Source: From my great friend and sister, Tracy!
By JodiT from Aurora, CO
I called my daughter 2000 miles away and she was trying to help me. We both do the same things and always swap tips; usually its her asking me. This time I needed her. She ask if I had done the usual (good girl) than said use dish soap and boiling water. I put 1/2 of the dish soap in each side and boiled 2 full pots of water. The water slowly went down to where I could clean the residue up which was left in the sink. It is full of bacteria and germs. I knew I didn't want to breath or have near me.
Afterward I ran water to clean out the sink, and once again it started backing up! My daughter had sent me a link. I went to look if there was anything I could do without having to call my landlord.
I had already done everything I always do, plus broke my plunger on top of it. There in front of me I saw something I had never heard of; use the left over juice from any pickled products you may have. In my case I had dill pickle juice, jalapeno juice and a jar which only had a few long pickles in it (which I enjoyed).
So I dumped all of these together and brought to a boil. Smelling this brought back many memories from my childhood which was filled with long summers of putting up pickles, every kind of pickles in fact it was years before I ate pickles after leaving home. These memories now were happy ones, funny how that works.
I was glad I learned so many things growing up in the country. What I had read said "be very careful do not let the mixture touch your skin or breath too deeply". I'm not sure why but I thought I should share it.
I poured the hot, boiling pickling juices into each sink, and went off to bed. Next morning the clog was gone. The pickling juices had taken away the last of a very tough built up in the pipes. Thank goodness I am thrifty, and had saved all of those jars of juice; not only for eating now I found another use.
I did have a hairline crack which I wouldn't have even known about if my landlord didn't believe what I had done worked. John (plumber) came out and found the crack but told my landlord I did the right thing. Draino or other chemicals get into the water system, and are bad for the pipes if used too often or incorrectly. John said in his own house, he does 1/3 cup baking soda and 1cup vinegar every other week as maintenance, to help with no build up or odors of any kind. How nice to see others being ECO friendly.
Things worked out as they were suppose to. I didn't have to pay, a leak which could have lead to mold was found and I got a little bit of joy by my using the things I already had without chemicals. I found that little bit of joy a much needed help while cleaning up the mess afterwards. Using of course baking soda, vinegar and lemon.
I am now out of all my saved up juices. I'm wondering of I can freeze them when I have more than I need for emergencies, hum?
No waste not the pickles (jalapenos) juices or the glass which I always recycle!
Source: My grandmother and my daughter; I do not know which article was sent, but it was from a book when plumbing was first being used.
By Luana M. from San Diego, CA
The reason this works is because wood ashes contain potash, and when wet, that creates lye. Lye was mixed with grease and lard in olden days to make soap, and is even used today in lots of cleaners.
So when you rinse them down the drains, they mix with any oily residue in the pipes and floating in the septic tank. Just like the old homemade soap, the lye mixing with the fats and oils in the drains and becomes a healthy drain cleaner without adding dangerous chemicals. Plus the drains will smell better.
By Dollyslaffn from Darien, GA
After the two of us polished off half a two-liter bottle of diet pop (on purpose to empty it!), I filled it with water, matched the opening of the bottle to the drain opening and mashed the bottle firmly.
It worked! I re-did it several times until the bottle was all caved in. I then put the stopper in the sink and filled it with soapy water several times, then pulled the plug out and let it run out as fast as it could. This didn't cost anything and the bottle is recyclable. Hope this helps,
By Aunt Sharon from Tom Bean, TX
By lucy from Oxford UK
Another drain hint. A friend whose daughter was a nurse told her this one. The nurse had flu for several days. She didn't want to have dirty tissue sitting in waste cans because of the bacteria so she flushed them down the toilet. When she recovered she had to have several hundred dollars worth of plumbing work done from her house down to the street. The plumber told her to never put Kleenex or other facial tissue down the toilet. He suggested she blow her nose and blot her lipstick on toilet paper.
By MartyD from Houston, TX
Editor's Note: Do you have any advice for keeping drains clear. Post your tips in the feedback.
I would like to know how to fix a clogged kitchen sink? I've poured a large amount of baking soda, vinegar, hot water, liquid dish soap, and salt. I don't know whether I've made the right mixture, since I didn't find a precise measure for the mixture. Is there anyway I can fix it without having to use a dangerous chemical thing nor calling a plumber? Many thanks and warm regards.
By A Life from INA (Indonesia)
By carol10107/22/2010Moving into a new house,one of the shower drains took forever to go down. While at the dollar store I saw a bottle of drain cleaner and thought just how good could it be for a dollar,but I'll try anything once. Did what the directions said, left it for a day, and boy was I surprised. The water went down just as nice as you please. Now I will stock up on this for any future use. You never know unless you try, and for a dollar what can you lose.
My kitchen sink is clogged on the garbage disposal side. I have tried baking soda, vinegar, hot water, and a plunger, but it's still clogged. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
By Alice J
By DCW81602/19/2012Pour about 1/4 cup of Dawn dishing washing liquid in sink and follow with A kettle of boiling water. This trick even works on commode stop ups! Good luck and God bless!
How can I save money on a sink water clot?
By Julia from NJ
By Robyn Fed02/19/2012I would use a plunger on the sink. I always use it in our bathtub. When you plunge it, push it and pull it way up, and the force will dislodge any toy or solid thing in the drain.
Also you can make a wire out of a paperclip, or a hanger and "snake" it out.
Also baking soda poured into the sink a little and then vinegar and hot water work sometimes. Here is a video showing how to use the baking soda and white vinegar, and hot water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMFBP6dX5fY
Taking the u shaped part of the pipe out and see if it is clogged. This is where most things that are solid get lost, like earrings.
Hopefully that would help. You can always get draino and pour it in there.
Blessings, Robyn
How do I use Dawn dish washing liquid to unclog a tub?
Karen from Newark, DE
By Harry
By Har'iet
By Joycer
By mulberry204
By rabbit
Would someone share the recipe for dawn liquid soap drain cleaner?
Melvin from Fate, Texas
By bebhinne
By spockmycat
How do you unclog a drain with Dawn dish washing liquid?
Linde from Hanover, NH
Details: I have 4 females in this house, and this one bathroom sink drain had been a constant problem. I became an expert with a metal snake to pull out hair clogs in the pipes. Well the snake went all the way in this time, and did not find the clog. Actually it somehow made the problem worse, from a slow drain to a complete plug. I have tried the various chemicals in the past, and they would often work after 4-5 doses. So my wife suggested rd.com (and a past reader's digest article) through which I found this site.
Exactly what I did: This was a bathroom sink drain, totally stopped, and about half full of water already. I took a four quart pot, boiled water, and added lots of Dawn to the boiling water while my wife stirred. I dumped it into the clogged sink. We watched a movie and when it was over the drain was clear. I will note also that the Dawn we have is very old and sludgy, but it still worked. (12/24/2008)
By Eric
How can I unclog a sink?
Mary from Illinois
By Brg
By texman
How do I unclog drains using Dawn dish soap?
By chuckday from Orlando, FL
By Anonymous
By mulberry204
Drain cleaner is just a strong base; baking soda is a mild one. Ammonia, full strength is a medium strong base.
Adding vinegar or any acid such as CLR to any of these will produce bubbling (the stronger the base or the acid, the more violent the bubbling; which could be dangerous if both are strong.), but will ultimately neutralize the base (you will have salt water).
The bases combine with the grease (which is what drains are usually clogged with) and make soap, which is then flushed away with the hot water. (05/22/2009)
By louel53
How do you unclog a sink that has an attached garbage disposal unit?
Instead of harsh chemicals or a plunger, try 1/2 cup of Dawn dishwashing detergent. Just pour it right in the clog and let it sit. After 30 minutes, try and flush.
If your kitchen sink has standing water in it and the pipes underneath are clear, the clog is probably in the main drain pipe. Try this BEFORE you call a plumber.
How do I unstop my kitchen sink?
Every spring I used to have problems with my kitchen drain going slower and slower. Solution, put a cup of salt down the drains about once a week.
I have black, greasy, rusty particles coming up from the kitchen drain pipe. The sink is clogged and I cannot get it unclogged. What is the problem?
How do I unplug a backed up sink?
My kitchen sink is backed up. Both the drain and garbage disposal are getting full. We plugged the drain and ran the garbage disposal and vice versa.
Is it possible to use Dawn dishwashing liquid to unclog a drain?
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Clogged Kitchen Sink