apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

When we moved into out apartment, the drain in the master bathroom was super clogged. So, I knew what would work and got right on it (which is the baking soda/vinegar/boiling water suggestion)...well, it didn't work the first time so I tried again. I've had to do it 2 times in the past at our old apartment before it worked, so I didn't think much of it. I tried a total of 5 times, each time with LOTS of boiling water, and it just didn't work. I was so bummed the day I had to go buy drain-o...

Since then I've been doing a small bs/vin/boiling h2o flush every month or so so I don't have to use the nasty stuff again!

Yeah, the baking soda/vinegar/boiling water combo is great for upkeep, but not for actually loosening a badly clogged drain. If your sink is already really slow, you probably need something stronger.

I cleaned my sink drain with a screwdriver, but my drain plunger just happened to be broken at the time. Drano probably couldn't cut all that because it's been down there twice since I've lived here, and since I have a hard time believing I'm the sole cause of all that gunk in a relatively short amount of time, I have doubts anything would work it out and flush it through completely. Of course, Drano probably did contribute to the corrosion of the plunger breaking off from the stick that opens and closes it.

I always try to physically clear a sink drain first with one of those mini-size plungers. Make sure to cover the overflow hole with a wet rag, fill the sink with some water and plunge away. This has worked for me 95% of the time. For a clogged bathtub drain, I use the larger (toilet sized) plunger, which usually works except for the one time it just moved the clog to a worse position and blocked everything completely. Then I had to break out a cheap ($6) drain snake my dad gave me years ago, but did clear the clog that way. Once the clog is cleared out, I flush with a kettle of boiling water. There is lots of info on the internets about how to plunge and snake your drains. No chemicals needed.

Since everyone is always the most concerned about what is the most green - I would think the most green, the cheapest, and probably the most effective option is just to get a snake and get rid of the problem for real. With the baking soda and vinegar you are going to have to keep buying that once a month and wasting your time over and over. With a snake you can blast it out of there and be done with it, and they aren't too expensive.

Just wanted to point out that its not always a clog... I moved into a new apartment and discovered the reason our bathroom drain is slow is because the landlord/super did a half-assed job fixing it once upon a time. they used an S pipe (instead of a P) of 1.5" thickness to connect two 1.25" pipes. you can imagine what sort of behavior this creates.

No drain cleaning substance will save us now :(

I like Bio-Clean; a combination of bacteria & enzymes that "eats" organic matter. We are hyper-careful to wipe off dishes before washing them because our waste water is pumped UP to the main line. If grease builds up on the pump's ball float (like in a toilet tank), it doesn't work and you have a messy clean-out ahead of you. A Bio-Clean maintenance program keeps us down to an annual visit from the plumber to disassemble and thoroughly clean. Safe on pipes too.

My kitchen sink has a slow draining problem occasionally. The issue, I've decided, is that after the P trap, it travels sideways at a slow angle for about 15', causing food bits to pile up before they hit the main drain. SO -- I discovered quite accidentally, that if you really blast the drain with some water pressure, it pushes everything through.

My solution involves a water-supply line (like you have under your sink connecting to the copper pipes), fitted with an adaptor for the faucet. Connect them to the faucet, point the hose down the drain, and turn it up full blast... The water backs up for a second but then everything goes through all at once. No chemicals, nothing but about a gallon of water....

plunger, snake. they're both green.

but, I'd like to note, at the risk of repeating myself,

"With a little baking soda, white vinegar, and boiling water you should be able to fix a slow draining sink without any chemicals"

baking soda is a chemical
vinegar is a chemical

thanks for letting me mention this.

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