DIY Drain Cleaning Solutions

Earlier this month on our blog, Smith’s Plumbing Services discussed how to get rid of a toilet clog without calling a plumber. Now, we’re going to follow up on that advice by giving you our top DIY drain cleaning solutions. And when we say “solutions,” we’re talking literally; these are all household items you can combine to create a mixture that should effectively dissolve drain clogs. Some you’ve likely read about before, while others may come as a surprise to you. The one thing they all have in common? None of them contain toxic chemicals that can eat away at your pipes, the way over-the-counter liquid drainers do. Keep reading for what you need to know about DIY drain cleaning, and for serious drain clogs you can’t get rid of on your own, you can always call Smith’s Plumbing Services for fast and efficient drain cleaning.

The Top 5 Homemade Drain Cleaners:

  1. Baking Soda & Vinegar: Baking soda and vinegar have long been a classic for dissolving clogs of all kinds. While ratios may vary depending on the drain and clog in question, usually a half a cup of each should do the trick. Pour the baking soda down first, and then the vinegar, letting the mixture sit for about an hour. After that, pour about a gallon of boiling water down your drain to get rid of the clog. Repeat this process as necessary, and if it doesn’t work after a few times, consider calling a professional.
  2. Baking Soda & Lemon Juice: While it is a commonly held belief in the plumbing industry that lemons and other fruits with rinds be left out of your kitchen sink and garbage disposal, a little baking soda with lemon juice can be a great way to get rid of a clog—while masking any lingering odors at the same time. Use the same ratio as above, again pouring the baking soda down first, waiting an hour, and flushing out the drain with hot water to complete the process.
  3. Baking Soda & Salt: To use baking soda and salt to clear a clog, mix half a cup of each together first, before pouring down your drain. You may need to let this mixture sit anywhere between a half an hour to a whole night, depending on how severe the clog is. Once you have let the mix do its job, flush the clog out by pouring a pot of hot water down the drain.
  4. Salt, Borax & Vinegar: Chances are you already have salt and vinegar lying around your house, though Borax is not as common. Fortunately, you can find this cleaning formula in almost any major grocery store. To use this product to get rid of a clog, pour 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup borax, and 1/4 cup vinegar down your drain. Finish off with the requisite boiling water, and run the tap to dissolve the remaining clog as necessary.
  5. Hot Water & Dish Soap: We’ve mentioned hot water as an option in all of the above solutions, but if we just skipped to using hot water as the main component? For less severe clogs, you can often get away with squirting a bit of dish soap down your drain and then dumping in a gallon of hot water after it. Again, this usually only works for minor obstructions, but it’s definitely the easiest way to get rid of drain clogs, and may therefore at least be worth a try.