive reaction to spread down the drainage system, and the gas can’t escape. This way, the pressure drives the blockage out of the pipes.
- Let the mixture take 10-15 minutes
- Flush the drain with hot water
- Dish Detergent and Hot Water
This homemade remedy is effective against clogs with oily or greasy substances, so, it’s best suited for kitchen sinks. Unfortunately, dish detergent and hot water won’t help with hair clogged drain.
The hot water helps melt the grease in the drainage system, and the dish detergent helps the process by dissolving the fat molecules in the water. This process helps remove large amounts of fat blocking water flow.
Ingredients
- Three tablespoons of liquid dish detergent
- One pot of hot water
Procedure
- Pour three tablespoons of dish soap into a pot of hot water and stir the mixture
- Slowly pour it down the drain and flush with hot tap water
- Salt and Baking Soda
Salt and baking soda are natural ingredients that can do wonders. They’re suitable for obstructed bathrooms and kitchen sink pipes. This home remedy is not only effective against clogs but also against bad drain smells. This combination softens and loosens the clog that is then destroyed by flushing hot water down the drain.
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a cup of salt
- 1 cup of baking soda
- A pot of hot water
Procedure
- Using a bowl, mix the salt with baking soda
- Pour the mixture down the clogged drain and wait for at least two hours
- Flush with hot water. If the clog is still there, repeat the process but now double the dose
- Salt and Vinegar
Salt and vinegar are other powerful combinations; the acidic properties of vinegar work great with salt. The mixture of the two has a synergistic effect that loosens the built debris and breaks it into tiny particles easily washed away by hot water. Salt and vinegar also have antibacterial properties that help neutralize unpleasant odors.
Ingredients
- One cup of salt
- Two cups of vinegar
- One pot of hot water
Procedure
- Using a bowl, mix salt and vinegar
- Pour the mixture into the clogged drain and wait for 30 minutes
- Flush the drain with hot water. If necessary, repeat the process.
- Cream of Tartar, Salt, and Baking Soda
These natural ingredients effectively clean slow draining sinks; you can also use them to prevent clogs. Applying the mixture often prevents gunk and bad smells from your drainage system. Cream of tartar, a by-product of winemaking, has powerful cleaning properties. When mixed with salt and baking soda, it loosens and eliminates debris and bad odors in the drainpipes.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of salt
- 1/8 cup of cream tartar
- 1/4 cup of baking soda
- Boiling water
Procedure
- Using a plastic container, mix the salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- Pour the combination down the drain
- Flush with nearly boiling water and wait for 15 minutes.
Conclusion
That’s it. Those are the tips to unclog drains in your home. If you need extra help, contact a reputable plumber in our area to help you out.
