Clearing Drains
By: Amanda Campbell
Updated: August 19, 2010
If you’re sick and tired of fighting with your clogged drains here are some Quick Tips that may help. The first thing to remember is to practice safety when you are working with commercial products. So always put your safety glasses and rubber gloves on because if any these chemicals do splash up on your skin or your eyes that can be really dangerous. Just pour your commercial product down the drain slowly and carefully (commercial drain openers can also be used to clear hair buildup from bathroom drains). Now once you have the clog taken care of here’s a tip for properly maintaining your drain.
For this part you don’t need your safety glasses or your rubber gloves because we are only working with baking soda, vinegar and hot water. Now that your drain is unclogged, periodically pour a half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar down the drain. When the vinegar hits the baking soda it will start to bubble and hiss. That is the vinegar and the baking soda working together to break down the fat and grease. Then flush the drain with some boiling hot water. To avoid burns from boiling water, hold water container close to the drain and pour slowly and directly into the drain. This mixture will also keep your drain smelling fresh. REMEMBER: DO NOT USE THIS METHOD AFTER ANY COMMERCIAL DRAIN OPENER HAS BEEN USED OR IS STILL PRESENT IN THE STANDING WATER.
Here are a few more tips we found for you to keep those drains clear. Save your old glass jars or soup cans and then use them when you need to pour out grease from your pans (bacon grease for example). Then throw the jars or cans into the garbage. If you empty the grease into the sink, it will collect along the sides of the pipe and act as glue sticking to the pipes, collecting food particles. Eventually you will end up with a nasty clog. Even worse, too much grease can lead to sewer blockages since the bacteria in sewage systems cannot readily break down grease.
As we have mentioned before on Quick Tips, always run cold water when you are using your garbage disposal to flush food particles down the drain. Using too little water can contribute to the particles collecting along the pipes. Cold water will force fats and greases to harden and congeal and send them through the pipes more easily.
Also, when you are not using your garbage disposal, pour a kettle of boiling hot water down the drain once a week to melt what grease has collected on the pipes.
How about this tip, you can try using two cups of household bleach in your sinks and tubs, that should help keep them running well. Pour in the bleach and let it set for about 45 minutes. Then fill the sink with hot water, and drain. Try this about every 3 weeks.
More Clogged Drain Prevention Ideas:
To avoid clogging drains, use a drain strainer to trap food particles in the kitchen sink and hair in the bathroom sinks and showers.
If you do get a clog, a plunger is a time-honored drain opener you parents and grandparents probably used. This inexpensive tool will usually break up the clog and allow it to float away. It may take more than a few plunges to unclog the drain. IMPORTANT!!!! DO NOT USE THIS METHOD AFTER ANY COMMERCIAL DRAIN OPENER HAS BEEN USED OR IS STILL PRESENT IN THE STANDING WATER.
Mechanical Snake (and Garden Hose): A flexible metal snake can be purchased or rented. It is threaded down the clogged drain and manually pushes the clog away. If used in conjunction with a running garden hose, it can even clear a blockage in the main drain to the street. First, crank the snake and feed it into the pipe. Next, withdraw the snake and flush the pipe by inserting a garden hose with the water turned on full. With some luck, it may save you the expense of a plumber.
Always remember, when you do use a commercial product to read the instructions carefully and follow them to the letter.
We hope these Quick Tips will help keep all your drains running clear and smooth.
For this part you don’t need your safety glasses or your rubber gloves because we are only working with baking soda, vinegar and hot water. Now that your drain is unclogged, periodically pour a half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar down the drain. When the vinegar hits the baking soda it will start to bubble and hiss. That is the vinegar and the baking soda working together to break down the fat and grease. Then flush the drain with some boiling hot water. To avoid burns from boiling water, hold water container close to the drain and pour slowly and directly into the drain. This mixture will also keep your drain smelling fresh. REMEMBER: DO NOT USE THIS METHOD AFTER ANY COMMERCIAL DRAIN OPENER HAS BEEN USED OR IS STILL PRESENT IN THE STANDING WATER.
Here are a few more tips we found for you to keep those drains clear. Save your old glass jars or soup cans and then use them when you need to pour out grease from your pans (bacon grease for example). Then throw the jars or cans into the garbage. If you empty the grease into the sink, it will collect along the sides of the pipe and act as glue sticking to the pipes, collecting food particles. Eventually you will end up with a nasty clog. Even worse, too much grease can lead to sewer blockages since the bacteria in sewage systems cannot readily break down grease.
As we have mentioned before on Quick Tips, always run cold water when you are using your garbage disposal to flush food particles down the drain. Using too little water can contribute to the particles collecting along the pipes. Cold water will force fats and greases to harden and congeal and send them through the pipes more easily.
Also, when you are not using your garbage disposal, pour a kettle of boiling hot water down the drain once a week to melt what grease has collected on the pipes.
How about this tip, you can try using two cups of household bleach in your sinks and tubs, that should help keep them running well. Pour in the bleach and let it set for about 45 minutes. Then fill the sink with hot water, and drain. Try this about every 3 weeks.
More Clogged Drain Prevention Ideas:
To avoid clogging drains, use a drain strainer to trap food particles in the kitchen sink and hair in the bathroom sinks and showers.
If you do get a clog, a plunger is a time-honored drain opener you parents and grandparents probably used. This inexpensive tool will usually break up the clog and allow it to float away. It may take more than a few plunges to unclog the drain. IMPORTANT!!!! DO NOT USE THIS METHOD AFTER ANY COMMERCIAL DRAIN OPENER HAS BEEN USED OR IS STILL PRESENT IN THE STANDING WATER.
Mechanical Snake (and Garden Hose): A flexible metal snake can be purchased or rented. It is threaded down the clogged drain and manually pushes the clog away. If used in conjunction with a running garden hose, it can even clear a blockage in the main drain to the street. First, crank the snake and feed it into the pipe. Next, withdraw the snake and flush the pipe by inserting a garden hose with the water turned on full. With some luck, it may save you the expense of a plumber.
Always remember, when you do use a commercial product to read the instructions carefully and follow them to the letter.
We hope these Quick Tips will help keep all your drains running clear and smooth.
