For Minor Clogs Now if hot water won't solve the problem, you may also use the popular duo, baking soda and vinegar. Pour a box of baking soda into the washing machine drain pipe. After that, follow through with 2 to 3 cups of vinegar. Plug the drain pipe immediately and let the fizzing reaction take place.
Drop in 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Pour in 1 cup of vinegar, cover the drain with a plug and let sit for 10 minutes you will hear fizzing. Rinse with hot water. I always recommend to do it every 6 months or so.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
First, make sure your machine is unplugged and turned off. Mix 1/3 cup baking soda with 1/3 cup vinegar (1:1 ratio), locate your drain pipe and pour the cleaner product into the drain. Let it sit for half an hour before flushing the pipe with water.
While the baking soda and vinegar solution is effective in breaking down a clog, it will also cause your drain to become more damaged. The baking soda's abrasive nature will wear down your drain over time. This is why you should avoid using baking soda and vinegar solution for cleaning out your drain.
Washing machines overflow for a variety of reasons—the leading culprit, though, is a clog in the drain pipe. Lint and other debris come off of clothing during the wash cycle and are drained from the unit alongside the dirty water, potentially leading to clogs that can wreak havoc on your drain pipe.
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar into the drain slowly. Immediately cover the drain with a clean cloth or drain plug to enhance the effectiveness of the foaming action. Let the baking soda and vinegar mixture sit for about 30 minutes to an hour, then remove the cloth or drain plug.
While harmless for most metal and PVC pipes, prolonged exposure to the acidic nature of vinegar might corrode certain metals, like copper. PVC pipes, on the other hand, can withstand these substances without damage.
But common pantry essentials that are often used for cleaning — like baking soda and vinegar — shouldn't be mixed either. Unlike the bleach-ammonia mixture, combining soda and vinegar won't hurt anyone — but don't expect the mixture to do a good job cleaning, either.
Use a Lint Filter
This is why we always recommend attaching a lint filter to the end of the washing machine drain hose. You can find many different lint filters that are specifically designed to capture lint and prevent it from going down the drain.
You should also give your washing machine a cleaning every month. If the smell is coming from a clogged drain or standpipe, you'll need to clear the blockage. You can do this by using a plunger or a drain snake. If the drain hose is the problem, you'll need to straighten it out or replace it.
Add the baking soda and pour it down the drain. Pour approximately 1 cup for every gallon of boiling water. Make sure to do this after pouring the water and not with the water. For an added boost, make a 1-1 mixture of vinegar and water and pour this down the drain last.
Although vinegar and baking soda are safe to use in both regular and HE washing machines, they are considerably less efficient than high-performance laundry detergents at delivering an outstanding and odorless clean.
If you put too much baking soda down a drain onto a clog, it can sit on the clog and become a solid mass as it is subjected to more and more water. This will make the block worse and even harder to remove.
Use a funnel to pour about a quarter of a cup of baking soda into the pipe. Next, empty a baster full of vinegar into the drain hose. Top tip: If the blockage is not completely gone, you can repeat the above process. Once you have cleared any debris from the hose, pour hot water in to flush everything out.
As these products break down the pipe and connectors in the plumbing in your home, it will cause more clogs over time. The reaction caused by combining vinegar and baking soda can corrode metal pipes, damaging the plumbing over time.
The plastic and glass surfaces on most small kitchen appliances, such as blenders, coffee makers, and toasters, are safe to clean with vinegar, but you want to avoid any rubber parts or metal that vinegar can corrode. This includes stainless steel.
Using baking soda and vinegar to unclog a drain is an effective and natural cleaning method, which some people prefer over harsher chemicals. It works great for weaker drain clogs. By using this mixture periodically, you may be able to avoid clogs altogether (and the need for a more powerful cleaner like Drano).
You should use a ratio of 1:2 baking soda to vinegar. In other words, if you're using ½ cup of baking soda, use 1 cup of vinegar, or if you're using a cup of baking soda, use 2 cups of vinegar.
Clear things out by mixing equal parts of hot water and vinegar and pouring the mixture through the drain pipe. Wait half an hour, then reconnect the drain pipe, plug in your machine and run a wash cycle.
Plumbers choose hydro jetting equipment for the most stubborn, deep-set clogs. This drain clearing tool uses high-pressure water to flush your pipes and remove years of buildup. The water jet is so strong that it can even break up any tree roots that have found their way into your sewer line.