Vinegar is both safe and beneficial to pour down your drain. It acts as a natural cleaning solution and can remove blockages and harmful bacteria that cause foul odors.
Baking soda and vinegar are a time-honored home remedy for clearing clogs, and it also works as a good, safe cleaner for removing stubborn soap scum and other grime from your shower walls and bathtub floor. First, be sure the water has drained through, and the drain is clear.
Yes, you can use vinegar to help unclog a tub drain. Mix equal parts of vinegar and baking soda, pour it down the drain, and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then flush it with hot water. This can help break down clogs without causing damage.
If you need a stronger cleaning, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, then add 1/2 cup of vinegar. The two ingredients will create a chemical reaction that's excellent at cleaning out clogs. Wait 15 minutes, then pour in very hot water to clear out the residual clogging agent and cleaner.
This can help prevent clog-causing buildup on the interior surface of pipes. Or you can pour one cup of vinegar down the drain and let it sit for 30 minutes, followed by a rinse with two quarts of very hot water. Before putting dirty dishes, pots or pans in the dishwasher, scrape them well and rinse with cold water.
First, fill a cup with baking soda and pour it down your drain. Wait two to three minutes, then follow with a cup of white vinegar. The mixture will start to bubble. Put the plug in and leave the mixture to work for around an hour.
Drain Line Material
Chlorine bleach can quickly eat away at not only the line but the glue and cement joining the line to the fittings and the condensation pan. If your drain line is PVC, stick to white distilled vinegar for clearing clogs and debris, particularly during winter.
Baking soda is abrasive, which, when used in large quantities, will cause the drain more damage. Additionally, the acidic nature of vinegar can eat away rubber and metal, damaging the plumbing. As these products break down the pipe and connectors in the plumbing in your home, it will cause more clogs over time.
Use Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar is a very powerful combination that can help clear nasty hair clogs. Besides helping dissolve hair in your drain, baking soda also has disinfectant qualities that can fight fungi and bacteria.
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.
Cleaning vinegar and white distilled vinegar are very similar in their composition (namely, acetic acid and water), but the key difference lies in the acidity levels between the two. "Cleaning vinegar generally contains a higher acetic acid concentration than regular white vinegar," says Sokolowski.
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).
This will help dislodge materials like grease, soap and debris before they form a clog. Mix 1/3 cup of vinegar and 1/3 cup of baking soda in a heat-resistant cup and pour it down the drain once a month. Don't pour dirty mop water or other wastewater that contains dirt and debris down the shower drain.
Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain
Right out of the gate, you'll want to boil some water to pour down the drain. This trick can help fix a slow drain by breaking down some of the more minor clogging substances like soap or grease. It won't work on more serious clogs, especially if you have a serious buildup of hair.
To make a drain snake, all you need is a wire coat hanger that you can unwind and straighten. Bend the end of the wire into a hook shape and insert it into the drain. Move it around until you feel resistance and then pull out any hair or debris that may be blocking the drain.
The Santeen Sulfuric Acid Drain Opener proved to be the most potent among all the chemical drain cleaners we tested, effectively dissolving 80% of the hair, 80% of the organic matter, 40% of the grease and 76% of the paper products.
If your drain is clogged with hair, baking soda can dissolve hair in a drain. To try this safe and easy method at home – first, pour a cup of baking soda down the drain. Then pour a cup of vinegar (white vinegar) down. Allow the mixture to sit for several minutes.
For best results, start by squirting a little dish soap into your drain, followed by a cup of vinegar and a cup of baking soda. Wait five minutes or so, for the chemical reaction of the vinegar and baking soda to take effect, then chase that with a cup or more of boiling water.
Pour about a cup of baking soda down the shower drain, followed by an equal amount of vinegar. Let the solution bubble and foam for a few minutes, and then follow with the kettle full of hot (but not boiling) water. Let the mixture sit for a couple of hours. If the drain still isn't flowing freely, repeat the process.
The answer is that vinegar will not harm your pipes if used in small doses as recommended in many of the recipes that you find online. No matter what your pipes are made of, pex, pvc, copper, etc. Vinegar will not harm your water pipes.
Pouring boiling water is quite risky as it might lead to a steam burn or scalding. Another thing to keep in mind is what type of material you are pouring in into. If you have a porcelain sink, it is likely to crack due to the heat. All in all, pouring boiling water down your drain will only cause issues down the road.
Unlike harsh chemicals, hydrogen peroxide is safe for drains. It is less corrosive than commercial chemical drain cleaners and can be used without damaging plumbing fixtures or pipes. This makes it a safe alternative to store-bought drain cleaners.
Pour 1 cup baking soda (a measuring cup can help) down the drain, followed by 1 cup of distilled white vinegar. Be prepared for some bubbling and fizzing. Let the mixture work for at least 10 minutes, then flush with more hot water.