Whenever I have a problem with clogged drains I think of my on-line friend Nola whomI met via a discussion forum. Now you may wonder why; what does a friend have to do with clogged drains? Well it was that friend of mine who told me of a very simple way to de-clog drains naturally and without harsh and toxic chemicals.
First up, my apartment building is an old one with all the original piping system, so as you can imagine it's very easy for problems to occur including getting clogged up drains, whether kitchen or bathroom sinks, or even the bathtub. In years past, yes, I often did resort to getting any one of those de-clogging chemicals such as Drano or Liquid Plumber, however, I was always kind of cautious about using them; let's face it, read the warning labels; they all caution about keeping out of reach of children and pets, and have that skull and crossbones symbol, indicating that the product is highly poisonous. Now I don't have children, but I do have pets and when I would use those chemicals it made me a tad nervous. Also, another thing one has to think about is that those chemical de-cloggers can be highly corrosive and affect the pipes, wearing them down and perhaps even eroding them to a point that the pipes may have to be completely replaced.
On the other flip of the coin, I would sometimes resort to and ask the super of the building to de-clog a drain. Talk about a disaster! The super would come up to my apartment with one of those air-pressure type pumps. The man clearly didn't know what the heck he was doing. He would pump up the machine with air to blast air down the drain: he'd be at it for at least an hour and only succeeded in blasting up this God-awful looking sticky, smelly, black sludge that looked like it came from the sewer. Ironically, one time the super of another building that my landlord owns happened to be around, used the same pump and viola, he'd unclog the drain in about five minutes.
So not being too keen on either using toxic poisonous chemicals or having my super come up, I once did a discussion on that forum about my dilemma in that I had a real heavy duty clogged up drain and in chimed my on-line friend Nola who told me about a more natural, non-toxic means to de-clog drains: baking soda and white vinegar. I'm thinking, huh? How can something so simple work, but work it does!
Instructions:
First up, make sure there is no standing water, whether kitchen or bathroom sink or bathtub. Pour a good amount of baking soda, perhaps maybe about half a cup. Then start pouring in the white vinegar, about a cup or more. Be ready for a surprise when the vinegar contacts the baking soda…lets put it this way, rather fizzy and "explosive". The first time I did this I have to confess I nearly freaked out since I wasn't expecting such a reaction. The combo will bubble and fizz for quite awhile. Wait about 15 minutes, then pour down boiling hot water. If by chance this doesn't work first time round, depending on how bad the clog is, repeat the process, but I do guarantee you, it will work. To keep drains unclogged, repeat this perhaps every few weeks.
There you have it, a completely natural, non-toxic and eco-friendly means to unclog drains. What could be simpler?
Youtube Video of how to declog drains using baking soda and white vinegar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MLEO5JWRYI
IMAGE SOURCE~©MELANIE NEER~own photo
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