How to Unclog a Drain with Salt and Vinegar

The combination of salt and vinegar can help break down gunk and clogs in your drain, and it’s also a good natural odor eliminator. To make a simple clog-busting solution, mix together 1 cup (273 g) of salt with 1 cup (237 mL) of vinegar. Stir the salt and vinegar mixture until it’s smooth. For extra unclogging power, you can add half a cup (118 mL) of lemon juice as well. If there’s a stopper in the drain, remove it. Then, pour the mixture down the drain slowly, and try to coat all sides of the drain as you pour. Let the mixture sit in the drain for 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes if the clog is extra stubborn. Next, boil 4 cups (about 1 L) of water and slowly pour the hot water down the drain to rinse away the solution you made and any dissolved gunk. You can also create a fizzy clog cleaner by dumping .25 cups (68.25 g) of salt and half a cup (115.2 g) of baking soda down the drain. Follow up with 1 cup (237 mL) of simmering hot vinegar. You may see the mixture fizzing and bubbling in the drain. After about 15 minutes, rinse the drain with 2 cups (.47 L) of boiling water. If you don’t have any vinegar on hand, just salt and boiling water alone might be enough to fix the problem. Pour half a cup (136.5 g) of salt directly down the drain, then follow it with 4 cups (1 liter) of boiling hot water. Then, run hot water from the tap for a few minutes to rinse the drain. If it’s still clogged, repeat the process a few times until your drain runs smoothly again. For tips on unclogging a drain with just salt, read on!