To naturally unblock a drain, baking soda and vinegar are the best and most effective homemade drain cleaners. White vinegar and baking soda will react and flush the drain of most blockages. This natural method to unclog a drain can be used for kitchen sinks, bathrooms sinks and other similar plumbing systems. Here at The Local Plumber, our Blocked Drain plumbers will help with any clogged drains using a wide range of techniques including natural and professional methods.
The best method to naturally unblock a drain is to:
- Pour boiling water into the drain
- Follow this with one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar
- Cover the drain opening with a drain plug or similar item
- Allow the drain cleaning solution to work for 5 to 10 minutes
- After the chemical reaction has occurred, running hot water down the drain to clean the pipes is needed
How Can I Naturally Unblock a Drain?
For a natural method to unblock a drain using both baking soda and vinegar is often the most effective. Follow these steps below to naturally unblock a drain:
- Pour boiling water down the drain – pour a pot of boiling hot water into the drain to help with beginning to melt the blockage and make it easier for the mixture to dissolve the clog.
- Adding in the baking soda and vinegar – pouring one cup of baking soda then one cup of vinegar after the boiling water is next.
- Cover the drain and wait – after the solution has been poured into the drain, cover the drain opening using a durian plug or similar object. Allow the baking soda and vinegar solution to work for around 5 to 10 minutes.
- Drain the mixture – the final step in naturally unblocking drains is to pour one more pot of boiling water into the drain. This allows the mixture and dissolved clog to be flushed out of the system and hopefully the drain is now clear of the clog.
How Do Baking Soda and Vinegar Naturally Unblock a Drain?
The science behind using baking soda and vinegar to naturally unblock a drain is that baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and then vinegar is made up of acetic acid and also water. The baking soda is a base and the vinegar is an acid and when combined they will react. This reaction happens because molecules are being exchanged therefore carbon dioxide and water is created. These will bubble and dissolve most clogs due to breaking them up and turning them into loose material.
Boiling water is also added because the drainage pipes are not pressurised unlike the normal water system. This means that when the hot water is poured into the pipes pressure is added and when gravity is also at work this pressure will also help in removing unwanted blockages. This is why using boiling water, baking soda and vinegar to naturally unblock a drain is the favoured option due to how effective they work together.
Why Should I Use Baking Soda and Vinegar Naturally Unblock a Drain?
Utilising vinegar and baking soda along with hot water to clear a blockage has many benefits. The mixture will not damage the insides of the pipes or are not damaging to the environment compared to chemical drain cleaners which do. Natural methods are easy to work with and are cheaper as well. Using the natural method regularly to clean out the drain is also a good idea as it will help prevent clogs.
If wondering what other methods there are to clear blockages then we highly recommend reading our blog ‘how to unblock a drain’ for more information.
What Often Clogs Drains?
The most common objects or items that clog drains are:
- Hair – hair will often clog up the bathroom drains, especially the shower drains, and over time will build up and can clog the drain.
- Food – food should never enter the pipes because of the high chance it becomes stuck and builds up with other food and wastage to create blockages.
- Oil and Grease – cooking oil and grease are also highly not recommended to be poured down the drain due to easily clogging the system.
- Detergent – both liquid detergent and powdered detergent can clog up the drains, most tikes powder, but using too much can lead to a clog.
- Nature – leaves, sticks and tree roots can also clog up outdoor drains, often after storms, not maintaining the drains correctly or in older or weaker pipes.
Reliable Blocked Drain Plumbers for Melbourne
The Local Plumber with our fully qualified plumbers will unblock any drain or pipe within all of Melbourne. Our plumbers know all the best techniques to handle any type of clog and will utilise the most effective one for each specific situation. We make sure to arrive on time for each blocked drain job while guaranteeing that we effectively clear the clog in the shortest time possible.
We offer our blocked drain services to all of Melbourne, which includes Inner Melbourne, North Melbourne and West Melbourne. Our Emergency Plumber team is also available to all locals at all times of the day to resolve any kind of plumbing dilemma. This is why when needing urgent and professional plumbers to deal with clogs – always rely on The Local Plumber!