Four Unconventional Methods for Fixing a Clogged Drain

Are you here because your drain has clogged?

Because you smell the awful odors coming from the pipe?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

The clogged drain has been an enemy to anyone who has ever owned a home. The water backs up, horrible smells linger, a pipe overflows…these things are inconvenient at best, icky at worst. And what is a person to do if faced with a clogged drain?

The first thought usually is to call a plumber.

And it’s true: Plumbing services are handy. But did you know there are home solutions that can eliminate most clogged drains? The most conventional methods use a plunger and a snake. But there are some unconventional solutions as well. The next four require just a few ingredients and a little bit of science.

Baking Soda and Vinegar

Baking soda is the perfect cleaning agent. Studies have shown that it eats away at plaque, erodes surface rust, and is used in a paste for reducing corrosion. Combine it with vinegar (1/2 cup to 1/2 cup) and let it fizz. Once it starts, pour it down the drain. The fizz eats away at the clog. Wait an hour, then flush the pipe out with hot water.

Boiling Water

This is perhaps the easiest way to unclog a drain. Heat eats away at clogs, melting matted toilet paper and debris. Set a pot to boil, preferably with at least six gallons of water. Pour the hot water down in intervals. Between each pour, wait seven to eight minutes for the hot water to work its magic.

High Gravity and Pressure

This builds off the first step. Put the baking soda and vingar mix down the drain. Place a stopper, then fill the container (bathtub, toilet, kitchen sink) with water. After an hour, release the stopper. The weight of the water in the container adds gravity and pressure, removing clogs.

Dish Detergent

Dish detergent is made up of ingredients that eat away at grease and food residue. Using it to unclog a drain requires another factor: boiling water. Boil a few cups of water, add around 1/2 a cup of dish detergent to the point where the solution is fizzy. Pour it down the drain. The solution eats away at grease and removes the debris in the pipe.

Those are four unconventional methods for removing clogs from drains. The clogged drain is tricky; it has been around since time eternal, or at least since the advent of the first pipes many millennia ago.

With the average American household using 70 gallons of water per day, keeping drains unclogged prevents everything from sewer overflows to dirty water spilling into the house. Faced with a clogged drain and don’t want to call a plumber? Try the four methods above.