Boil two cups of water. Pour a half cup of baking soda down the drain. Pour the remaining boiled water down the drain. Wait 10 minutes while the baking soda and the hot water work together to unclog the gunk blocking up the drain.
Use a Natural Cleaner
Begin by pouring up to a whole box of baking soda down the drain, depending on the severity of the slime. Then pour in the vinegar, up to half a bottle. You should hear or see the fizzing. Let it react for about five minutes, then slowly pour the boiling water down the drain.
Mix baking soda and vinegar in the ratio of 1:2 and add the mixture in 60 gallons of water. Use the plunger or drain snake as you pour the water into the drain. If you are wondering how to unclog main sewer line, the pressure of the water will dislodge the debris easily.
That black substance that keeps seeping into your sink or toilet is usually bacteria that's clinging to waste in your drain lines. This bacteria tends to grow and spread over time, particularly because the matter that goes down these drains is organic in nature, providing a food source for the bacteria to live on.
When you are using a baking soda and vinegar solution to clean out your drain, you are actually causing the rubber and plastic that are used for the drain's pipes to be eaten away by the mixture. Over time, this rubber and plastic will break down, causing the drain to become even more blocked.
Sprinkle about one cup of baking soda down the clogged drain and wait for 10 minutes. Pour one cup of hydrogen peroxide down the drain and wait for the foaming to stop. Avoid using the drain for a few hours, if possible. Pour hot water down the drain to flush the baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and debris away.
In some cases, baking soda and vinegar can even cause damage to your pipes. Instead it's best to use other methods such as a plunger or drain snake, or removing your trap to empty out the probable blockage. You can also consider using a commercial drain cleaner that is specifically designed for tough clogs.
Just like cooking oil, bleach is one of those things you shouldn't pour into your sink. You should also never use bleach to unclog your drains. Doing so can even burst your drain pipes, and you'll be left with a nasty and expensive mess.
The presence of the aforementioned brown or orange slime is a good indication, but there could be iron bacteria lurking unseen in your pipe, fixtures, and appliances. To test for iron bacteria, take a clean glass, fill it with water and leave it to settle on your countertop for a short while.
A completely clogged drain will require the help of a professional plumber, but baking soda and vinegar might be a quick fix for a partially clogged drain. This solution will dissolve and push the sludge through the pipes to allow water to flow through easily.
Vinegar. 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.
Use a Mixture of Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Hot Water
This concoction helps to eliminate odors as well as a buildup of grease, bacteria, and other organic residues. This is also a good way to prevent future drain clogs. Pour half a cup of baking soda down your drain, followed by half a cup of white vinegar.
The "creepy black stuff" in your drain is made up of a combination of things, mostly decomposing hair, soap scum, toothpaste grit, shaving cream residue, skin cells, etc.
Preventative Maintenance
Pouring bleach into the drain when the unit is not operating can leave residual bleach, which will damage the drain pan and line. Using vinegar for preventative maintenance throughout the year will keep your drain clean and clear and will not damage your line.
Bleach vapor can be harmful if it is inhaled, whereas vinegar is more annoying than a danger. Vinegar is definitely the easier of the two to rinse out of the drain line.
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.
Remember, the black slime is caused by minerals (manganese and iron) in your water supply. So the only way to permanently address the issue is by removing those minerals from your water. One of the few ways to accomplish that is by using a high-quality filter or reverse osmosis system.
If discoloured or black water is coming out of the tub drain, it is sewer water. As such, it may contain bacteria and other dangerous microbes that you do not want to come into contact with. You should not try to clean up the water.
Leave it in the drain for an hour or two or overnight, and then flush the drain with hot tap water. For larger drains, such as tubs and kitchen sinks, use about a quarter-cup of baking soda, a half-cup of water to move the powder down, and 2 cups of vinegar.
Blue Dawn plus boiling water
Pour this directly into the drain very slowly but steadily to avoid getting burned by splashing water. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then run water down the drain to check how freely water flows.