Pour boiling water down the drain. Then add a half cup of baking soda and let it sit for a minute. Pour a cup of vinegar and a cup of hot water down the drain. Cover loosely and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Pour another pot of boiling water down the drain to flush out the clog.
Generally start with a plunger, the one with a cup to fit over the drain, if that does not work. A wire clothes hanger that is straightened out with a small hook at the end can do wonders, especially if there is hair involved in like in a shower drain.
Some people like to use baking soda and vinegar on clogs, it usually has mixed results and I would not suggest it on grease clogs. BS and vinegar do not dissolve grease.
A product like Drano can also help, it eats it's way through clogs.
Another method is to use dish soap and hot water, be careful to not get the water too hot, it can melt the glue that has held pvc pipes together, or melt the wax ring on your toilet,creating a further problem.
The next step would be to snake the drain, you can get this at a diy store.
You can buy small drain cleaning snake to pull out hair and gunk. However, if the drain cleaners don't do the job, I would just remove and clean out the P-Trap under the sink. Put a pan or bucket under it, loosen the 2 nuts, and pull the trap down into the bucket to catch water. The trap can be cleaned out and rinsed, then re-assemble.
Before you start calling out the marines and getting snakes and what not go to your local hardware store and buy a cheap plumbers plunger.
When you get it home put about 2" of water in your tub and then plunge the hell out of the drain.
If you do that you will very likely clear what ever is giving you problems. You may have to repeat a few times but pouring some boiling water down there will soften thing up.
Mogie... My bathroom sink water was very slow running down and I knew it connected to the shower drain farther down the line. Took a plunger and plunged the shower drain and heard a "thumpish sound". Everything works fine now. My "go to" drain clearer is a plumbers plunger. Our plummer equipment rental told us to pour cloryx bleach down the drains every month or so....that does help.
If you're using bar soap (other than Zest or Ivory), switch to liquid soaps that are much easier on drains. Secondly, once a month place 1-2 cups of baking soda in each drain and follow with 1-2 cups of Distilled white vinegar. In 30 minutes, pour boiling water carefully into the drain.
You may find a heavy deposit of black slime has built up in your drain, presently. You can remove some of this by removing the drain cover and very carefully using Q-Tips to swirl around the top part of the drain. What you remove may surprise you.
If you're not using a drain cover to prevent hair from accumulating in your drains, purchase some. They are inexpensive and save you the time and aggravation of clogged/slow drains.
I clean my sink drains at least once a month with a hair grabber. It's a long, flexible plastic with barbs on the side. You slide it down the drain, moving it around and then pull it up. Hair, even from shaving, gets caught in the drain, and then soap, shampoo, toothpaste get caught on it. It is fairly gross the first time, but, becomes much less if you keep up with it. If it's the shower, same thing. With kitchen sinks, only it is more grease and food debris. For that I have a strainer for kitchen sinks, that will catch all the debris, so you can put it in the garbage. Good luck and stay safe!
I don't like ways like mixing baking soda and vinegar. Unfortunately, my kids flush their hair down the bathroom drain. It really clogs up the pipes in our house. Baking soda and vinegar can only dissolve leftover food, bits of bread, or vegetables, you know, in the pipe. Human hair won't budge from such a solution. So I often call the experts from draintoronto.ca. They come to me several times a year to clean our pipes. I live alone with two teenage children. I don't want to call a "husband for an hour" who will deal with turning my rack into a drain tourniquet. I'm used to calling in professionals, and I suggest you do the same.
I'm hoping to save my copper sink, but I am afraid I have totally ruined it. I need some suggestions on how to save it! What can I spray it with, or where can I fin...
See more
This black oily or paraffin type stuff sometimes comes through my hot water line in the second story. Have talked to the water company. They say it isn't them or th...
See more
10 Really Easy Ways to Unclog Drains
Pour boiling water down the drain. Then add a half cup of baking soda and let it sit for a minute. Pour a cup of vinegar and a cup of hot water down the drain. Cover loosely and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Pour another pot of boiling water down the drain to flush out the clog.
Laura: maybe this home remedy will work!
https://www.liquidplumr.com/diy-plumbing-tip/how-baking-soda-and-vinegar-cleans-drains/
Which drain is it? Kitchen, bathroom, toilet...
Generally start with a plunger, the one with a cup to fit over the drain, if that does not work. A wire clothes hanger that is straightened out with a small hook at the end can do wonders, especially if there is hair involved in like in a shower drain.
Some people like to use baking soda and vinegar on clogs, it usually has mixed results and I would not suggest it on grease clogs. BS and vinegar do not dissolve grease.
A product like Drano can also help, it eats it's way through clogs.
Another method is to use dish soap and hot water, be careful to not get the water too hot, it can melt the glue that has held pvc pipes together, or melt the wax ring on your toilet,creating a further problem.
The next step would be to snake the drain, you can get this at a diy store.
If no luck with any of these, call in a plumber.
Best to you.
I use baking soda, white vinegar, followed by boiling water. If I ever have any left over boiling water (any reason), I pour it down my sink.
You can buy small drain cleaning snake to pull out hair and gunk. However, if the drain cleaners don't do the job, I would just remove and clean out the P-Trap under the sink. Put a pan or bucket under it, loosen the 2 nuts, and pull the trap down into the bucket to catch water. The trap can be cleaned out and rinsed, then re-assemble.
You can get a “snake” tool at the Dollar Tree ($1) and try that. It works great.
Before you start calling out the marines and getting snakes and what not go to your local hardware store and buy a cheap plumbers plunger.
When you get it home put about 2" of water in your tub and then plunge the hell out of the drain.
If you do that you will very likely clear what ever is giving you problems. You may have to repeat a few times but pouring some boiling water down there will soften thing up.
Mogie... My bathroom sink water was very slow running down and I knew it connected to the shower drain farther down the line. Took a plunger and plunged the shower drain and heard a "thumpish sound". Everything works fine now. My "go to" drain clearer is a plumbers plunger. Our plummer equipment rental told us to pour cloryx bleach down the drains every month or so....that does help.
If you're using bar soap (other than Zest or Ivory), switch to liquid soaps that are much easier on drains. Secondly, once a month place 1-2 cups of baking soda in each drain and follow with 1-2 cups of Distilled white vinegar. In 30 minutes, pour boiling water carefully into the drain.
You may find a heavy deposit of black slime has built up in your drain, presently. You can remove some of this by removing the drain cover and very carefully using Q-Tips to swirl around the top part of the drain. What you remove may surprise you.
If you're not using a drain cover to prevent hair from accumulating in your drains, purchase some. They are inexpensive and save you the time and aggravation of clogged/slow drains.
I clean my sink drains at least once a month with a hair grabber. It's a long, flexible plastic with barbs on the side. You slide it down the drain, moving it around and then pull it up. Hair, even from shaving, gets caught in the drain, and then soap, shampoo, toothpaste get caught on it. It is fairly gross the first time, but, becomes much less if you keep up with it. If it's the shower, same thing. With kitchen sinks, only it is more grease and food debris. For that I have a strainer for kitchen sinks, that will catch all the debris, so you can put it in the garbage. Good luck and stay safe!
Hi Laura,
You Drain Un-blocker you should be able to buy this product! Otherwise try boiling water and Wash up liquid to try and cut the Fat!
Draino!
1 cup baking soda then 1 cup white vinegar.Cover. Boil water and pour down at 5 minutes later. Repeat if needed.
I remove P-trap to clear major clogs.
I don't like ways like mixing baking soda and vinegar. Unfortunately, my kids flush their hair down the bathroom drain. It really clogs up the pipes in our house. Baking soda and vinegar can only dissolve leftover food, bits of bread, or vegetables, you know, in the pipe. Human hair won't budge from such a solution. So I often call the experts from draintoronto.ca. They come to me several times a year to clean our pipes. I live alone with two teenage children. I don't want to call a "husband for an hour" who will deal with turning my rack into a drain tourniquet. I'm used to calling in professionals, and I suggest you do the same.