Few things can be as annoying as a clogged drain. Drains seem so simple but when they are clogged, they can make your life more difficult than may seen necessary. The same can be said of clogged toilets. There are some drain cleaning tips and tricks that anyone can do.
- Try hot water. Before you invest in some expensive and dangerous chemicals, try hot water. It is so simple that many people do not think of it as a good trick for drain cleaning but it is. If there is some buildup, run some hot water though your system. That may do the trick to get rid of it. Run the hot water for at least 15 minutes. On many occasions, the force of the water combined with the heat will be enough to make the gunk that is in your drain flush away, leaving a drain that is clean and clear. You need no special equipment to try this.
- Try your plunger. There is a reason most homes have plungers. They are great for clogged toilets and drains. If you have never used a plunger, you need to cover all of the drain with the opening of the plunger, push down and pull back up to suck the problem out of the drain or from your toilet. Do this for 60 to 120 seconds. You do not need to use excessive force or too much speed. Slow and steady will win this race.
- Try vinegar and baking soda. If you want to use natural products, many people use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to help with drain cleaning. The mixture breaks down some of the things that may be causing a buildup in your pipes. The way you do this is you pour a cup of each down your drain. Wait between three and five minutes. Follow the baking soda and vinegar with boiling water. You can try this a few times but it may very well work after the first try. This will save you a lot by preventing you from needing a professional clogged drain service to come fix your clog.
- Try soda with sugar in it. It does not matter what brand you use but you can handle drain cleaning jobs effectively by using sodas with sugar in them. These sodas have phosphoric acid, which can break down the gunk that is clogging up your drain. Pour down a can of soda. Wait between three and five minutes and then follow up with boiling water. Diet sodas will not work for this.
- Liquid dish soap can clean out cat litter. You should never, under any circumstances, pour clumping cat litter down your drain. It will turn into a sort of concrete. If, for some reason, it does find its way into your toilet or down your drain and you need to do some drain cleaning, there is something you can try before you call in the professional rooter service. Lemon, dish soap that is used for hand washing your dishes can help. Pour some of the dish soap down your drain or toilet. Follow with hot water. If you are doing this to clean out your toilet, you should be careful with the water because if it is too hot, you can crack your toilet and cause more problems than you solve. Plunge with your plunger and repeat. This may take a lot of time and effort but will save you thousands on plumbing repairs.
- Get a snake. If you do not have one, and own your own home, you should invest in one. You can get them at the hardware store. They are affordable and if your clogged drain cannot be cleared out with any of the other methods, this can be the thing that does the trick. It is a pretty easy piece of equipment to use. Snaking your own drain can save you a lot of money and if you use a snake and it does not work, you know you may need to bring in a sewer line repair company.
Most people do not like to spend a lot of time thinking about drain cleaning. These DIY tips can clean almost any drain.
