Clear a Clogged Drain with Vinegar

If you've noticed standing water in your tub or your kitchen sink draining slowly, you probably have a clogged drain. Fortunately, if caught early you can clear a clogged drain using common household items. Vinegar, baking soda, borax, and lots of hot water are simple, yet effective tools in clearing slow-draining sinks.

Steps

Preparing the Drain Mixture

  1. Drain any water from the sink or tub. If it's really slow-draining, this may take a while, but if you remove the water, you drain-clearing mixture will be able to work on the clog much faster.
  2. Gather household cleaning/kitchen items. You have several options for creating a non-commercial drain opener. Most involve vinegar and another substance that create a chemical reaction when combined. See if you have any of these drain-opening agents on hand:
    • Vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar work) is the acidic base for creating the foaming reaction.
    • Lemon juice is acidic like vinegar, but smells refreshing. This makes lemon juice a good option for clearing out clogged kitchen sinks.
    • Baking soda is frequently used as a multipurpose cleanser.
    • Salt will help eat away at the clog.
    • Borax is frequently used as a multipurpose cleanser.
  3. Pour vinegar and another drain-opening agent down the drain. No mixing is needed before pouring down the drain. The mixture will foam up on its own as the chemical reaction occurs.[1]
    • For a vinegar and baking soda combination: use 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of white vinegar.
    • For a lemon juice and baking soda combination: use 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of lemon juice.
    • For a salt, borax, and vinegar combination: use 1/4 cup of borax, 1/4 cup of salt, and 1/2 cup of vinegar.

Agitating the Clog

  1. Cover and let the mixture sit. Either use the tub stopper to close the drain or cover it with a steaming hot cloth. Keep the drain closed for 30 minutes. During this time, the foam will be working on wearing down the clog.[2]
  2. Plunge the drain. Use a small, sink size plunger to agitate the clogged-up material. Create a seal and push up and down on the rubber base of the plunger.
    • Plunging works best if you fill the tub or sink with water. The added pressure from the water will help force open the clog.
  3. Use a hanger to pull out the clog. If the drain is clogged with hair, take a metal hanger and twist it till you have a long piece of metal with a small hook at one end. Carefully feed the hook end of the wire down the drain. Twist the wire around and try to snag the clog. Gently pull the wire back out once you've caught the clog.
    • Take care not to scratch your sink or tub with the exposed metal. Also, use caution when untwisting the hanger. The metal may be sharp.
  4. Use a drain snake. A drain snake looks like a long metal rope. You'll need to carefully feed the snake into the drain. When the snake gets stuck, you'll want to turn the cable. This will make it catch onto the clog. When you slowly pull the snake back out, the clog should clear. Flush with water and repeat.[3]
    • Wear work gloves since the metal snake can be sharp. You should also have an old towel and bucket handy to set the clogged material.

Flushing the Drain

  1. Flush the drain with hot water. Boil at least 6 cups of hot water or several kettles full of water. Uncover the drain and slowly pour the hot water down.
    • If you have plastic piping, just use very hot water. Avoid pouring boiling water in the drain.[4]
  2. Repeat. If the water is still draining slowly, repeat the process again until the drain becomes clear.
    • If the clog still stubbornly resists draining, you may have a hairball stuck. This may require manually removing the clog. Consider calling a plumber, especially if the drain completely stops up.
  3. Use gravity and pressure to flush the drain. This works best on a clogged tub, since you can fill the tub with gallons of water. Fill the tub with hot water. Then, open the drain and let the pressure of all that water help break up the clog.[5]



Tips

  • Check to make sure you do not have corroded pipes.
  • These methods work best if you catch the problem before the drain is completely clogged.
  • You should see an improvement after 2 or 3 tries. If the drain is clogged with a hairball, you'll need to actually remove the material blocking the drain.

Warnings

  • Avoid using these methods if you've already poured commercial drain cleaning down the drain. The vinegar and chemicals in the commercial cleaner can create dangerous fumes.
  • Concentrated vinegar (acetic acid) and caustic soda are sometimes used for clearing drains, but both are irritants.They can cause irritation to skin, eyes, nose and throat. Avoid direct contact with skin, eyes and clothing.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.networx.com/article/4-effective-and-natural-diy-drain-cleane
  2. ↑ http://homeguides.sfgate.com/clean-clogged-drains-vinegar-26291.html
  3. ↑ http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-use-a-drain-snakes#b
  4. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/home-organizing-new-uses-for-old-things/baking-soda-drain-unclogger
  5. ↑ http://www.wisebread.com/10-really-easy-ways-to-unclog-drains
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