Homemade Cleaning Products - Drain Cleaner

I live in an older apartment building where drains often block. Unfortunately me and 3 of my neighbours share a waste pipe, which means that every few months a blockage occurs, to my ever increasing frustration. To try and keep these blockages few and far between, every week I use a great two ingredient homemade drain cleaner to flush the pipes and keep them clear or debris. Luckily the food traps that cover my sink wholes do a pretty good job of keeping large sums of food out of waste pipes, and I try to make sure that all large amounts of food are scrapped into the bin before they get placed in the dishwasher. You also want to avoid washing things that solidify at room temperature down the drain, like certain fats and waxes. This will be sure to cause you problems eventually.

To make the homemade drain cleaner you only need two very simple ingredients that you probably already have floating around on your pantry shelves. Bicarbonate Soda and Vinegar.

You will need, per sink hole:

1/2 cup Bicarbonate Soda (Also known as Baking Soda)

1 cup White Vinegar

1 full kettle of boiling water

Add 1/2 cup of Bicarbonate Soda to the sink whole and pour over 1 cup of white Vonegar. Allow to sit and react for at least 30 minutes. Once the 30 minutes has gone by, boil a full kettle of water and pour down the sink in a steady stream. Being careful not to cause yourself a burn.

Both Bicarbonate Soda and Vinegar are great deodorisers. They will make your sink smell fresh and clean, whilst also flushing he pipes of any debris. Doing this weekly will ensure that nothing too nasty builds up.

I do have to tell you, if you have a serious blockage, you may need to use something stronger or consult a plumber. I always use this as a first resort and then escalate to a stronger chemical like draino or calling a plumber. We once had tree roots clogging the trap at the bottom of our pipe stack, which could only be resolved by getting a plumber to come and remove them.

I hope this tip works for you and may your drains be cleaner because of it!

Image attributionImage: Bleu run scarce bathroom washroomLink:https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/bleu-run-scarce-bathroom-washroom_1047867.htm#term=drain&page=1&position=0