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What is the best drain cleaner for your clogged drain? 

 November 8, 2020

By  Xion Lab

What is the best drain cleaner? If that is your question, then you must have a clogged drain problem. A clogged drain is something that everyone dreads with sheer intensity. Who wouldn’t? Nobody wants to get their hands dirty and clean out the gunk and grime beneath the sink or the shower drain. So what people do is generally ignore the signs of a clogged drain to see if it’s going to get magically fixed itself. Oh, how we wish little plumbing elves would come at night and fix it for us like good Samaritans from another realm in exchange for some cookies in the jar.

Snapback to reality and get with the program! It’s irritating to spend hours just trying to unclog a blocked drain, but at the end of the day, you got to do it or pay someone to do it. We know how much plumbing costs these days even if it’s something as simple as unblocking a drain. The first thing that comes to mind is what is the best drain cleaner for a clogged drain. That should be your primary focus for you because you need to get the clogged drain out of your way pronto.

So before we delve into knowing what best drain cleaner let find out why is a drain clogged and what it does if it not fixed.

Why is there a clogged drain?

drain cleaner

Almost everyone in their lives has encountered the clogged draining problem. Can’t miss it unless you use the shower or kitchen in your house—the dirt and grime accumulated over time due to the constant usage of the sink or shower. The unclogging, however, is not due to the mere using of the kitchen or bathroom about how it used. Many people, whether they are doing the dishes, shove everything down the drain, from grease to food bits and pieces to hair in the shower drain. Sounds pretty disgusting but that is how brutally people use it. They think the gutter is just another trashcan where they can throw everything with water, and it’s going to wash away down the drain. So before you start wondering what the best drain cleaner for your clogged drain you should know that it doesn’t happen overnight, in fact, is, it is months and years of improper usage that leads to it. So how do you fix this problem? Well, to successfully get rid of a blockage, you need to learn a few things and finally know what the best drain cleaner is.

The signs of a clogged drain

  • If you are trying to run water in your sink or shower, then the water doesn’t go down the drain quickly. Your sink starts to fill up with water or the water pools around your feet in the shower. The draining process is relatively slow, and one can’t help but feel the dirty water creeping up to us. The grease from the dishes mixes with the water and fills up the sink while the hair and dirt from the shower fill the bathtub or shower area. Once the drain is clogged, you might end up thinking what the best drain cleaner is.
  • Another sign of a clogged drain is that even though the water might run down the drain normally, you hear a gurgling sort of sound. That’s a sign that might clog your drain soon. It gurgling sound usually comes after you run the tap water in the bathroom sink or after you have drained the washing machine or the dishwasher.

Things that clog a drain

Knowing what the best drain cleaner is imperative if you want to unclog a drain. Let’s look at what things cause the drain to be clogged easily. Once you find out, then you can also solve this issue more effectively. Then if anybody else asks you what the best drain cleaner is? You can tell them which drain cleaner worked for you.

Hair

drain cleaner

The hair found in the bathroom, sink and shower area, etc., It can tend to happen if someone loses long strands of hair or bathes their pets in the bathroom instead of the backyard. Shaving a thick beard in the sink can also cause it to get clogged. It is better to wipe the hair off with a tissue or cloth and throw it in the bathroom bin rather than washing it down the drain or flushing it in the toilet. Many people who bather their pets such as kittens, puppies or smaller breeds of a pet prefer cleaning them in the bathroom. It is workable as long as the pets don’t have long hair. The best option is to give them to a pet grooming service where they cleaned as well.

People who have long, curly or thick hair may unintentionally cause a clogged drain because over time they can cause a blockage. Women who wear hairpins and clips sometimes tend to forget one or two still in their hair, and as they open their hair in the shower, sometimes they fall down the drain. Seeing a clogged drain caused by hair may make you wonder what the best drain cleaner is and it forces you to scratch your head.

 

Toys and other things

If you have children, then it’s quite impossible to avoid some toy parts going down the drain. Children bring along different toys with them to their bath time, and parents encourage it so that bath time is more appealing and fun for them. They need to ensure that nothing goes down the drain. Things like playdough should also avoid taking to the bathroom because it can cause it to be clogged.

Food

The kitchen has the most poorly abused type of drain because it has all sorts of things washed down under it. The grease from the dishes, pots and pans creates a build-up beneath the sink over time, and that can cause a significant clogging. People who don’t have a dishwasher tend to use the sink heavily. The bits and pieces of food get accumulated under the sink as well. You should ask around for unclogging advice or go to your nearest plumbing store and ask the store clerk what the best drain cleaner is and he/she would be able to help you.

Finding out what is the best drain cleaner for your clogged drain

So before we answer your question as to what is the best drain cleaner, we will give you some of the best tips, trick and hacks that can make you solve the problem. Sometimes you don’t have to jump to a harsh chemical-based drain cleaner at once and see if just a little bit of trying and cleaning can do the job. If all else fails, then you can always go back to getting a drain cleaner for your unclogging problem. Many of these are everyday household items that can do the job, so if anyone wants to know what is the best drain cleaner, then you can tell them any of the following:

Caution: when using anything to clean out a drain always wear protective covering such as gloves, and in the case of harsh chemicals, then goggles are a must. Ensure that no children are near you when you are doing any of the following:

  1. Baking Soda and Vinegar

The first answer to the question of what is the best drain cleaner is the baking soda and vinegar concoction. It is also one of the cheapest ways for you to unclog a drain. These are two ingredients right out of a cake recipe only that is it used for something not quite slightly. Take one-third of a cup of baking soda and one-third of a cup of vinegar. As soon as these two things come into contact with each other, a chemical reaction is going to occur. It is when you should instantly pour it down the clogged drain. The fizzling response is going to cause the dirt and grime that has been stuck down for long to break down and easily removed.

Bent wire hanger is a very easy and straightforward trick and DIY hack to unclog your drain. It method only requires one household item and a bit of tact, and then your job is done. So if anyone asks you what the best drain cleaner is, this won’t be technically wrong because it is a tool none the less to clean out a drain if not a regular drain cleaner per se. All you need to do is to go to the closet. That’s right, get one of those wire hangers and straighten them out.

If you don’t have any, then go to any retail store that sells clothes and ask for one and they will give you a couple from their stash for free. So after you straighten out the wire hanger, take one end and bend it a little so that it forms a hook-like shape. Then you should carefully start inserting the hook inside the drain. It might seem like you are fishing for something. You should be able to tell if there is something stuck inside that is obstructing the water from flowing and draining correctly. Start firmly pulling out anything that is inside. It will make any dirt or filth that stuck below the drain come out. After you do with this process, pour hot to boiling water down the drain to clean it from any small residue. Now you can say that you know a non-chemical DIY trick when anyone asks you what the best drain cleaner is.

  1. Wet & dry vacuum

Everybody owns a vacuum cleaner, but not many use a liquid vacuum cleaner. It household gadget is a good investment, especially when you start getting the hang of it. Just put the setting of the vacuum to liquid and make a tight seal for the drainage area. To do this effectively, you should grab a plunger for extra help. It will be able to get most of the gunk out of the drain. So this is another great answer to what is the best drain cleaner.

 

  1. The drain snake

If you were wondering that what is the best drain cleaner that is chemical-free and also effective then the drain snake is your answer. It is a low-cost item that is perfect for those clogged drain situations. The drain snake, like the name suggests, is a flexible and long rope made out of metal. It also has a metal spiral on one of its ends. It’s a higher version of the bent wire solution.

  1. Boiling water

What is the best drain cleaner that is the cheapest, easiest and most accessible without even going out to a store? Well, its good ole’ H2O. If you want to try the most comfortable way first to see if it works out for you then, by all means, try boiling some water and pour it directly down the drain. Always make sure nobody else is with you to avoid any burning accidents. The boiled water will loosen up any hard substances that are clogging the drain.

We have discussed much-clogged drains and the DIY hacks and tricks. Now is the time to answer what is the best drain cleaner in the market? Well, it all depends upon your needs and how bad is the clogging,

So you must be wondering these were all the environmentally friendly solutions to fixing my clogged drain, what is the best drain cleaner that has chemicals in it. Well if you want to use them then always be careful and never mix different drain cleaners to form some deadly concoction. Chemicals react differently with each other, and every drain cleaner has different chemicals depending on their purpose and intensity. Leave all these to the professionals or follow one simple tried and tested solution.

Chemical drain cleaners

Chemical drain cleaners are mighty and strong. They get the job done 99% in just one go and in as little time possible. The magic in the drain cleaners is the chemical reaction they create once they are in contact with the clogging substances. It generates heat and the molecules of the breakdown of the meaning quickly. The dirt, grime and obstructive objects are all dissolved in no time, and you have a clean and unclogged drain. So if anyone asks you what the best drain cleaner that can do the quickest job is, then you can tell him/her this right off the bat.

So if the chemical drain cleaners are the quickest and effective then what the best drain cleaner is out of them all? There are three types of chemical drain cleaners out there:

 

What is the best drain cleaner with chemicals?

  • Caustic drain cleaners

These are the ones that include lye and caustic potash. They release electrons that touch the clogging material in the drain. The blogging then cleared up because of the hydroxide reaction. It type of drain cleaner is thick, but it easy to be poured down the drain.

  • Oxidizing drain cleaners

It one includes chemicals that have nitrates, peroxides and bleach. These are all potent ingredients and can bust out any blockages in an instant. It is also a thick drain cleaner, and it can also reach the clogging through the water even if the water is pooled up and not flowing.

What is the best drain cleaner for the most problematic clogged drains?

  • Acid drain cleaners

Be careful of these and chances are, you won’t be getting this one because hopefully will clear your clogged drain by using any of the first two drain cleaners. These types of drain cleaners are used only by professional plumbers and never found in stores. They contain too high amounts of concentrated chemicals and used in public drains, gutters and sewers.

So now must have solved all your clogging problems and you finally know the answer to what is the best drain cleaner.

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