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Homemade Drain Cleaners That Provide Great Results

Few things can be as annoying as finding your bathroom or kitchen sink flooding up with water and refusing to drain. While the old-school plunger might solve the problem at times, it’s not always effective. The drains in the bathroom and the kitchen are filled with soap scum, hair, toothpaste, grime, and food crumbs, and can often form an almost impenetrable clog. Using harsh chemicals might provide results but they can damage your drain pipes in the long run. 
Homemade Drain Cleaners, man unclogging sink
A better and safer alternative would be to use some natural cleaners like baking soda, borax, vinegar, and salt. When used properly, they can be surprisingly efficient in unclogging the drains of your house. Let’s take a look at some of the natural homemade drain cleaners that can get you great results.

1. Baking Soda and vinegar

Homemade Drain Cleaners,
Vinegar and baking soda are both used often to clean a variety of household items. They are also effective in unclogging sinks - this is a tried and tested formula that has been proven to work on kitchen and bathroom drains. The method is quite easy to follow, too.
* Mix 1/3 cup of baking soda with 1/3 cup of vinegar in a measuring cup.
* Pour it down the drain immediately as the mixture will start to fizz instantly. 
* Plug the drain and let the mixture sit in the drain for about 45 minutes to an hour. The fizzing action is exactly what helps get rid of the grime or hair from the drain.
* Now, unplug the drain and pour a pot of boiling water down it to flush the mixture and other stuff from it.
* Keep pouring the hot water until the drain is clear.

2. Baking soda and salt

Homemade Drain Cleaners, 1. Baking Soda and vinegar

Baking soda is known to be effective in unclogging a sink when mixed with salt. 

* Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda and salt in a bowl and pour the mixture into the drain.

* Let the mixture sit for about an hour. If the drain is overstuffed, you can even leave the mixture overnight.

* Now, pour boiling water down the drain. When hot water comes into contact with this mixture of salt and baking soda, it creates an aggressive chemical reaction that will be strong enough to unclog even some of the most stubborn bathroom sink blockages.

3. Liquid dish soap and boiling water

This method is particularly useful for clearing grease clogs from your kitchen sink. The boiling water and dish soap mixture heats the grease and melts it back into liquid form. Then it can be easily pushed out of the pipe. This mixture is also good for mild blockages in all kinds of sinks.

* Boil about two liters of water and mix in a few tablespoons of liquid dish soap.

* Pour the mixture down the sink. You might have to repeat the process a few times if the grease is a little thick in the drain.

* Pouring just boiling water too works surprisingly well for clearing certain bathroom clogs. For stoppages due to soap scum, in particular, this might really do the trick. Pour the water into the drain three or four times and you should see immediate results.

See Also: Repair a Running Toilet in No Time With These 4 Tips

4. Salt, borax, and vinegar

Homemade Drain Cleaners, Salt, borax, and vinegar

Sometimes, baking soda and vinegar aren’t enough to clear your drain of hair and grease. In that case, you might have to look for a more potent cleaning product, like borax. Borax is the favorite laundry cleaner in many homes as it's very efficient in eliminating odors. It can also be used to unclog the sink when mixed with salt and vinegar. 

* Mix 4 tablespoons of borax, 4 tablespoons of salt, and ½ cup of vinegar together.

* Pour the mixture down the drain and let it sit for an hour.

* Follow it with a pot of boiling water to clear all ingredients down the drain. 

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