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When you’ve got a nasty, clogged drain and no drain cleaner on hand, you can make your own homemade drain de-clogger using iodized salt and vinegar. Why should you pour salt down the drain? The combination of abrasive salt with the cleaning power of vinegar should be able to cut through the toughest clogs, and the mild acidity won't damage your pipes. [1] X Research source We'll show you how to make a DIY drain cleaner with ingredients you already have at home.
Getting Rid of a Clogged Drain with Salt
Salt is very effective at unclogging drains because it's naturally abrasive. Pour 1/2 cup of salt down the clogged drain and follow that with 4 cups of boiling water. Then, run hot water from the tap to flush the drain more. Repeat this process a few times until the drain is fully unclogged and flush it with cold water.
Steps
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Pour salt down the drain. Although the acidity from vinegar helps to eat through grease and other clogs, salt alone will scour the inside of the pipe, since it is so coarse and abrasive. Measure a 1/2 cup of salt. Then pour it directly down the drain. [2] X Research source
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Rinse the drain with boiling water. Boil 4 cups of water first. Pour this slowly down the drain. Aim the water directly into the drain to avoid scalding yourself with any splash-back. Once the boiled water has gone, run hot water from the tap to further flush the drain. [3] X Research sourceAdvertisement
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Repeat. Since you are only using salt, you will probably need to do this a few times to remove the clog. Continue to add salt in 1/2-cup increments, flushing with boiling water each time, before adding more. [4] X Research source Avoid dumping too much in at one time.
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Pour dry ingredients down the drain. Use a narrow cup or glass for mixing. Pour in a 1/2 cup of baking soda. [5] X Research source Add a 1/4 cup of salt. Stir until they are evenly mixed. Remove the stopper from the drain if there is one. Then pour the contents down the drain.
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Add warm vinegar. Heat 1 cup of vinegar in the microwave or on the stovetop. Once it reaches simmering, pour it directly down the drain. Cover the drain immediately with a stopper, plug, or even the bottom of the cup or glass you used for mixing, because the baking soda will cause the vinegar to froth and bubble. Contain the reaction within the drain as much as possible for best results. [6] X Research source
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Rinse the drain with boiling water. Wait 15 minutes so the clog can absorb the mixture as much as possible. For tougher clogs, wait 30 minutes. In the meantime, boil 2 cups of water. Once the clog has had time to soak, remove the drain cover and pour the boiling water down the drain to rinse, followed by hot tap water. [7] X Research source
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Mix salt and vinegar. In a small bowl, pour 1 cup of salt. Add 1 cup of vinegar. Stir well so the salt soaks up all the vinegar. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and even.
- Add a 1/2 cup of lemon juice and mix thoroughly to give your paste some extra declogging-power thanks to the juice’s acidity.
- If the clog is located deep within the pipe, or if you're leaving the lemon juice out, add more vinegar for a thinner mixture so it travels more easily.
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Pour the mixture into the drain. First, remove the drain's stopper. Then pour the mixture directly down the drain. Coat the entire drain so the whole clog is sure to absorb the mixture. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes so the clog can absorb as much as possible. [8] X Research source For especially stubborn clogs, let the clog soak for 30 minutes.
- If you are unable to remove the stopper, add more vinegar to the mixture before pouring so it's thinner.
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Rinse the drain with boiling water. Boil 4 cups of water with a kettle or pan. Then pour the water directly into the drain. Pour slowly to avoid splash-back, which may scald you. Also pour slowly so you can aim the water directly into the drain instead of splashing the basin, which may absorb the heat and cool the water on contact before it reaches the clog. [9] X Research source
- Use boiling water instead of running hot water from the tap, since it may take a while for the hot water to kick in.
- Be careful about using boiling water on PVC pipes. The hot water can damage or loosen the pipe seals. [10] X Research source
Expert Q&A
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QuestionDo you need to use the salt?Kadi Dulude is a House Cleaning Professional and the Owner of Wizard of Homes, a New York City-based cleaning company. Kadi has over 10 years of experience and manages a team of over 90 registered cleaning professionals. Her cleaning advice has been featured in Architectural Digest and New York Magazine.No, you can just use baking soda and vinegar. The salt may help, but I've never used it before.
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QuestionCan you use brown vinegar?Community AnswerYes, you can try brown vinegar if that's all you have. Generally people usually use white vinegar for cleaning because they're afraid of stains from darker varieties, but for a drain that shouldn't matter.
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QuestionWhy does the water I'm running down the garbage disposal in the left sink of a double sink sometimes come up in the right hand sink while I'm running the disposal?Community AnswerIf you are disposing of a lot of garbage then it will start clogging the drain until the water washes it down the drain. In the meantime, the water will normally come up on the right side. Best to not try to dispose of too much at a time or you may end up cleaning out the drain. I have done this and ended up taking the drain apart and manually clearing out the garbage. Go slowly when using the disposal, and make sure you've got the water running on full blast.
Video
Tips
- Repeat steps if the clog has not been resolved.Thanks
- These steps are safe for septic systems.Thanks
- Always use hot to boiling water for rinsing out the drain instead of cold to lukewarm water, since the hotter it is, the more grease it will melt.Thanks
Things You'll Need
- Salt
- Vinegar
- Mixing bowl or cup
- Spoon
- Baking soda (optional)
- Lemon juice (optional)
- Boiled water
References
- ↑ https://plumbertip.com/will-vinegar-hurt-pvc-pipes/
- ↑ http://brendid.com/how-to-naturally-clean-a-clogged-drain/
- ↑ https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/how-to-unclog-a-drain/
- ↑ http://brendid.com/how-to-naturally-clean-a-clogged-drain/
- ↑ https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/how-to-unclog-a-drain/
- ↑ http://tidymom.net/2011/unclog-drain-with-baking-soda/
- ↑ http://tidymom.net/2011/unclog-drain-with-baking-soda/
- ↑ https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/clogged-sink-3-easy-fix-it-methods-with-things-you-already-have-around-the-house/
- ↑ https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/how-to-unclog-a-drain/
About This Article
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!
Reader Success Stories
- "Baking soda, salt and vinegar works. It takes a while to get the mixture down into the drain. I pour in boiling water first, then the mixture followed by hot vinegar, then sealing drain. 15 minutes later, pour in a couple quarts of boiling water." ..." more
