Are you looking for a drain cleaner but confused about choosing the right one? A suitable drain cleaner is required to fix those obstructed pipes in your home. Many people end up selecting the wrong drain cleaners for them which makes the situation even worse.
Apart from this, most drain cleaners are very expensive and do not last long. It is difficult to choose the best between chemical-based and enzyme-based drain cleaners. But now, you can even make one for you at home.
Homemade drain cleaners will save you from cleaning dust and debris by your hands. It is much easier to get rid of any blockage or obstruction if you have a quality drain cleaner. It is essential to learn about mechanism of action before you know how to make homemade drain cleaner. Make sure you don’t end up mixing wrong ingredients.
Here are some instructions you should know about how to make homemade drain cleaner!
How to Make Homemade Drain Cleaner
Whether you have drain in your bathroom or kitchen, water leakage can be very irritating. It can completely ruin the ambiance of your house. A foul-smelling room with flowing dirty water is never a good sight. Therefore, it is very important to take action as immediately as you can.
It is very important to be completely aware about the substance that is clogging your bathroom before applying anything. Before you learn how to make homemade drain cleaner, make sure you don’t use them on extremely troublesome drains as it won’t be effective.
On the contrary, it might ruin your drainage system and pipes even more. This method can help in reducing less dense blockages. Here are some of the most common ways to make homemade drain cleaners:
1. Using Baking Soda for Effective Results
This is one of the best tips on how to make homemade drain cleaner. Take a glass of hot water and pour it in drain. Add half tablespoon of baking soda and throw it inside pipe. Let the mixture stay there for 10 minutes you do anything.
After that, add vinegar and salt on the top of your drain. Add a cloth on your pipe and wait for 10 more minutes. Once drain is cleaned, flush more clean water. You can also repeat the method if you don’t see any results in first few trials.
2. Add Vinegar in Your Homemade Drain Cleaner
Apart from this, you can also use baking soda combined with vinegar to clean drain blockage from your bathroom or kitchen. It can be hard to remove clogging from vinegar garbage since it is much deeper than bathroom pipes.
Any obstruction in garbage disposal can also smell very bad and produce harmful bacteria in the environment. Here is what you should do if you want to clear a homemade drain cleaner:
- Pour boiling water on the hole at garbage disposal.
- Add one quarter of baking soda in drain.
- Add garbage disposal for 5 seconds and leave for more 20 minutes.
- Add salt and vinegar till you see bubbles coming out of the mixture. Don’t pour water until your drain is completely cleaned.
- Once done, pour clean water to get rid of any extra particles.
- Place a soft cloth to dry the surface.
The baking soda is known to produce cleaning effect when combined with vinegar and salt. Don’t forget to pour clean water in the end. The solution can be harmful to the surface of kitchen or bathroom and can cause stickiness.
3. You Can Also Make Drain Cleaner Using Lemon
Lemons have been commonly used to remove clogging from pipes. This is one of the easiest methods to clean drain. It is also useful for people who don’t know how to make homemade drain cleaner. With strong acidic properties, lemons not only provide assistance in removing clog but also make sinks appear more neat and hygienic.
Apart from this, you can use lemon juice to kill germs and bacteria. Take lemon drops or lime juice in a bowl and pour on drain. Wait for 10 minutes and add some water. Keep adding more lemon drops until the clog disappears. After that, rinse the drain hole with clean water.
4. Mix Bleach with Other Ingredients
Another highly useful homemade drain cleaner is bleach. You can use bleach to kill bacteria, reduce foul smell and even unclog your pipes. This method is best for regular and less intense obstructions. This mixture is best to be used for various emergencies. Even if you don’t know how to make homemade drain cleaner, you can easily produce one for you using this technique!
Take fresh bleach and pour on drain in your kitchen or washroom. Let it function for at least 2 hours. If required, keep adding water to reduce the density of solution. You can also add lemon drops to increase the effect. However, make sure your chemical doesn’t get too dense as bleaching agents can cause discoloration to your pipes. Never leave it for than a few hours at once.
If needed, you can use bleach to unclog multiple times. In fact, it is recommended to use these agents on your pipes, sewerage lines and holes to avoid any clogging and obstruction from bathroom and kitchen. They can also help in reducing the risk of any harmful bacteria and viruses.
5. Add Detergents to Unclog
If you want to know one of the best techniques on how to make homemade drain cleaner, you should definitely try this! It is also a popular way to reduce any clogging and obstruction. Dish detergents do not only help in reducing blockages but also provide a cleaner look to your kitchen and bathroom.
Add 2 drops of vinegar in a glass of water and pour on drain. Let the solution stay there for at least 1 hour. You can add more water or vinegar, depending on the requirement. Repeat if needed.
These are some of the most popular tips on how to make homemade drain cleaner. In most cases, you will get rid of clogging after few applications. In case your homemade drain cleaner is not providing help to open closed pipes, you should go for chemical-based or enzyme-based drain cleaners for your bathroom and kitchen. Sometimes, the clogging is too deep and it can be very difficult to fix with a simple solution.
6. Use Ice Cubes
You can also make a homemade drain cleaner by using ice. This is by far the cheapest method to open a blockage, clogging or obstruction in your pipe. Apart from this, you can use ice cubes to increase flow of water inside drain.
How Do Homemade Drain Cleaners Work?
If you are still confused about how to make homemade drain cleaner, take a look at the functionality of one. Using household items to get rid of any blockages is very cheap and economical. Apart from this, it is also relatively easier to apply these homemade drain cleaners. The homemade drain cleaners are less dense and do not harm your pipes or hole in any way.
Benefits of Using Homemade Drain Cleaners
1. Not Harmful Like Other Substances
Unlike harmful chemicals, homemade drain cleaners are not going to be harmful to your skin, hair and other body parts. You won’t need to be extra cautious when pouring the homemade solution on drain. Most chemical drain cleaners contain lye, sodium hydroxide and other dangerous substances which prove to be very risky and damaging for human skin. If not handled properly, these chemicals can burn skin and cause rashes and itchiness. In extreme cases, it also affects other body parts such as lungs, kidneys and stomach and can prove to be fatal.
Chemical-based drain cleaner, no matter how dilute will have an element of acidity and toxicity. By learning how to make homemade drain cleaner, you can protect your home from any harmful chemicals and substances. They do not produce any damage to internal fixture or furniture.
2. Best Solution for Emergency Situations
When you use baking soda with vinegar, you will see immediate results. Since one is base whereas the other one is an acid, the reaction will be on spot. Apart from this, mixing lemon drops can provide an acceleration affect on the clogging. It can also help in flushing down other toxic chemicals and substances from the pipe. Using vinegar and baking soda can help you in getting the cheapest solution to removing any clogging. You can remove and flush toxic substances for a clog-free drainage.
Other Methods to Unblock Drain At Home
In case you don’t know how to make homemade drain cleaner, you can also try these techniques to unclog the pipes at your home.
1. Use Wire Coat Hanger
The easiest method of removing any clogging is by removing the debris present under your pipes or sink. After that, you can take wire coat hanger to take out the blocking material. Keep an empty dustbin with you for putting the dust and garbage in it. You can also use lemon drops to make it easier to remove debris.
2. Get Rid of Additional Water
In some cases, the clogging is too hard and won’t go away simply. It can be very hard to remove blockage and obstruction using homemade drain cleaner no matter how hard you try. If you use baking soda and vinegar, remove the stopper from hole, there is no guarantee that your blockage will disappear.
In fact, in some cases it gets even worse. For this, you need to remove water first. It is very important to get rid of any extra water which is responsible for causing disturbance in flow. You need to get rid of the liquid before you start cleaning any blockage. Once water is removed, you can try various formulas including using vinegar and baking soda, ice cubes, lemon juice and numerous others. No method will be effective if there is stagnant water present on the surface.
3. Pour Boiling Water
This is the easiest thing you can do if you don’t know how to make homemade drain cleaner. Once you are done with pouring your ingredients to open the clogged pipe or hole, it is very important to pour hot water.
Forgetting to do so will result increased chemical reaction on your drain which will cause extra growth of harmful bacteria and viruses. It is very important to maintain a reasonable hygiene to avoid any clogging or blockages.
4. Mix Ingredients Well
Additionally, you can pour salt and baking soda in the drain. Make sure you don’t forget to add extra water in the tub. If your sink is occluded, you should add vinegar and wait till it starts to dissolve. You can also mix ice cubes with vinegar to produce best results.
Indicators of a Clogged Pipe
Before learning how to make homemade drain cleaner, you should understand the symptoms of an obstructed drain. The classic sign of a blockage is that the water doesn’t flow as quickly as it should. Here are some other warning indicators of a damaged and broken pipe:
- It will take really long to flush anything down the drain. Water doesn’t move quickly.
- You notice extra water on the surface of floor.
- Foul smell in house.
- Water doesn’t pour without coming back. This is a classic sign of drainage obstruction.
Many people do not realize a blockage or clogging in early stage. It can be much easier to solve the issue if you know how to make homemade drain cleaner. It will start taking longer for the water to move in. To be sure of the cause, you should add hot water and see how it adjusts. If there are any bubbles, there is a strong chance that your pipe is clogged and blocked.
Using Homemade Drain Cleaners Effectively
Regardless of the solution you use, make sure you don’t keep it for more than two hours at one time. You can repeat in intervals if you don’t need results. However, avoid using the substance for more than a few hours at once. These acids and bases can be very dangerous and harmful to the surface of your drain. Therefore, it is essential to be extra cautious when applying anything to open the blocked and occluded pipes in your home.
Maintaining Pipes and Holes at Your Home
Although there are numerous tips on how to make homemade drain cleaner, you should make sure the drains are properly maintained. You can follow a hygienic routine to reduce the chance of getting clogged drains. Being careful in everyday operation can help you to save from big troubles. You can substantially reduce the risk for blockage by following these techniques. Here are some key pointers:
1. Add Greasy Substances in a Box
It is very important to add cooking grease in old containers. Avoid making the mistake of throwing solid food materials in your trash directly as it is one of the strongest cause of clogging in drainage. Make sure you never dispose off any garbage directly, especially if it is solid. Some of the most common things you should be extra cautious about include banana peels, coffee grounds and paper bags.
2. Be Careful When Using Toilet
When it comes to preventing drainage in toilets, it is important to be extra careful. Avoid using hard soap or other solid material to wash your body. It is also essential to fix a specific place for paper towels, tissue boxes and other things. The key is to properly put your fixture in certain places. Never put anything on the surface shelf of your toilet.
3. Regular Cleaning of Your House
It is also very important to regularly clean your home to free it from any possible dirt and debris. The best way to clean is by running hot water from sink in the drain. Do it regularly to reduce any potential or present clogging in your sink. Apart from this, you should also clean the external surface of your pipes to ensure that there is no hole or mark.
4. Make Sure the Surface is Not Sluggish
When washing dishes, be extra cautious about oily foods. They are one of the most common causes behind clogging. Oily and greasy material can also make surface sluggish and slippery, which will cause defect in your pipes. By following these techniques, you can save yourself a lot of trouble even if you don’t know how to make homemade drain cleaner.
You can also throw caustic soda in to unclog drain. The substance will not only help you in opening the blockages but also clean the surface. Additionally, the agent also assists in removing any foul smells in your home. The drain pipes will start to smell pleasant!
5. Be Extra Careful If There is Additional Risk
Make a routine of pouring 2 cups of vinegar every week. Do it consistently, especially if there is a risk for clogging. It can do wonders when cleaning any bacteria or other harmful substances. Apart from this, you can also get rid of any type of blocking. You should definitely do this if you face the problem of clogging on a frequent basis. It is also recommended to add half cup of salt, vinegar, baking soda and water to enhance the resourcefulness of your solution. These are some of the most essential tips on how to make homemade drain cleaner; you should follow them to get rid of clogged pipes.