There are thousands of ways to unclog the drain. We always rely on different chemicals but the crisis is that the violent chemical reaction may hurt the pipe so sometimes we will need some gentle and more effective methods.
Therefore, you may hear how to unclog a drain with baking soda and vinegar. I think this is the most commonly used natural method in this situation.
In below, I will teach you how to do this. Actually, it’s not as difficult as you think. The whole process is very simple.
The Principle
The principle of baking soda + vinegar is not corrosive. It’s different. When we cook, we always use vinegar to the season, which means that the vinegar itself is not a very active chemical. It does not react chemically with surrounding objects so it can be used with peace of mind. Similarly, we will use baking soda because it is also inactive.
If they are not corrosive, how can they unclog the drain?
The reason is that vinegar is a kind of acid, and baking soda is a kind of alkali. Even if they are not active, but when you mix it together, it will still have a neutralization reaction and release a lot of heat. It will also react with the surrounding organic matter.
The mechanism is the same, just the reaction is not so intense… but this is exactly what we need because it will be safer than using chemicals.
Instruction
Before we start, we need to prepare a few things:
- vinegar
- baking soda
- a pair of rubber gloves
- a large pot of hot water
Step 1: Pour Hot Water Into The Drain
When it comes to chemical reactions, the higher the ambient temperature, the more intense the chemical reaction, which makes it easy to achieve the desired effect.
Therefore, we will pour some hot water into the drain so that the environment will heat up. After the water is slowly drained, we can move on to the next step.
Step 2: Add Baking Soda
Baking soda is not difficult to buy. You can buy it in the supermarket that always has several options. Pour baking soda into the clogged drain. (If you don’t know how much actually? In fact, it means enough. You can pour more)
Until this moment, there should be no chemical reaction. You should only see a bunch of white powder in the drain.
If the picture in front of you is not like this, that means you probably do something wrong.
Step 3: Add Vinegar
Then prepare a large cup of vinegar, put on gloves, and pour into the drain. The chemical reaction will start at this moment.
You will see the gas come out from the drain or feel the temperature increased. This is normal. Don’t worry. Just be careful not to be splashed by chemicals.
Let this reaction last for five minutes. It should be enough for the entire chemical reaction to be completed.
Step 4: Pour The Hot Water
Then all you have to do is to pour the full pot of hot water into the drain to wash away the blockage that has broken down into small pieces in the drain.
And if you don’t have hot water, this step can use room temperature water actually. But the result will be better if you pour hot water.
This is the instruction of unclogging a drain with baking soda and vinegar. Compared to other chemicals, it is slow but it is safer and it will not damage the drain. Therefore, if your drain is clogged next time, you can try this method first before using chemicals.
Do you have more ways to unclog the drain? Please share it with us. I always want to learn something new and try something new at home.
My other posts talk more about How To Clean With Vinegar And Baking Soda (25 Tips). I think you can learn more inside.
If you have any questions about that, please let me know.
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