Are you annoyed by that one sink in your house that constantly gets clogged, no matter how careful you are about what goes down the drain? If so, trust me, you’re not alone. I also had to deal with a blocked drain a few months back, however, I didn’t really want to call a plumber right away or use toxic off-the-shelf products, which is why I opted for trying a home remedy.
Yes, before you start thinking about how expensive it’ll be to repair the problem, you could choose to try some affordable home remedies that might help you deal with a jammed drain. And, if you were wondering what those remedies are, here is our list of the top seven options that you could try before picking up the phone and calling the plumber:
1. For Starters, Boil Some H2O!
One of the most affordable, easiest, and at times, effective solutions for unclogging a blocked drain is boiled water. As the name suggests, you’ll only need two ingredients – water and a stove. Once you boil it, you should pour it slowly into the drain of the blocked sink. Keep in mind, some sink materials such as porcelain might crack under excessive heat, thus, be careful not to pour it over the surface.
However, this method can be used for one more thing – for determining how blocked the drain actually is. If you, for instance, pour two large pots of boiling water and nothing happened, it might be a sign that you’ll have to try some other home remedies that we’ll mention below. So, before you purchase some ingredients that you’ll require for the methods below, simply flush some boiling H2O down the drain and see what happens next.
2. Next Comes The Plunger
Yup, we all utilize a plunger for our toilets, however, you can also utilize it for a blocked drain. Before you start working, you should ensure that you remove the metal strainer, mostly because it won’t have any effect if you don’t do this. Also, your movements should be quick and continuous until you manage to clear the drain. Again, this should be done after your pour hot water down, and if that also doesn’t work, move on to the next remedy.
3. Carbonated Beverages Might Do The Trick
A soda will completely cool you off during a hot, summer day, however, it could act as a home remedy for blocked drains as well. How is that possible? Well, some cleaning ingredients contain corrosive ingredients, and so does the Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and the sparkling water you drink – but, soda isn’t toxic. You can literally choose any carbonated beverage and pour two liters of it down the drain.
The acidic ingredients should stay in there for at least two hours and if you cannot wait longer, you should complete the process by pouring some hot water over it. Keep in mind, if you want this home remedy to work, you shouldn’t buy diet sodas. Additionally, beverages that have been cooled off most likely won’t do anything to your blocked drain, hence, ensure that you keep it at room temperature first.
4. Salt + Baking Soda + Vinegar = Magic
This is one of the methods that people call the “triple threat” and it’ll require you to gather or purchase three ingredients – salt, some baking soda, and plain vinegar. If you compare these ingredients with ones used in most chemical cleaners, you’ll see that they’re completely safe and they won’t cause any health conditions. You must precisely measure the three ingredients and you’ll need one cup of each of the ingredients for the method to work.
Before you add the baking soda, ensure that there isn’t any H2O left in the drain first. Once you pour the first ingredient soda, you should add the salt, and lastly, pour the vinegar over the concoction. Of course, you shouldn’t rinse it with hot water immediately after, instead, you should wait for at least ten to fifteen minutes. If you flush it instantly after the ingredients, it won’t have any effect and you’ll need to repeat the entire process.
5. Purchase The Snake Tool
The method from above should work for you, but if it didn’t, you might want to try the snake tool. Basically, it works by placing a durable steel wire down the drain. Once it comes to a blockage, it should allow you to pull whatever it is that’s clogging the drain. Keep in mind, this particular method could get messy and at times, difficult, which is why you might want to leave it to the professionals such as lpgs.com.au.
6. Some Dish Soap Could Help
Some of the methods we’ve mentioned tend to get messy, hence, if you wish to ensure that the job is easy, you might want to try clearing the drain with dish soap. You should pour at least 1⁄4 of a cup of dish soap into it and immediately after, add some hot water to it. The detergent will act as a sort of lubricant and it could encourage the jam to break away from the tubes. If it didn’t work the first time, try again, but let the soap rest for about a minute first and then add water to it.
7. Take a Look at The Sink Trap
Last on our list, but something that we cannot neglect to mention is that you should take a look at the sink trap – which is the portion of the pipe, shaped like a “U”. Start by removing the trap and placing a bucket underneath it. Next, you should utilize a wrench to loosen the tube and then completely remove it. Once it’s gone, take the snake tool or a coat hanger made from metal and remove whatever has been blocking the sink.
Conclusion
If you’ve been dealing with a blocked drain, you should choose to try some of the home remedies we’ve mentioned in our list above. Not only are they affordable, but they’re, in most cases, completely non-toxic, meaning that they won’t cause any issues with your health.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that if you tried all the methods, but nothing worked, it might be a sign that there is a large issue, which is when you’ll want to start looking for a professional and experienced plumbing company, such as Hunt’s Services, that could help you with the problems you’re experiencing.
