A clogged drain is a widespread phenomenon in our day-to-day life. Several factors can cause clogging of our household drains, whether it be the kitchen drain, bathroom drain or laundry room sink.
Once a drain is clogged, our first thought is of calling a plumber. Yes, calling the plumber will solve your problem, but you can always try the clogged drain home remedies. If you get the proper instruction on what to do and what not to do in such situations, these home remedies can help.
Let us have a better look at the things we can do and the household items we can use as a home remedy for clogged drains rather than calling a plumber at the very first instant:
Contents
10 Useful Clogged Drain Home Remedies
Clogging of drains is a prevalent problem in most households. Drains get clogged when you forget to clean your drains at regular intervals. This may cause problems as clogging can help spread diseases in our houses. Also, it destroys the hygiene of our households. Not only this, various animals like rats and cockroaches find shelter in these clogged areas, which brings harmful diseases with them. You can solve all of these by using home remedies for a clogged drain.
Home Remedies includes processes that are pocket-friendly, easy to apply and simple. For applying these, in most cases, you would not even need to visit the market as these things are found in our homes most of the time.
1. Boiling Water
Boiling water is the most effective and simple home remedy to unclog drains. It tops the list of home remedies because of its easy availability and does not need any other ingredients. Pour the boiling water right through the drain slowly. But do not use boiling water if you own a porcelain sink as boiling water might destroy the porcelain.
2. Soft Drinks
A bottle of cold drink has quenched your thirst many times during the hot summers but do you know they are excellent clogged drain home remedies? These drinks contain corrosive qualities like other cleaning ingredients. Pour a couple of litres of this drink through the clogged drain and leave it as it is for an hour or two. After that, drain it with hot water.
3. Soda or Sparkling Water
Soda (Pepsi and coke) can also be used as a home remedy for the clogged drain as it has acidic properties. The acid present in this soda or sparkling water will play a great role in unclogging the drain. Pour 2 litres of this soda into the drain and keep for two hours. Using the soda at room temperature will yield the perfect results. But do not use
4. Plunger
Plungers are not only used for unclogging toilets; they can also be used as a clogged drain home remedy. Remove the metal strainer before you start plunging the drain. Then plunge in a fast and continuous motion to unclog the drain.
5. Triple Threat Mixture
Mix baking soda, salt, and white vinegar to form the triple threat, probably the most effective home remedy for unclogging a drain. These products do not pose any threat or harm to the users’ health as all of them are natural. Mix these ingredients in the proper ratio to get the desired results. The required ratio is:
- Table salt- 1 cup
- Baking soda- 1 cup
- White vinegar- 1 cup
The drain must be properly dried and made water free before using this mixture. Then pour these ingredients- (table salt, baking soda and white vinegar -1 cup of each ingredient) into the drain and keep it there for 10 minutes and then use boiling water to flush the drain.
6. The Snake
In case the previous methods fail, using a snake can provide a good home remedy for a clogged drain. A snake is a tool commonly used to unclog heavily clogged drains, especially the drains of the bathroom that are clogged by hairs.
The snake has a steel wire; it will reach out the clogging material when you feed this wire into a clogged drain. When you pull out the snake, it will extract the clogging particles. Snake gives the most effective results for drains when the clog is not at the mouth of the drain.
7. Dish Detergent
Dish-wash or dish detergent is a straightforward yet effective clogged drain home remedy. Pour 1/4th cup of the dishwasher into the clogged drain, then pour 1 cup of boiling water into the drain. The soap present in the dish detergent will separate the blockage.
8. Wire Coat Hanger
The wire coat hanger can do the same job as the snake. First, straighten the wire coat hanger as perfectly as you can. Then bend the other end of the hanger in a hook shape. Then put it into the clogged drain until you reach the clogged material. Once you reach it, pull the clogging material out. After finishing this, use boiling water to flush the toilet. Thus wire coat hanger acts as a good home remedy to unclog drains.
9. Cleaning the sink trap
The sink trap is the U-shaped part of the pipe. Even if you do not know to plumb, identifying the sink trap is child’s play. And this is the part where the clogging happens mostly. First, remove the sink trap. Then place a bucket below the trap and remove it using a pipe wrench to lose it. Once removed, you can clean the sink trap using the snake or any pointed metal piece. Thus cleaning the sink trap is an effective home remedy for a clogged drain.
10. Maintenance
The most effective clogged drain home remedy is to get rid of the source of clogging. Most of the clogged drain cases happen because of unfit items being put down the drains. Most domestic sewer overflows occur due to grease, oil, and fat being poured down the drain. In bathrooms, do not flush feminine hygiene products down the drain. Do not flush large pieces of food down the kitchen sink to avoid clogging.
Closing Thoughts
Getting a clogged drain is part and parcel of daily life. If you are using the sinks and drains of your house, it is a very good chance they will clog sooner or later. When this happens, the first thing that appears in your mind is to call a plumber.
Calling a plumber is a solution, but there is no harm in trying the home remedy to unclog a drain. And these remedies are very easy and cost-effective since they comprise easily available household items. But you must also keep in mind that regular cleaning and maintenance of the sinks and drains would not have landed you in this current situation. Prevention is always better than cure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. If and when a drain clogs, what can be the most effective home remedy?
A baking soda and vinegar mixture can be the most effective home remedy for a clogged drain.
Q2. How can you clear a drain clog without using any chemicals?
For deep clogs, you can use a mixture of hot water, vinegar and baking soda as a home remedy to unclog a drain.
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