Tired of using expensive, toxic chemicals to clean your home? Learn how to quickly clear a clogged drain using edible ingredients from your kitchen pantry!
As someone who grew up with all sisters, lived more than half her life with very long, very thick, very curly hair, and now has 2 daughters with long thick hair, I have quite a bit of experience with clogged drains — specifically, hairy clogged drains.
I really wanted to share pictures of my most recent drain de-clogging session last week… but since Nora almost gagged when I showed her, I’ll spare you the visuals!
Needless to say, clogged drains are not only annoying, they are also really gross, and can even be quite smelly.
The chemical cleaners available in most grocery and hardware stores often smell even worse… and even though we love our plumber, I know how much it’s going to cost for a service call, and I try to avoid those calls (and costs) as much as possible!
Fortunately, I have an extremely quick, simple, easy, and frugal DIY recipe I use to clear my clogged drains… with ingredients from our pantry.
Oh, and it should only take you about 10 minutes total!
To date, this simple DIY method hasn’t failed me yet… and our girl’s hair has really put it to the test!
It works for bathtubs, showers, and bathroom sinks (I use a different method for my garbage disposal).
How to Clear a Clogged Drain
Tired of using expensive, toxic chemicals to clean your home? Learn how to quickly clear a clogged drain using edible ingredients from your kitchen pantry!
Materials
- Water
- Baking Soda
- Salt (any kind)
- White Distilled Vinegar
Tools
- Pot or kettle to boil water
- Drain Snake (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a kettle or large pot with water and bring to a boil.
- Remove drain stopper (if possible).
- (Optional) Use a drain snake to loosen debris.
- Pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup salt into the drain.
- Pour 2 cups vinegar over the baking soda and salt (this should create lots of bubbles.)
- After the bubbles die down, slowly pour several cups of boiling water down the drain (this will create more bubbles).
- Test drain and repeat process (if necessary) to remove any remaining debris.
Notes
Depending on how big your drain is and how bad the clog is, feel free to use more or less baking soda, salt, and vinegar. It does NOT need to be an exact measurement.
This same process works well for shower drains, tub drains, and sink drains. I have not tried it on garbage disposals though.
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That’s it!
As an added bonus, it’s almost like a mini science experiment for the kids to watch (mine love watching the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar).
If you’d like to invest a few bucks and expedite the drain-declogging process even more, I’d highly recommend purchasing a set of drain snakes.
We’ve had our set for well over 10 years and I use them on a monthly basis to help unclog various drains. It’s a tiny investment for how many plumber bills I’ve negated!
Related Reading:
- The Ultimate List of DIY Cleaners
- My Favorite All-Natural Products
- How I Clean My Shower
- 101 More Uses for Vinegar (I use this stuff daily!)
- DIY Hair Detangling Spray (it might help cut down on the hair that gets in your drain)
Bottom Line: Clogged drains are a pain… and really quite gross. You can remedy this problem in your home with just a few simple pantry staples and roughly 10 minutes.
Not too shabby!
Margaret says
This does work.
I have reduced the number of times I need to do it by replacing the shower drain with a fine-mesh plastic one that just sits on top. It does need to be scrubbed with a stiff brush about once a week (for one person), but it lowers the escape rate for hair down the drain considerably. I got mine at a pet supply place, but I’ve seen them on Amazon.
Now if I could just figure out how to keep toothpaste goo from building up in the sink drain I’d be in good shape.
Andrea says
Yes, I just got one of those mesh things for the drain in the kid’s shower — hopefully that will help with the hair buildup!
And… if you figure out the toothpaste thing, let me know 🙂
Callum Palmer says
I might try this out as I have a blocked drain at home. If it doesn’t work, do you think I should call a professional? That and I don’t want to risk damaging my pipes.
Andrea says
give it a try — if it doesn’t work, you could alway try chemical drain cleaners from the store. Or, yes, you could contact a professional! They would for sure be able to clear your clog!
Deanne says
Just used this method on a really, really clogged drain. My daughter has long ethnic hair. After continually pouring the hot water down, I eventually heard a clunk & the drain started flowing. I took out the stopper also & had to clean a mass of hair off of it! Really worked!
Susan says
Interesting. I’ve never tried this before but I’d sure recommend this before using chemical solutions. There are also cheap DIY drain-snake options.
Jesse says
We have a septic system, is this method safe to use for us?
Robert says
Yes it is very safe for septic systems much better than commercial drain clog removers which can cause more problems then just a stopped -up sink.
Sue says
yes,…
Sarah says
Thank you!!!! I constantly have clogged drains around here and I never remember to pick up drano (not to mention it gives me a headache). I’ve actually been using my husband’s bathroom sink for about a week because I haven’t picked up anything to unclog mine. I’m going to try this today!
Betsy says
Yes, I use this method ALL the time and it works great for me.
Sometimes I use a plumbers snake to get our really tough clogs…but I try not to use chemical cleaners — especially since we have older pipes and I’ve heard he chemicals are not good for the pipes.
Thanks for your tips — I’m obsessed with your website and can’t wait to keep reading!
Johnlyn says
I’ve never added salt before – I’ll have to try it and see if it helps! Using baking soda, vinegar and water has never fixed my problem before.
I’ve heard you after you pour the baking soda and vinegar down the drain you should close it for a bit. Not sure if that helps more or not!
Andrea says
yes, I’ve also heard about closing the drain after pouring the baking soda and vinegar in…but I’ve never tried it.
I also have a small “drain snake” that I run down the drain if it gets really clogged. You can find drain snakes at your local hardware store.
Nancy says
Andrea, have you every had your long plastic drain snake snap (break) while you were pulling it out with all the hair on it? I’m worried about that.
I’ve been with you since Nora was a toddler! Thank you for all your ideas and advice over the years!!
Andrea says
Hi Nancy, we’ve never had any issues with our drain snake (I honestly never thought of it getting stuck or breaking off) so I feel they are probably made quite well. We’be been using the same one since before we bought our farmhouse (so over 10 years) with no issues (knock on wood)!
Taylor at Household Management 101 says
I do this myself. It works really well, and I love that it is all natural.