Step 2: The Best Drain Cleaner for Grease Buildup Many homeowners wondering what dissolves fat in drains overlook the most straightforward solution: Dish soap! Dish soap is specifically made to break up grease. Put that grease-fighting action to work on your clog.
You can often use boiling hot water and white vinegar to dissolve grease in a drain. Use oven mitts and protect your eyes while pouring a 1:1 mix of hot water and white vinegar down the clogged sink. Watch the drainage rate to see if water is draining more quickly.
🏆 Why Endure is the Best Drain Cleaner for Grease Buildup
Endure outscored all other drain cleaners we tested in 5 key ways: Immediacy of results. Our plumbers noted Endure works as quickly as competing chemical and enzymatic drain cleaner brands.
Kitchen culprits
There's a good chance your clog is grease-based. Drano Kitchen Granules Clog Remover is designed for greasy kitchen clogs. If your kitchen sink has a garbage disposal, do not use Drano® Kitchen Granules.
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.
You might find it difficult to know where to look for caustic soda, but it is available from many hardware shops and online. When hot water is not effective enough you only need to use a few tablespoons of caustic soda in the drain for it to work.
Baking soda can be effectively used to clear grease from a sewer line as baking soda eats away grease particles. White vinegar could be added to baking soda as it will allow baking soda to work more effectively in dislodging the grease particles in sewer lines.
Products such as Liquid-Plumr, Drano, and Green Gobbler are strong enough to break up clogs in your pipes such as hair, food, or grease, and they do work in some instances, but you should use caution when pouring them down the drain.
Some of the best Drano alternatives include using a plunger or pipe snake, soap or salt mixed with boiling water, or baking soda and white vinegar. Also, for maximum effectiveness, you can combine several of these methods together to get rid of the clog.
1: Vinegar
For tough, caked-on grease stains, especially those stuck to the stove and the inside of the oven, you can spray white vinegar directly on the stain and let it soak in for about five minutes.
Hydrochloric Acid (Muriatic Acid)
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.
Now, you might be thinking, “They always say to use hot water to break up clogs.” But in the case of cooking grease and fat, the cold water and ice will help it to solidify into chunks that will easily go down your drain without sticking to the side.
In most cases, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months for a significant clog to form. Regular maintenance and mindful disposal can significantly delay or prevent the formation of this buildup.
White vinegar can dissolve limescale and grease and is a great alternative to stronger, harsher chemicals, however, as an acidic substance it isn't always suitable for all surfaces.
One of the simplest yet effective methods to dissolve grease in pipes is a hot water flush: boiling water is great at softening and dislodging grease buildup, allowing it to flow more freely through your pipes without being too harsh on the pipes themselves.
That's where Drano® Kitchen Granules Clog Remover comes in! It's great at melting down grease. If your kitchen sink has a garbage disposal, do not use Drano® Kitchen Granules. For a clog try Drano® Max Gel Clog Remover and for drain odor try Drano® Dual-Force® Foamer Clog Remover.
Simple solutions of dish soap and water can do wonders for cleaning away grease, splatters, and food messes. Dawn® Platinum makes cleaning kitchen cabinets So Dawn Easy! The unique formula quickly breaks down grease particles while staying gentle enough to not cause any damage.
Pouring boiling water down your drain is a simple way to clear out blockages. Hot water can help melt grease and make it easier for it to move through your system. You can boil some water and pour it down in stages so it can make its way through the pipes.
Liquid-Plumr Heavy Duty Clog Remover provides a powerful, fast-acting solution for both fully-clogged and slow-running drains. This ready-to-use formula works on a variety of clogs caused by hair, food soils, grease and other materials that slow drains.
While it may seem convenient to dump leftover grease down your sink once you've finished cooking, doing so is hazardous. Grease and cooking oil can cause extensive damage to your home's drainage system and your city's sewer system by contributing to blockages.
The best liquid drain cleaner to clear a kitchen sink clog is Hercules Glug® Kitchen Liquid Drain Opener because it is specially formulated to dissolve clogs that contain grease and food particles.
If you suspect a grease clog, a mixture of very hot water and vinegar can also help melt and remove the grease that's blocking the pipes. Allow it to work for a few minutes, then use a plunger to help move the clog along. You may have to repeat this more than once.