How do I unclog drains?
By John Rogers
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I use dish detergent in the drain first then hot water.
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Best way is to make sure a strainer or drain basket is always in place. Always run about 1 minute of HOT water in the morning and evening in all your drains.
Plugged drains. A couple kettles boiling hot water dumped in succession. Remember to check the traps under the sink, hot water, plunging, will loosen them, tighten with your hand.
Sometimes the J trap under the sink needs to be cleaned out. Put a bucket under it before opening it up. A large plumbing wrench may be needed.
If you weekly do a couple kettles of hot water, this is preventative. I keep crystal Draino on hand for the whoops times.
Never had to call a plumber for that yet.
Do not put food products down your drains. Garbage is garbage.
If you don't have a "Snake" long wire with end attachment that pushes through blockage; than you could use an opened-out wire coat hanger to push down into the drain. Another excellent method and one I use every couple of days. Take a full kettle of boiling water and pour it down the drains. The boiling water will break-up any "gross" clogs of shampoo and hair, greasy foods etc.
Use the above in all drains in your house. Very least, weekly,
1. Baking Soda approximately 1/4 cup put into a drain followed by a a cup or more of heated vinegar is also a good way to get some bubbling action in the drains which can also loosen blockages. This will also deodorize the drains so nasty odors don't permeate the room.
2. Make sure you add the kettle of hot water after John or you could end up with the baking soda clumping up and not moving down either.
Best of luck!
Not for a toilet though! Could break the porcelain adding boiling water to cold tank.
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What's the best way to get drains unclogged? I've tried the drain products and they work fine, but I have heard that they will hurt the pipes if used all the time. I need a simple, yet not harmful to pipes and pets, to unclog drains.
Thanks in advance,
Joylie from Pasadena, MD
Check the recent request for Homemade Drano. I use vinegar/baking soda, and flush with boiling water. It works great (I've never used Drano) and environmental offices (DNR) recommend it. I lived with septic for years and it is all we ever used. (03/09/2006)
By Kelly
Sorry, that's roughly equal amounts of white vinegar and baking soda. (03/09/2006)
By Kelly
We had a sink in our bathroom that was clogged. We tried Drano and and old time plunger. Neither worked. So my DH went to Lowe's and the clerk in the plumbing department sold him a plunger that weighed about 8ozs. He said it would work great. It was solid black and all one piece. And looks accordion like at the bottom. The cost was minimal. Maybe a couple of dollars. Well I want to tell you, I plunged that sink about 3 times and the clog was gone. I couldn't believe it. Works for the toilet, too. It pushes a lot of pressure. Hope this helps. (03/10/2006)
If you can get at the drain pipe, open it up. Get a hose, turn your water on and put the hose up through the drain pipe. It will hit the clog and wash it out. No chemicals involved and it works. My husband has had to do this a couple of times at our house. (03/10/2006)
By Joyce
In my 18 years of marriage, I've learned a few times not to put potato peelings down the garbage disposal. I bought a small plunger which I label "sinks" and have never had any problems unclogging anything, from long hair clogs, to bathroom sinks where the pet birds' water dish was cleaned out and the birdfood would start growing in the pipes, etc, the plunger has always worked without any other liquids or poisons.
By Kim
Pour a cup of baking soda into the drain hole (in bath, shower, or sink). Add one cup of vinegar. Wait for 20 minutes then pour a jug of boiling water into the drain hole. It works. (03/17/2006)
By Maria Gray
I have a mechanical way to clear a clog. Undo and straighten a metal clothes hanger out to make it a long straight wire. Stick it down the drain and move it around. (It will be too long to go down all the way.) Run water while you do this. Clear! A little trickier, but works even on the drains that have the permanent stopper that is like a metal plug. (02/09/2010)
By Krys Gold
