Clogged Drain Vinegar Baking Soda

By Dave R

December 24, 2022

0

Baking Soda And Vinegar Together Produce Great Cleaning Results

Unclog a Drain with Baking Soda and Vinegar

I failed to mention in my post yesterday the awesome power of baking soda and vinegar in drain cleaning.

The plan was to mention that today as some big surprise.

Instead, some of you got all ahead of things and started telling the secrets. Thus, I share as a bit of a lag-behind. You people are so crunchy, I cant even keep up with you.

The Dynamic Duo Of Cleaning

Baking soda and vinegar make a great team when it comes to cleaning up grit, grime, and other nasty stuff from your homes surfaces. This is because each substance has its own strengths as a cleaning agent. Baking soda can dissolve organic compounds like dirt and food particles, while vinegar can break down minerals from hard water, soap scum, and similar substances. However, grease and hair are another story entirely.

In addition, when you mix the two together, the carbon dioxide that they release can help lift the mess off the surface youre trying to clean, whether its a kitchen counter, a bathtub, or a tiled floor.

Here are just a few ways to use baking soda and vinegar for your next cleaning project around the house:

Remove stains from hard tap water by covering the area with a vinegar-soaked towel. After an hour or two, remove the towel and scrub the stain off with a mixture of baking soda and water.
Clean your kitchen sink and eliminate unpleasant odors at the same time. Mix one part baking soda with two parts vinegar, and then scrub the base and drain of your sink.
Add 1/2 cup baking soda to your laundry detergent when first starting your washing machine. Then add one cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle. This will help eliminate patches of mildew and mold on your clothes.

Why Is Baking Soda And Vinegar Recommend As A Drain Cleaner

Maybe the fun chemical reaction tricks our minds with all the bubbling, maybe companies like to sell more of their products, or maybe it is the hot water.

When you look at baking soda + vinegar drain cleaning instructions youll notice that they recommend following the baking soda/vinegar with nearly boiling water. As shown in the experiment above, extremely hot water does a great job melting FOG clogs.
Bonus: the weight of the hot water creates pressure on the clog which can help loosen or move it .

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How To Unclog A Kitchen Sink With Baking Soda & Vinegar

A clogged kitchen sink drain can be a show stopper for any cook or party host. While store-bought chemical cleaners can be effective at unclogging drains, they can also be expensive, harsh and damaging to the environment. Baking soda and vinegar are two common household ingredients that can be used in a variety of ways, including as natural cleaners for your drains. There are a lot of reasons why this is a go-to method for unclogging a drain.

How To Clean Drains With Vinegar And Baking Soda

If the sink or tub is not draining at all, add enough water to cover the bottom of a plunger. Place the plunger over the drain and press down and release the handle several times. Remove the plunger after several thrusts to see if the water starts draining. Repeat until it does.

Remove any drain cover or stopper that is obstructing your view of the drain. Then remove any materials you can see clogging the drain, like hair or food. (Tip: A wire coat hangar can be an effective tool for pulling out clogs that are just beyond reach.

Fill a large pot with very hot water. If necessary, water can be heated to scalding on the stove .

Pour the hot water down the drain to dissolve and wash away any grease clogs.

After the water has finished draining, pour half a box of baking soda into the drain.

Measure a half cup of vinegar and pour it into the drain. Seal immediately with a sink stopper, so that pressure can build and help dislodge any materials.

After one hour, unplug the sink or tub.

Fill a large pot with very hot water as instructed earlier. Pour down the drain to flush it out.

Replace any drain covers or stoppers that you removed.

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Unclogging With Salt And Boiling Water

1Pour salt down the drain. Although the acidity from vinegar helps to eat through grease and other clogs, salt alone will scour the inside of the pipe, since it is so coarse and abrasive. Measure a 1/2 cup of salt. Then pour it directly down the drain.XResearch source

2Rinse the drain with boiling water. Boil 4 cups of water first. Pour this slowly down the drain. Aim the water directly into the drain to avoid scalding yourself with any splash-back. Once the boiled water has gone, run hot water from the tap to further flush the drain.XResearch source

3Repeat. Since you are only using salt, you will probably need to do this a few times to remove the clog. Continue to add salt in 1/2-cup increments, flushing with boiling water each time, before adding more.XResearch source Avoid dumping too much in at one time.

How Much Baking Soda Does It Take To Unclog A Drain

The amount of baking soda needed to unclog a drain depends on the type of clog and the size of the drain. Generally, it takes about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of baking soda to unclog a drain. The best way to unclog a drain with baking soda is to mix it with hot water and pour it into the affected drain.

Allow the baking soda and water to sit for at least one hour before flushing the drain with hot water. If the clog remains, you can repeat this process or try using vinegar or a chemical drain cleaner.

However, it is important to note that chemical drain cleaners can be corrosive and may damage your pipes, so if you decide to use a chemical cleaner, be sure to read and follow the instructions carefully.

Run Hot Water Down The Drain

If you have a slow draining fixture, give the water sufficient time to drain. Remember that the water in the trap is still cold and we need to replace it with hot water .

Dump a gallon of hot water down the drain and give it time to loosen the clog. Unlike cold water, hot water is very effective in dissolving soap scum, grease, hair and any other gunk that you can find in a drain trap.

If you have standing water in your drain, it makes no sense pouring more water in the fixture. In that case, what you should do is manually drain the fixture.

You want the baking soda and vinegar solution to work directly on the clog but not be diluted by the standing water in the fixture. Grab a cup and bucket and scoop out as much water as you can and soak up the remaining one with a sponge. Dont forget to have your groves on.

What Dissolves Toilet Paper Fast

Just Vinegar and Baking Soda! (How to Unclog Drain) | Rob’s Garage Ep. 3

Toilet paper can dissolve quickly in water due to its high absorbency. But, its important to note that it will take longer to dissolve if the toilet is clogged due to the extra water pressure and turbulence that can cause it to cling together and not dissolve.

Toilet cleaner can be used to help dissolve the toilet paper and break down any clogs. Regularly cleaning out the pipes with a plunger and using an enzymatic cleaner can help keep the pipes clear and minimize clogs.

If a clog persists, an auger or drain snake can be used to manually remove the clog. If the toilet paper is still having trouble dissolving, pouring vinegar or a cup of baking soda in the toilet and letting it sit for a few hours can provide a solution.

The acidic or alkaline chemistry can help break down the blockage, leaving the toilet paper to dissolve more easily.

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Tips For Keeping Your Drains Clean

Always use strainer baskets on your drains to keep hair and food particles from going down the drain.
Never pour oil or grease down the drain. When cooking greasy or oily foods, wipe the cookware with a paper towel before washing so less grease, oil, and fat go down the drain to form a clog.
Regularly add boiling water with a grease-fighting dish soap down the drain to prevent the buildup of greasy clogs.
Both the baking-soda-and-vinegar and the baking-soda-and-salt methods can be used to clean and freshen your garbage disposal. To remove odors from a garbage disposal, reduce the required amounts of baking soda, water, vinegar, and salt by half and follow the directions above.

How do you know if your drains are clogged?
If the water is draining slowly from your sink, shower, bathtub, or toilet, the drain in that vessel is clogged or starting to get clogged up.
How often should you clean your drains?
You can clean drains once a week using boiling water and Dawn dish soap. If you notice that the water is not going down the drain quickly, use the baking soda method to help clear it. You can also use baking soda for monthly maintenance.
How can you keep drains from clogging?
A strainer can help keep unwanted items from washing down the drain. Don’t put food or grease down the kitchen drains. In the bathroom, a strainer will catch the hair in its basket, preventing it from going down the drain.

Baking Soda And Vinegar Drain Cleaner

Use the vinegar and baking soda combination to help clear a sluggish drain. And there really isn’t much to this method.

Remove any standing water in the way of getting to the drain.

Boil a pot of water, about 2-3 cups.

Add two drops of Dawn to the water.

Pour this down the drain.

Wait a minute or two for the hot water and Dawn to dissolve any grease.

Pour a half-cup of baking soda down the drain.

Then add half a cup of white vinegar.

Place a drain cover over the drain and wait for fifteen to twenty minutes.

While waiting, put a kettle with six to eight cups of water on to boil.

Pour the boiling water down the drain to flush the vinegar and baking soda through.

A 1:1 ratio of baking soda to vinegar works best to clean drains. However, you can play around with this ratio depending on the clog.

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How Baking Soda And Vinegar Interact With Each Other

Baking soda and vinegar lie on opposite sides of the pH scale . Vinegar is a 3 on the pH scale , whereas baking soda is a 9 .

When you combine baking soda and vinegar together, the resulting mixture produces carbon dioxide gas. This can even create quite a bit of pressure within a closed system . Note that most drain systems are not closed systems, there are branch line, vent lines, overflows, etc. However, for use around the house, this combination is most effective as a cleaning agent.

Why You Might Need More Than Baking Soda And Vinegar

Unclog Bathtub Drain With Baking Soda And Vinegar

The basic kitchen staples and conventional wisdom of cleaning the drain with baking soda and vinegar only go so far, and only if the clog is not deep in the pipes.

Lets face it. Whether you have a new home, an old home, an apartment, or a condo, you dont know whats gone down those pipes in the last few years. Here at ServiceOne, weve found all kinds of crazy objects clogging drains.

Sometimes baking soda and vinegar just arent enough to get rid of the blockage.

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Lemon Juice + Baking Soda

Lemon juice is a weaker acid that works just as well. However, lemons have less acidity than vinegar, meaning you will have to add more lemon juice than an average drain cleaner recipe.

You can add 1/2 cup of baking soda with the lemon juice to prepare a decent chemical reaction homemade drain cleaner for drain cleaning.

Skip The Home Remedies & Call The Experts

Your local drain cleaning experts at Eyman Plumbing Heating & Air know how to unclog drains and clean pipes safely. We understand the inconvenience clogged drains cause, so we dislodge buildup quickly and efficiently.

Are you struggling with clogged drains? Call Eyman at to learn more about our drain cleaning services.

Cleaning Tough Drain Clogs

Liquid-Plumr products are safe drain cleaners to use in your pipes and can resolve tough drain clogs better than natural remedies.

Liquid-Plumr® Clog Destroyer+ Pipeguard contain two powerful liquids that, when combined, create a deep-cleaning foam that dissolves hair and funk throughout the entire pipe, helping to unclog tough drains.

The key active ingredients sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite release heat to effectively dissolve the drain blockage. Now thats some powerful science!

Read more in our Drain Tips & Hacks section for all your drain cleaning needs.

Unclog Your Drain With A Drain Snake

Unclog Your Kitchen Sink With Vinegar & Baking Soda In 1 Minute!

You can try a drain snake if the plunger doesnt work to unclog your sink or shower drain. A drain snake is a special cable coil that uses a drilling movement to break through the grime in your pipes. We recommend only using this method if you are good with your hands. You have to be very careful not to damage the pipe.

Gently insert the coil through the drain opening to avoid accidentally damaging the pipe.
Slowly turn the handle to advance the snake while applying slight pressure toward the drain.
Once you feel a firm resistance, pull the spiral back a little bit, then push it towards the drain again.
If you cannot unclog the drain, it might be time to consult a professional plumber. Some clogs are just too persistent to be removed without professional tools.

Read more:

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Baking Soda And Vinegar Drain Unclogging Tricks

Does Baking Soda and Vinegar Unclog Drains?

A clogged or slow draining fixture is so frustrating to have, and as a homeowner it is usually a problem of when not if it will happen. It is even worse since plumbers charge a fortune to unclog drains.

This is why you should learn how to unclog your drains with homemade solutions and only call in a plumber when the clog just wont just budge. As a matter of fact, only less than 10% of drain clogs need the services of a licensed plumber.

Baking soda, vinegar and hot water are the best combinations for a homemade drain cleaner. They are cheap, readily available, have negative effects on your plumbing and will also not kill the microbes in the septic tank if you are on a septic system. The solution is also very effective in drain odor elimination.

To unclog the drain, start by running hot water down the drain to loosen the clog. Pour 1 cup of baking soda followed by another cup of vinegar and wait for 15 minutes as the solution breaks down the clog. Blast boiling water down the drain to rinse and wash down the broken-down material.

Bathroom sink and shower/tub drains are often clogged by hair and soap scum which form a clingy hair ball. The fizzing reaction between baking soda and vinegar will break down the ball of hair and all you have to do to unblock the drain is dump a gallon of boiling water to flush it down the drainpipe.

Vinegar And Baking Soda Garbage Disposal Magic

Tossing citrus peels in your garbage disposal keeps it smelling like freshly poured sunshine, but every once in a while, when someone puts onions in there and leaves them when theyre not supposed to , you might need a little extra help.

This is where you utilize the baking soda and vinegar goodness, as well.

How to freshen and clean your garbage disposal with BS/V:

Start by running hot water through your garbage disposal for a minute.
Pour about 1/4 c. baking soda into the drain.
Flip the garbage disposal on for 2 seconds, just to whirl the baking soda inside, and then leave it alone for 10-15 minutes.
Follow with 1 c. of vinegar. Watch the bubbles erupt out of your drain.
Rinse through one last time with very hot water and run your garbage disposal for 5 seconds.

Why this works: The baking soda and hot water will deodorize your drain like nobodys business. And the vinegar volcano on top of all that will help dislodge any stuck pieces of food in the crevices, thereby releasing any potential future stinkiness.

The Powerful Mixture Of Baking Soda And Salt

The thing with homemade solutions is that they should actually be the first line of defence for fighting obstructed pipes.

People mostly reach for some heavy and hazardous chemicals, but the solution is actually closer than you can imagine. Some of them even immediately, without even trying to see if some simple stuff could work.

Baking soda is perhaps the most effective weapon you have, without even being aware of its superpowers. You usually mix it with some other ingredients and you increase its strength.

When trying to unclog the drains, you need the following:

One cup of baking soda
Half a cup of salt

This is a basic recipe but the amount of mixture depends on the severity of the problem in your pipes. Sometimes this quantity is more than enough, but in cases where clogs are really persistent, you will need two or three measures.