Baking soda and vinegar often don’t mix. Originally thought of as a cheap alternative cleaning method, it fell out of popularity as chemical household cleaners become the mainstream answer to keeping things sparkling. However, for drain unblocking, the results can be shockingly efficient. Not only does the combo eliminate a large number of drain problems, it does so with a large amount of bubbles and fizzing, which is all you can really ask for when it comes to cleaning. You can literally hear the cleaning in actions, which I find incredibly satisfying. At least you actually get the feeling that something is being done instead of having to rely on expensive and often nauseating chemicals.
Note that an entirely blocked drain (as in, completely and irrevocably blocked) may resist this particular method, but it’s useful for drains with partial blockages that may be on their way to this stage.
All you have to do is:
- Pour a kettle’s worth of boiling water down your drain
- Dump ½ a cup of baking soda down the hole and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Pour in a cup of vinegar and some warm water, then bottle the whole thing up with the plug.
After about 5-10 minutes, pour in some more hot water to flush away the rest of the mixture.
And presto…all the gunk should’ve been cleared away by the mixture. Why is this, exactly? The baking soda loosens and makes the gunk malleable, whilst the chemical reaction between that and the vinegar creates a powerful brew that bubbles it all away. The boiling water speaks for itself, and also makes sure that the mixture makes its way around the whole pipe.
On top of all of that, baking soda and vinegar is far more environmentally friendly than most ammonia-based cleaners, and will leave your drain smelling super fresh. Maybe this can be put to work on blocked drain problems across Melbourne. Though you’re going to need a lot of vinegar!