Both baking soda and vinegar are highly caustic. They are, in fact, able to dissolve certain materials that one would not normally think of as being dissolvable. However, the extreme amounts of acid in vinegar, along with its acidic nature, are what cause the drain to become blocked.
What if The Baking Soda & Vinegar Hack Doesn't Work? If your drain doesn't unclog right away, repeat the baking soda & vinegar process another time or two. If you have a stubborn clog, sometimes the baking soda & vinegar trick just doesn't work. You may have to use a sink plunger to help push through the blockage.
Flush With More Hot Water
If the drain is now flowing, run hot tap water to flush all debris down the drain. If it is not draining, repeat the previous steps. If you haven't cleaned your drain recently, it may be necessary to repeat the baking soda flush at least twice.
When you mix baking soda and vinegar, the resulting chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide gas. This gas can build up inside your pipes, causing pressure to build and potentially leading to cracks or leaks in older pipes.
Baking soda powder will turn into a cement like mass and completely clog everything it settles in. I had a family member dump about three cups down the kitchen sink this summer and I ended up having to replace the trap, tailpiece and dishwasher drain inflow.
Clean the P-trap. If the water is still not draining correctly, there might be a blockage in the P-trap, aka the elbow-shaped pipe under your sink. Food, grease and other debris may be stuck in the pipe, causing your sink to drain slowly or not at all because the water hits a snag on its way down.
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.
Baking soda and vinegar both make valuable additions to your laundry routine. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda over your clothes before starting each wash load to help brighten colors and soften hard water. Then add 1 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften the fabric and remove odors!
While the phosphoric acid found in cola can help alleviate some minor clogs, carbonated beverages are certainly not the ideal drain cleaner. Better DIY methods include a baking soda/vinegar mixture, a plunger, or a plumber's snake.
You can unclog drains with the power of acids and bases. Pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain, and follow it with 1 cup of apple cider vinegar. It will fizz and foam, breaking down the clogs and deodorizing. After about 15 minutes, pour hot water down the drain.
Per the food forum Hometalk, you can dump your chunky baking soda into another container and use a mallet or meat tenderizer to break the clumps apart or break-out your blender and pulversize the clumps until they are once again a fine powder.
Using a snake is also more invasive and time-consuming than using a chemical cleaner is, and can often become a dirty job. When it comes to getting at and removing major clogs or clogs that are deep down in your pipes, however, a plumber's snake is your best bet.
You can also pour vinegar down the drain on its own.
Pour about 1 cup of vinegar down your drain and let it sit for 30-40 minutes.
Can boiling water unclog a drain? If your drain is clogged with ice cubes — then yes, boiling water can unclog a drain. But if your drain is clogged with the things that normally clog drains — grease, oil, dirt, hair, etc. — then no, boiling water isn't likely to help.
Mix 1/2 cup table salt and 1/2 cup baking soda together, and pour down drain. Let sit for about 30 minutes (or overnight if it's a tough clog). Follow with a pot of boiling water.
Baking soda and vinegar may unclog your drain better than Drano ever could. Start by getting rid of the standing water in your drain. If it will go down slowly, just wait until it's gone. If it isn't moving, use a cup or a spoon to get it out of there.
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.
The most common chemicals used to unblock sinks are Drano, hydrochloric acid, or caustic soda. Chemical drain cleaners can be effective at removing even the toughest clogs. They come in different forms, such as powder, liquid, or gel, so be sure to buy one that best suits your situation.
Check the vent
If the vent is blocked, it can cause water to drain slowly. You can check the vent outside your house to make sure it's not blocked by leaves or other debris. If you have access to the attic or crawl space, you can also check the vent system there to see if there are any blockages.
If you have a sink clog, start by pouring a pot of boiling water down the drain. If this doesn't work, try a combination of baking soda and vinegar. The next method is to use a plunger. If the clog still won't move, try a plumbing snake or clean the P-trap.