This week’s tip is one I learned from my mom when I was a kid. I love it because it’s easy, inexpensive, safe for my family (and the environment!), and it works!
Ever have a drain that smells horrible, or just drains slowly? Ever wonder what you can do to fix it without using expensive, harsh, dangerous chemicals? Give this a try:
What you’ll need:
3 Tablespoons baking soda (bread soda)
1/4 cup white vinegar
Sprinkle the baking soda down the drain, and pour the vinegar on top so it bubbles. Let it sit for an hour, then rinse with boiling water. I use one kettle full of boling water, but you can use more/less if needed. You may find that the drain seems smellier after rinsing, especially if this is the first time you’ve cleaned it like this. Flush it with more boiling water, and if that doesn’t do the trick, just repeat the whole process.
Did this work for you? What Eco-friendly ideas do you use for cleaning stinky drains? Or the rest of the house?
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Comments 9
Thanks for the tip. I have to try this sometime.
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I have been doing this for a while myself. It is easy and cheap. Cleaning the drains on a regular basis keeps everything running smooth.
I just did my tub twice with this and I’d more vinegar though. I waited and our flushed with the water from the faucet, it’s scalding hot! Not tolerable kind of hot. I hear gurgling when the water goes down but then in the next shower still a clogged drain. Help! I don’t want to get frustrated and buy Drano!
Author
Sounds like you might need to get in there with tweezers or a drain snake. If there’s years worth of buildup or a large hair clog you need to clear that out by hand. That’s my hubby’s job in this house. 😉 Even with Draino if you have loads of buildup you’d need to do some by-hand cleaning.
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Worked a treat with the drain on our basin. Could only fit 2 tablespoons of baking soda down the drain but still did a great job. Thanks for the tip 🙂
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Awesome! In glad it worked for you!!
I have long hair and this would result in the bath tub drain getting clogged with hair – so about once a year we had to unscrew that filter over the drain and pull off the hair. no chemical will do that. it was a fairly easy job, just a bit unpleasant.