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By Maryeileen
07/09/2011
NEVER mix bleach and ammonia!
I use white vinegar and baking soda and follow with hot water after it's bubbled for 5-10 min. I normally do this twice within 15-20 minutes.
Note: This is a remedy to be used on a regular basis. It will not unclog a drain that is not being routinely cleaned.
By fuzzytufts
07/09/2011
The mixture of bleach and ammonia will kill you within minutes. Oh, you may live a day or 2 but your lungs are burnt up.
By applejack
10/23/2009
Well, I have always had good luck with baking soda and vinegar. When my kitchen drain slows down, I seal one side of the double sink. I put in some baking soda, add vinegar and take a cup about the same size as the opening and start dashing madly up and down. It releases and starts flowing clear and I turn my hot water on allowing it to flow for a few minutes.
By Harry (Guest Post)
10/26/2008
People: Nothing mentioned on this page worked for me. The effective method is to call a plumber. Trust me; do not waste your time.
Note: A Sunday evening lost trying everything without success.
By picboss
09/29/2008
I read in the Readers Digest that using a simple dish soap will disolve the grease and follow up with boiling water down the drain. I think they called for Dawn.
P.S. I wouldn't have found this sight except I saw it in this months Reader's Digest.
By syd (Guest Post)
07/01/2008
Before trying tip Nancy Mc sent in. If you are on on a septic system ...DO NOT USE a gallon of bleach, that will aid in killing bacteria that makes septic function properly!
RE:
I had a clogged kitchen drain and did all of the above and more to get it unstopped but to no avail. I had to call a plumber and he was so nice to tell me after he cleared the drain that I should put a gallon of bleach down the drain once a month and that should keep it clog free.
Nancy Mc
<b> Editor's Note</b> I doubt that a gallon of bleach would do any good for a municipal sewer system either.
By Lynda (Guest Post)
07/01/2008
Using draino-type crystals in my pipes ate a huge hole in the bottom of the metal j-trap which I had to learn to replace myself because I had no money for a plumber. I replaced with pvc rather than metal. That's been several years and I've had no clogs since.
Ammonia, baking soda, won't clear hair clogs, remember, and liquid drano doesn't always do the trick. Best to be careful what goes down the drain, placing all grease in a jar with a good lid and tossing in the trash, or pouring on driveway cracks to prevent weeds. Should I need to unplug a clog, I'll likely go with drano crystals again, but not routinely, only when needed. : )
By louel53 (Guest Post)
06/30/2008
If you mix baking soda and vinegar, you get a wonderful bubbly concoction, but I don't think it will really do anything for your drain. Baking soda and vinegar make water and salt when you combine them. Baking soda is a base; vinegar is an acid. If you combine an acid and a base you get a chemical reaction -- the bubbling, and you get water and salt. Since most drains are stopped up with soap scum, it would be the boiling water that would be doing most of the cleaning.
If your sink clog is mostly grease, ammonia or baking soda (both bases, ammonia being a very strong one) will combine with the grease to make soap, which will wash away nicely with the hot water. That is why a dish of ammonia left in an oven will soften the grease splatters and enable you to wash off the grease easily.
I use a commercial drain cleaner if I have drains that become clogged. A tablespoonful of crystal Drano every month or so, flushed with water according to the directions, does the trick if you have drains that tend to get clogged. I don't think that this is very expensive, and far less hassle than the home remedies. In the previous house I lived in, the drains must have had a very small slope, as they tended to get clogged fairly often. In the house I live in now, I have NEVER had a clogged drain, so I think that doing absolutely nothing works very well sometimes, too.
By Maryeileen
06/30/2008
I also use baking soda and vinegar (I use white vinegar). First, pour baking soda down the drain (maybe 1/2 cup). Then pour vinegar down the drain until it starts bubbling and all of the baking soda has been washed down the drain. Let sit for at least 15 minuues and then pour boiling water down the drain to flush everything out. Repeat as needed.
By Kreatvmuzk1111
06/30/2008
I've always used backing soda and vinegar and it doesn't a great job for clogged drains! I do it every month.
Donita
By cris (Guest Post)
06/30/2008
Do you use equal parts? Could you explain how to mix this so I may use it? I have a particularly hard drain that has given me problems for years and even a plumber has not had good success in keeping it unplugged.
By (Guest Post)
06/30/2008
Just rememeber to never mix bleach and ammonia together. It makes toxic gas, that can cause the lungs to fill with liquid.
Household bleach is 5% sodium hypochlorite. Mix it with ammonia and mono- and di-chloramines are formed. These nasties will cause symptoms such as respiratory tract irritation, tearing, and nausea. If you add water you get hydrochloric acid and nascent oxygen - also known as chlorine gas, the chemical weapon used by Nazi Germany in World War II.
By handicapped91
06/30/2008
I had a clogged kitchen drain and did all of the above and more to get it unstopped but to no avail. I had to call a plumber and he was so nice to tell me after he cleared the drain that I should put a gallon of bleach down the drain once a month and that should keep it clog free.
Nancy Mc
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