Drano Alternatives?

Baking Soda and Vinegar. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar and cover the drain if possible. Let set for a few minutes, then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to flush it. The combination of baking soda and vinegar can break down fatty acids into soap and glycerin, allowing the clog to wash down the drain.

Julie

January 20, 20090 found this helpful

Baking Soda and Vinegar. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar and cover the drain if possible. Let set for a few minutes, then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to flush it.

Louise B.
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January 21, 20090 found this helpful

Everyone keeps recommending this baking soda and vinegar combo, so maybe the bubbling action of the two reacting with each other does something. However, when you use them together like this, you are not going to have anything to break down fatty acids into soap and glycerine. To do that, you need a base (drano, a strong one, or baking soda, a weak one) and NO acid (vinegar). I'll bet if it is not a tough clog, baking soda and boiling water might do the trick.

Personally, I use Drano. That is what it is for. If something else works, it wasn't much of a clog in the first place, and may be you could get rid of it with just boiling water.

Carol L Craig

January 21, 20090 found this helpful

A licensed plumber once told me that if everyone in the world knew the baking soda/vinegar trick, all the plumbers would be out of business. Just make sure you are not standing directly over the sink drain when you pour the vinegar in over top of the baking soda as the fumes will come up in your face (I know this from experience).

I use the baking soda/vinegar trick regularly. No it won't unclog a bad clog, however, if you use it regularly once every couple of weeks, it keep the build up gone and the drains run much faster. I pour the baking soda in the sink and I actually heat my vinegar in the microwave until bubbling. Be careful taking out, then I pour that on the baking soda slowly and you can hear the gurgling. I then follow that with extremely hot water to run through the drain for a few minutes. Keep it clear!

Janet
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January 22, 20090 found this helpful

Hot water & Dawn. The Dawn grabs grease & helps to carry it away.
How about a plunger or snake?