Picture this: your sink or tub drain is so backed up that it’s about to overflow. In a panic you run out to buy a bottle of Drano or Liquid Plumr and begin pouring it down the drain. Because these “drain cleaners” contain harsh chemicals, they wear away at your pipes and cause one to spring a leak. Now you’ve got a real problem on your hands.
Rather than going through all that trouble, you could have solved the problem with a natural drain cleaning solution. With a bit of baking soda, boiling water, salt and cream of tartar you can blast through even the most stubborn clogs without compromising your home’s plumbing system.
Here’s how it works:
Remove the drain trap and give it a good cleaning. If the source of the clog is near the top, you can pull it out and dispose of it.
Mix some baking soda, salt and cream of tartar in a small container and sprinkle half of the mixture down the clogged drain.
Add the boiling water and let the solution go to work for about an hour. Come back and rinse cool water down the drain – you should notice an improvement in your drainage.
If the drain is still clogged, you’re going to need some backup. Pour one cup of baking soda down the drain and then one cup of vinegar. Allow it to work overnight and then pour two cups of boiling water down the drain in the morning.
If this still doesn’t solve the problem, it may be something very serious. Contact your plumber right away and be sure to let them know the steps you went through to try to unclog the drain.
At Hero Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, we’ve been providing Twin Cities – St. Paul homeowners with drain cleaning solutions for over 100 years. You can count on us to get your drains flowing fast – the way they should be! Don’t forget to connect with us on Twitter for more plumbing tips and tricks!
