Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Tuesday's tips and tricks-- How to unclog a drain without using harsh chemicals.

In my quest to be frugal along with my desire to remove as many harsh chemicals from my home as possible, I've found a few ways to take care of common household problems. I don't know if you're like me but with both of my children, when they were about four months old, I began losing hair by the handfuls. This resulted in a few broken vacuum cleaner belts and many clogged drains. Well, for the clogged drain, look no further than your pantry because here is a very effective way to unclog drains using vinegar, baking soda and water.

Step 1 - Put about 3/4 cup DRY baking soda down the drain. .
Step 2 - Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain after the baking soda. Be sure to cover the drain immediately afterwards with a rag or plug, filling the hole completely so nothing can escape. This is because the interaction of the two will cause a “mini volcano” that will want to come up and out of the drain..you want to keep it down there.
Step 3 - Leave this concoction in the drain for about 30 minutes. While you're waiting, boil about a gallon of water.
Step 4 - After 30 minutes, remove the plug and slowly pour the HOT water down the drain.

Wha la..

Blessings,
Dana

9 comments:

Holly-- The Storm Chaser said...

Glad to know this one... You can imagine our drains get clogged quite a bit around here!

Amanda@Imperfectly Beautiful said...

Thanks...I needed this! We get alot of clogged drains, and I hate buying that chemically stuff.

~Amanda

Jay said...

Hmmmm, who knew it was that easy --- when you are married to man that shaves his legs/arms/etc. this could come in handy.

Thanks!

Sara-Beth said...

Gonna have to write that one down somewhere.

The Blog looks good- getting all snazzy...

Kelly said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. This is a great idea as my hair falls out like crazy! I am also very weary of chemicals. I knew of the reaction between baking soda and vinegar but never thought of using them for this.

Stephanie said...

You can also use that for cleaning your garbage disposal, I couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from at first and clean the whole house before I realized it was the sink:)

Lynn Ellis said...

I have a slow running drain right now and no liquid plumber in the house. I'm trying this now. Thanks!

JaMean said...

Ok, this is the most useful recipe I've used in my life! It took 1 hour to do 7 drains and we had SO much fun doing it.

Thank you, this is truly beyond helpful to me!!!! :)

Jenny Lynn said...

Giving it a try tonight!