Last edited by Maggie on 30 August 2007 5:22 pm EDT
At some point, all home owners will be confronted with an ugly mess caused by a clogged drain. In most cases, the culprit will be the kitchen sink, and at times like this, new homeowners can experience fear and inadequacy.
The fear begins once we admit the drain will not simply unclog itself. At this moment, most of us will come face to face with the reality that we have absolutely no idea where the clog lies, or what is responsible for causing the blockage. This fear typically elicits one of two responses, neither or which is necessary in most cases.
Those of us who panic quickly will run to the yellow pages and pick the first plumber they find, (if a preferred plumber is not already in your address book). However, most plumbers will hit you with an hourly labor charge whether it takes 5 minutes, or 55 minutes to clear the drain. If they use elaborate tools or chemicals, you can count on that labor charge doubling.
Those of us who want to save money and resolve the issue on our own will likely take a trip to the nearest Home Depot. Here, our feelings of inadequacy manifest as we begin a lengthy and futile process of analyzing the many options available to us. We'll agonize over the variety of liquid drain clearing remedies, we'll look at wire snakes, and while these options may well do the job, there is a far simpler and less expensive solution.
Ever hear the name Arm & Hammer? It's a little yellow box filled with baking soda. Most of us have one sitting in the back of our refrigerator, probably because our mom put it there when we first moved out. We may never have known why she did this, but in most cases we continue to honor the tradition anyway. So if you have a box handy, grab it. If not, run out and buy one. I guarantee it will cost you less than a bottle of Liquid Draino.
The second and final key ingredient you will need is white vinegar. Many of us have a bottle under our kitchen sink, particularly if you dyed Easter eggs within the past year. For those of us who don't have any white vinegar on hand, just add it to your shopping list when you run out to buy some baking soda.
Once you have these two ingredients handy, you can begin a simple 3 steps process that will clear almost all household drain clogs. The first step is to slowly pour one cup of baking soda directly into the clogged drain. Sprinkle the soda lightly to insure that the bulk of the powder penetrates the drain opening. If the powder begins to collect in a mound at the drain opening that is ok. Just continue sprinkling the baking soda until one full cup is emptied into the drain.
The next step is to pour one full cup of white vinegar into the drain opening, on top of the powder. Upon first contact with the baking soda, the white vinegar will act as a catalyst. If the drain clog is not severe, you will likely see the vinegar and baking soda foam up and dissolve down the drain. Regardless of whether or not your clog is cleared on the first attempt, allow the drain to sit with these content for at least 30 minutes.
After waiting 30 minutes, pour one pot of boiling water down the drain to clear any leftover remnants. If your clog is not quite cleared after the first attempt, repeat the above process as needed. Generally speaking, most clogs will be cleared after 2 to 3 attempts. If for some reason your drain remains clogged, you may want to consider investing in a wire snake.
The chances of any other store bought liquid solutions (i.e. Draino) doing the job is highly unlikely. The only other liquids that may work are powerful mixtures of concentrated chemicals, but these solutions are dangerous and can cause damage to your pipes, and potentially your sink basin.
One final point to keep in mind is that baking soda and white vinegar act as preventatives too. Most clogs do not develop overnight. They form from natural deposits over time. Therefore, performing the above exercise once or twice a year will likely prevent a future blockages.
Good luck and happy plumbing...
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