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.
Yes you can. Vinegar is a very dilute acid. It will not harm your drain plumbing nor septic system even straight from the bottle.
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.
“Faucets with black, bronze, or gold-colored coatings and finishes may get damaged or discolored by the vinegar's acidity. Vinegar also has a strong odor, though it's not toxic. However, if you're cleaning with it, it's always a good idea to ventilate the space.
Allowing the baking soda and vinegar mixture to sit in the drain for an extended period, such as overnight, can improve its effectiveness. The prolonged contact with the clog helps break down the build-up more thoroughly, making it easier to flush away with hot water the following morning.
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.
#1: Use baking soda and vinegar
Let it sit for an hour or more (or overnight if you suspect the blockage is really bad) and then flush with hot water. In theory, the blockage should be gone but repeat the process if you experience further problems.
"If your fixture can withstand the acidity of vinegar, it is the best option for cleaning your faucet head," she says. Vinegar should not be left on chrome for more than two hours, and this ingredient should not be left on nickel, gold, or brass for over 30 minutes, Parnell says.
Another copper cleaning method is to use vinegar or ketchup (try our homemade ketchup recipe if you're out)—both work very well to polish copper. Vinegar contains acetic acid (ketchup contains vinegar and citric acid from tomatoes) that reacts with copper tarnish and breaks its bond with the copper.
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.
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.
White Vinegar And Baking Soda Solution
An excellent way to clean your pipe is to use white vinegar and baking soda. White vinegar and baking soda are safe and natural ingredients that will do a fantastic job of cleaning your pipe. And the best part is that you probably won't need to leave the house to get them.
Chemical cleaners can eat away at your pipes, and boiling water can melt important components. Over time, this damage can lead to leaks and expensive plumbing repairs.
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.
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.
White vinegar, also known as distilled vinegar or spirit vinegar, is made by fermenting grain alcohol (ethanol) which then turns into acetic acid. Water is then added to the vinegar, so white vinegar is made of five to ten percent acetic acid and ninety to ninety-five percent water.
Here's how you can use vinegar to clear a slow drain:
Take equal parts of vinegar and hot water, preferably boiling water. Then mix them together and pour them down the drain. Let it be there for about half an hour.
The only real side effect from leaving vinegar to its own devices is that its acidity will gradually decrease over time, making it less potent. This is why a "best by" date can be found on the bottle, but it's still perfectly fine long past that — it isn't an "expiration date," by any means. Vinegar does not expire.
Fortunately, vinegar is an excellent natural remedy for dissolving limescale buildup and is safe for household use. To clean black taps using vinegar, mix equal parts of vinegar and water in a bowl. Soak a cloth in the solution and scrub the taps gently.
Properties and Uses: Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is a highly corrosive acid used extensively by plumbers to clear severe clogs. It reacts rapidly with organic materials in drains, breaking them down into simpler compounds that can be easily flushed away.
Best acidic drain cleaner
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.
Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain. Pour half of a cup of white vinegar down the drain after it. Allow this mixture to sit for about 15 minutes (30 for really stubborn clogs). You may hear a fizzing sound, which is the chemical reaction that's breaking down the clog.