The Short Answer Is: Pouring cola down the drain as a solution for clearing a clog is not advisable because while cola contains phosphoric acid that can break down certain substances, it is not a powerful enough or targeted drain cleaner.
Coca Cola is much less powerful than any of the commercial drain clearing products you can buy - and they are designed to go down drains. Coke will have no effect whatsoever on the drain - and probably not much of an effect on the blockage.
Baking soda, vinegar and boiling water can help clean drains naturally, but you may need something stronger, like Liquid-Plumr ®, to fully unclog those really tough drain clogs.
Pouring Coca-Cola down the drain to clear a clog is not recommended. While Coca-Cola contains acids and carbonation that can help break down some types of buildup, it is not an effective or safe long-term solution for clearing clogs. Here are a few considerations:
A lot of folks know the baking soda and vinegar trick. Simply pour some hot water down your clogged drain and follow it up with equal parts baking soda and vinegar (baking soda first), cover the drain with a plug if you have one, let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then follow it up with more hot water to clear the clog.
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.
Coke and Pepsi are loaded with phosphoric acid, which breaks down the buildup that can clog your drains. Phosphoric acid can even remove lime scale and other tough buildup that regular cleaners struggle with. This is an effective and refreshing home remedy if we ever saw one.
Combine baking soda and vinegar in the toilet bowl. Pour one cup of baking soda followed by one cup of vinegar. Wait for the fizzing to reduce, then add hot water. Wait for an hour or overnight before flushing.
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.
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 you put too much baking soda down a drain onto a clog, it can sit on the clog and become a solid mass as it is subjected to more and more water. This will make the block worse and even harder to remove.
Plumbers unanimously encourage homeowners not to use Drano due to its corrosive nature. The chemicals in Drano can erode not only the clogged material causing the blockage but will also quickly eat away at the metal plumbing pipes themselves, causing more harm than good.
Cola Drain Cleaner Trick
Allow a two-liter bottle of soda to come to room temperature. Pour the entire bottle down the clogged drain. Allow it to sit in the drain for at least an hour or two (or even up to 24 hours for stubborn clogs). Flush drain with boiling water.
First, pour a two-liter bottle of cola down the clogged drain (we recommend the drink be at room temperature, not right from the fridge) Let the soda sit in the drain for a few hours to let the phosphoric acid do its job.
Cola is a great starting point, since it has both sweet and sour flavors that are each enhanced by the presence of salt. Lemon-lime sodas like Sprite and Mountain Dew will have their flavors intensified as well. This technique can even balance out more complex sodas, like Dr.
Mix Coca-Cola, vinegar and salt and you will get the best cleaning agent for the bathroom, sink, kitchen, dishes and other surfaces. Removes scale and deposits and disinfects. Better than store-bought chemicals and cleaners. The best DIY home tricks.
Pour toothpaste into a bottle of Coke, shake it vigorously, pour in a bowl, add liquid soap, baking soda, 1 cup of water.
Sulfuric Acid Products
You can identify these products by their sulfuric smell. Sulfuric-acid-based drain cleaning chemicals work best for clearing organic clogs like grease and food waste.
The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days.
By pouring a caustic soda (coke, for example) into the toilet bowl, you can speed the dissolving process along considerably. Simply dump a can of cola in the water and let it eat away at the debris. Just be sure never to flush the toilet when the water level is already high.
Drain snakes also called drain rooters or augers, use a long cable with a spiral-shaped head.
Pour one-half cup table salt down the drain, followed by boiling water. Or try a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar—let it bubble, wait 15 minutes, then pour boiling water down the drain. You can also try a cup of baking soda and a half-cup of salt; let it sit for several hours, then flush with boiling water.