Vinegar for Slow or Mostly Clogged Drains
works. Baking soda is idiotic.
A principal cause of drain clogs is mineral build-up from the water itself, rust from older iron pipes, and black mold (really, yes, black mold in your drains). Vinegar will dissolve those. (As well as your granite or marble countertop if you're not careful.)
DO NOT USE BAKING SODA NO MATTER WHAT SOMEBODY MORE STUPID THAN YOU SAID. Throwing baking soda down the drain along with the vinegar will defeat the process and actually add to the clog. The vinegar will be working to dissolve the baking soda, the baking soda will be working to neutralize the vinegar, and the clog will be eating popcorn and watching the two fight it out. Once the baking soda has neutralized the vinegar, it will reform itself into a solid and become assimilated into the clog. The idea of combining baking soda and vinegar was likely conceived by idiots who think that the foaming bubbles will work out the clog. For that matter, never throw baking soda down your drains, ever. It's powdered rock, for crying out loud. Get past fifth-grade science fair volcanoes, morons, and think about how things work.
So here's how you do it. Get a gallon of cheap white distilled vinegar from the supermarket. Pour it down your drain until it backs up to the top of your drain. Start boiling a teakettle full of water. You should see, after a time, the vinegar drain out. Pour the boiling water down the drain. If you have been eating all your vegetables and saying your prayers every night, you should see the water drain fast with a whoosh and/or gurgle. Clog gone.
To be safe, pour the remaining vinegar down the drain. Keep pouring even though it's draining away. Vinegar is cheap. Pour another teakettle of boiling water down the drain. Get the idea? You're hunting down the broken up survivors of the clog.
As a final step, wash the vinegar (and any clog remnants) thoroughly out of your pipes by letting your faucets run for a couple of minutes. You don't want it sitting there -- it will corrode the pipes.
WARNING: If you do not know that boiling water and vinegar should be handled carefully because they can hurt you or your family members, you have no business being alone on the internet. Find an "assisted living" home that does not have a minimum IQ requirement.
A principal cause of drain clogs is mineral build-up from the water itself, rust from older iron pipes, and black mold (really, yes, black mold in your drains). Vinegar will dissolve those. (As well as your granite or marble countertop if you're not careful.)
DO NOT USE BAKING SODA NO MATTER WHAT SOMEBODY MORE STUPID THAN YOU SAID. Throwing baking soda down the drain along with the vinegar will defeat the process and actually add to the clog. The vinegar will be working to dissolve the baking soda, the baking soda will be working to neutralize the vinegar, and the clog will be eating popcorn and watching the two fight it out. Once the baking soda has neutralized the vinegar, it will reform itself into a solid and become assimilated into the clog. The idea of combining baking soda and vinegar was likely conceived by idiots who think that the foaming bubbles will work out the clog. For that matter, never throw baking soda down your drains, ever. It's powdered rock, for crying out loud. Get past fifth-grade science fair volcanoes, morons, and think about how things work.
So here's how you do it. Get a gallon of cheap white distilled vinegar from the supermarket. Pour it down your drain until it backs up to the top of your drain. Start boiling a teakettle full of water. You should see, after a time, the vinegar drain out. Pour the boiling water down the drain. If you have been eating all your vegetables and saying your prayers every night, you should see the water drain fast with a whoosh and/or gurgle. Clog gone.
To be safe, pour the remaining vinegar down the drain. Keep pouring even though it's draining away. Vinegar is cheap. Pour another teakettle of boiling water down the drain. Get the idea? You're hunting down the broken up survivors of the clog.
As a final step, wash the vinegar (and any clog remnants) thoroughly out of your pipes by letting your faucets run for a couple of minutes. You don't want it sitting there -- it will corrode the pipes.
WARNING: If you do not know that boiling water and vinegar should be handled carefully because they can hurt you or your family members, you have no business being alone on the internet. Find an "assisted living" home that does not have a minimum IQ requirement.
posted by nk at 11:46 AM
8 Comments:
“The vinegar will be working to dissolve the baking soda, the baking soda will be working to neutralize the vinegar, and the clog will be eating popcorn and watching the two fight it out.” The image that's in my head right now, haha! That aside, thanks for sharing this! I usually get a jug of industrial cleaners and end up in a fit of coughing because of the smell. I'm pretty sure I can deal with the smell of vinegar better, so I'm definitely using this trick when my drain gets clogged again.
I've always found it weird why they had to combine baking soda with vinegar to do that. I've always found that vinegar alone is powerful enough to get rid of those clogs. I guess they're just fascinated with the chemical reaction? If you find yourself not able to take the smell of the concentrated vinegar, you could always add some lemon juice to reduce the smell.
Levi Eslinger @ Capital Plumbing
Thanks for pointing that out, NK. While both of them have their own cleaning property, baking soda is only good for whitening and polishing tiles, and other kitchen utensils. It wouldn't be of any use if these two were combined together, since they will just cancel each other out. Anyway, it would be more helpful if you use an auger when cleaning your drain as well, so you can poke those big clogs that the vinegar could not immediately dissolve.
Diana Miller @ Plumber Perth
I thought the point of vinegar and baking soda was to use the vinegar (acid) in to dissolve the mess and later follow up with baking soda (base) and hot water to neutralize any leftover acid before it enters the water supply or outside pipes etc.
Haha! Clog watching them fight it out. Well done. hahahaha
This much informative article I didn't read Anywhere thanks for sharing such a good article
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Thank you for the honest advice on drain cleaning! Vinegar seems like a smart solution. Your insights on avoiding baking soda are invaluable.
Thank you for sharing this helpful post. When it comes to Plumbing solutions in St Gilbert AZ , Whitewater Plumbing is the best in the business.
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