No matter how careful you are, you will end up with clogged drains at one point or the other, either in the kitchen or bathroom.
This usually happens in my bathroom because I wash my hair in there too.
While there are commercial products that can unclog drains, they contain a few ingredients that irritate my sinuses.
This could be due to the lye or some other chemical component in them. Additionally, commercial products can damage pipes over time.
Fortunately, I found 2 simple recipes for unclogging drains in less than 10 minutes with only a few ingredients you probably have in your kitchen.
Homemade Drain Cleaner – Baking Soda & Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1 cup of distilled vinegar such as Heinz White Vinegar
- 2 large jugs of hot water
Directions
- Clear out any water or gunk in the sink. Pour a jug of boiling water down the drain.
- Pour the baking soda down the drain taking care to make sure it makes its way down the drain. Leave for a few minutes.
- Mix the vinegar with 2 cups of hot water then dispense down the drain. You’ll hear a loud fizzling (kinda fun to watch) accompanied by bubbles.
- Wait 5 minutes then pour a jug of hot water down the drain. You can follow up with another jug of hot water.
The fizz and bubbles should look like below –
When the baking soda (alkaline) comes in contact with the vinegar (acid), it reacts to form carbon dioxide and sodium acetate.
It works its way down the drain dissolving any gunk along the way. Both ingredients are non-toxic and don’t leave any disagreeable smells behind.
You can repeat this treatment every few weeks even if the drain isn’t clogged.
Homemade Drain Cleaner – Baking Soda & Lemon Juice
Ingredients
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup of distilled vinegar
- 2 large jugs of hot water
Directions
- Clear out any water or gunk in the sink. Pour a jug of boiling water down the drain.
- Pour the lemon juice down the drain. Leave for a few minutes.
- Mix the vinegar with 2 cups of hot water then dispense down the drain.
- Wait 5 minutes then pour a jug of hot water down the drain. You can follow up with another jug of hot water.
I love this recipe because it also leaves behind a fresh lemony smell that lasts for some time. I like using this for the kitchen sink.
There are several more recipes but these are the two that works fast and effectively for me.
If you have any other natural recipes for unclogging drains, share in the comments section. I’d love to try them out.