4 Homemade Drain Cleaners That Are Safe to Use
Who says something au naturel can’t unclog that stubborn drain
Be it hair or dreaded mystery gunk stopping up your pipes, cleaning out the drain is a universally unpleasant experience. However, you can make this chore just a little less icky by choosing homemade solutions to do the job. So, roll up your sleeves and get your gloves on because these homemade drain cleaners are a cinch to make.
Why You Should Use Natural Drain Cleaning Solutions
Your first instinct to clear a clogged drain might be to reach for a drain cleaner in a bottle, but using a homemade drain cleaner can be a safer option for both you and your pipes. There are many pros and cons to using a store-bought liquid drain cleaner, but the biggest drawback is that the chemicals in commercial cleaners can be toxic. Many of these cleaners contain bleach, nitrates, or even sulfuric acid.
Outside of the toxic properties of commercial drain cleaners, they are also harsh to your plumbing system. Using these chemicals can erode your pipes, which can cause you significant plumbing issues in the future. Instead, a homemade drain cleaner with fewer chemical properties can help clear clogs without causing unnecessary damage.
How to Make Homemade Drain Cleaners That Work
While you might think you need a laboratory to make a DIY drain cleaner, you can make these with a few kitchen tools. You might even have the ingredients in your panty! Keep reading to learn about the specific mixtures you can try to unclog your drain.
Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Lemon Juice
Who doesn’t have baking soda, lemon juice, and vinegar hiding away in the kitchen? These staple household items go into baking, cleaning, science projects, and so much more, so it’s no surprise that they’re top contenders for clearing drains. Here’s how to use baking soda and vinegar for your clogged drains:
1. Pour the Baking Soda Down the Drain
To get things flowing again, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda directly into the drain. Baking soda is alkaline and will cut through fats like grease and oils left in your pipes.
2. Mix the White Vinegar and Lemon Juice
Combine the vinegar and lemon juice. Then, pour the mixture down the drain after the baking soda. Vinegar is an acid and will make the baking soda foam, providing some agitation to clean your drain.
3. Pour the Gallon of Hot Water Down the Drain
Patience is a virtue, so before you pour the hot water down the drain, wait five minutes to let the vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice work their magic. The hot water will wash out the foamy mixture, leaving you with a clean drain.
Baking Soda, Salt, and Cream of Tartar
Despite its name, cream of tartar is not a cream; it’s an acidic powder commonly used in baking to make delicacies like meringues. You can also use it for clearing out stubborn drains. Here’s how:
1. Combine the Baking Soda, Salt, and Tartar
Add 2 cups of baking soda to 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar in a jar, followed by 1/2 cup of salt. Give it a few shakes until thoroughly combined.
2. Pour Hot Water Down the Drain
Before putting your ingredients into the drain, pour 2 cups of hot water down the drain to loosen up any gunk.
3. Pour Dry Ingredients Down the Drain
Then, pour the entire jar of dry ingredients down the drain and let sit. The salt and baking soda react with the cream of tartar and release carbon dioxide, which helps clean metal pipes. Let the drain sit for one hour or longer before rinsing with regular tap water.
Salt, Vinegar, and Borax
Borax is a popular ingredient in many household products, from makeup to laundry detergent to natural pest control. You can also use it with salt and vinegar to penetrate pesky clogs:
1: Pour Your Ingredients in One at a Time
Start by pouring 1/4 cup of the salt into the drain. Follow that with 1/4 cup of borax, and finally, follow that with 1/2 cup of vinegar.
2: Wait It Out
Let the ingredients sit in the drain for at least 60 minutes, but you can wait up to eight hours for the most difficult clogs.
3: Pour Water Down the Drain
Once you’ve given the clog time to dissolve, carefully pour a gallon of hot water down the drain to help push those final bits of blockages.
Dishwashing Soap and Hot Water
Dishwashing soap is good for more than washing dishes—it can even help clear out troublesome clogs from your sink. And since you likely already have dishwashing soap on hand, you won’t need to go out of your way to purchase ingredients to try this method.
1. Combine Soap and Water
This simple two-ingredient recipe is easy enough to make. Start by putting 2 tablespoons of your dishwashing soap into a pan of boiling water.
2. Pour the Solution
Wait for the water to cool down so it’s no longer boiling. Slowly (and carefully) pour this mixture down the drain. The soap and water mixture can help break up any grease clogs in your drain by changing the solid grease clog into a liquid again.
3. Repeat Weekly
If you tend to have a lot of grease in your drainpipes, or even just to clear out any gunk that has accumulated, you can repeat this process once a week.
How to Maintain a Clean and Clear Drain
Now that you’ve learned about natural drain cleaners and how they work to clear out clogs, you might also wonder how to keep your plumbing clean and clear so clogs don’t surprise you in the future. There are a few simple and inexpensive things you can do to keep your drains clog-free:
Clean your drain regularly using a homemade drain cleaner to clean out dirt and debris before it becomes a clog.
Use drain traps to prevent hair and food particles from entering your drains.
Keep certain food scraps, such as coffee grounds, fruit peels, eggshells, and bones out of your garbage disposal.
Do not flush non-flushable items, such as sanitary napkins, baby wipes, or paper towels.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
If you’ve tried a DIY drain cleaner, switched to an enzymatic and bacterial one, and even tried an auger with no luck, then your next step is to call in a plumber to assess the situation and clear the drain. The cost to get a pro to clean your drain is about $220 on average, but that can vary on a number of factors.
A local drain cleaner company can determine what’s causing the blockage and strategize the best plan of action to return your drain to normal without the stress of troubleshooting a clog on your own.
Allie Ogletree contributed to this piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Biodegradable drain cleaners use naturally derived ingredients that bacteria and other microbes can break down without being harmed. As a result, these ingredients are usually gentler on your fixtures and can be less harmful to the environment. Unlike traditional cleaners, DIY biodegradable cleaners use common household ingredients to clear your drainpipes, making the process safer for you.
Conventional drain cleaners, like you might buy at the grocery store, use bleach (sodium hydroxide) as the main ingredient. On the contrary, biodegradable drain cleaners use gentler ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water to clear out drains.
Bleach is extremely corrosive and releases harmful gasses—hence the need for wearing safety protections like rubber gloves, eye goggles, face masks, and long sleeves and properly ventilating the room while using bleach. Biodegradable cleaners, however, don’t use bleach. Therefore they are safer to use, especially if you have a house full of children.
Sometimes, the drain is just too clogged—thanks, stubborn hair and soap scum. In this case, you’ll need a more powerful drain cleaner than you can DIY safely at home. But this doesn’t mean you have to choose a traditional drain cleaner.
You can find biodegradable drain cleaners at your local home improvement store or online for those drains that need a little more oomph.
While on the hunt for a formidable drain cleaner, the best options are non-chemical clog solutions that combine enzymes and bacteria.