If you’re a homeowner, chances are you’ve had that moment where you’re staring at a sink full of murky water struggling to make its way down the drain. The warning signs have been there for weeks and you’ve continued to ignore them, hoping the problem would fix itself but now you’re standing there, crossing your fingers, hoping it will all go down the drain with no problem.
We all do it – hope a specific problem will just alleviate itself. Usually not until it’s too late. And that’s what you have on your hands right now – a problem. The stress is mounting and, at this point, you’ll do almost anything to avoid calling a professional to come out and fix the problem.
You pickup your phone and do a little research, hoping to find some kind of magical remedy that’ll make it all go away. While there’s no special dust, we might be able to help you with your clog and avoid that call to a drain and sewer expert. And you know the best part? The remedy only takes a few minutes and features common supplies you’d already find around the house.
Before you start, you want to make sure you have everything you’ll need. Start by boiling a pot of water and grabbing a cup of baking soda and a solution of one cup of water and one cup of vinegar. It doesn’t have to be exact, but keep it close. Now, you’ll just want to follow these steps:
Four Quick Steps For Unclogging Your Drain
1: Pour a pot of boiling water down the drain.
2: After that, pour a cup of baking soda and a mixture of one cup of water/one cup of vinegar solution.
3: Then, place a drain plug over the drain and wait five to 10 minutes.
4: Finally, take more boiling water and pour it down the drain again.
How Exactly Does This Combination Work?
The baking soda and vinegar create a bubbling reaction, helping loosen the drain clog, and the boiling water follows it up by helping to wash away the buildup and remove it from your pipes.
The science behind it might be a little more complex than that, however. Baking soda is a sodium bicarbonate and vinegar is made up of both water and acetic acid. When the two combine, it creates carbon dioxide and water that bubbles through the clog and works to break up the loose material. When you add the boiling water to the mix, pressure is added. That pressure, along with gravity, helps to push all of that clog-causing muck down the drain.
There’s also a major benefit to using a baking soda and vinegar combination. Over time, it could potentially work as a natural drain cleaner on other, weaker, clogs, meaning you might not have to deal with clogs as frequently. But stronger clogs might require a better plan of attack. Keep in mind, doing this little DIY hack frequently could present problems to your plumbing fixtures.
If this household remedy just doesn’t seem to work, and you still have a clog, don’t panic – we’re here to help! Just give us a call or schedule an appointment online any time. We’ll come quickly out, assess the situation and explain the best way to fix your clog – all free of charge.
