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Slow or clogged drains, especially when one is taking a shower, truly tests one’s patience. The reasons behind the drain being clogged are plenty. With that being said, let us take a quick look at some ways to clean and unclog your shower or sink drains. But before you do that, pull on some rubber gloves and let the unclogging game begin.

1. Manual Unclogging

For a recent clog, the reason behind this is usually a wad of debris stuck in your drain that can be removed easily with your hands. In case, the debris is stuck a little further down the drain, a wire hanger or a hook being plunged into the drain will help do the trick. Eradicating odor, preventing leaks, and getting better drainage are some benefits of cleaning the drains.

2. Utilize a Drain Snake

In the case of a slightly bigger clog, a drain snake or a plumbers snake is the best alternative to use. It can be found at your nearest hardware store and comes quite handy when one needs to fix a clog. The drain snake comes in both a metallic as well as a disposable plastic version. After using the drain snake, ensure that it is cleaned thoroughly. 

3. Pour Boiling Water

If the drain snake does not work out, pouring a hot pot of water down the drain is the next way to deal with a clogged drain. The boiling water helps dissolve the buildup in the drain, which usually includes soap scum and other wastes. The process can be performed twice or thrice until the drain is unclogged.

4. Avail a Plunger

A common misconception about the plunger is that it is only used for the toilet. This is not at all true and can be used for unclogging drains. The best type of plunger is the cup-styled one. Around 6 pumps of the plunger are good to clear a clog. In case the clog still exists, go ahead with a few more pumps. 

5. Make use of a Natural Drain Cleaner

Quite a few individuals prefer to use natural cleaners to unclog as well as clean their sinks due to its multiple benefits. The most common natural remedy used is white vinegar and baking soda. A cup of baking soda is poured down the drain followed by a cup of vinegar. The mixture of these two ingredients helps unclog the block. The products must be left to settle for at least an hour following which water must be used to rinse the drain. 

6. Use Drinking soda, Caustic soda, and Dish Detergents

Soda’s and detergents are other great remedies to unclog drains. Detergents are made of mild chemicals and are used to treat minor clogs. In case one is looking for a stronger alternative for a bigger clog, caustic soda is used. Drinking sodas such as Coca-Cola are effective and caustic in nature. They are milder than cleaners but a good 2 liters of drinking soda is known to clear out a clog. 

7. Clean Drain Trap

Quite a few times the clog is located in the drain trap itself. The drain trap, also known as the U-pipe, is usually situated under the sink or the plughole. The runoff from the pipe must be emptied into a bucket after loosening the nuts on either side of the pipe. After cleaning the pipe, reattach it.

8. Use Strong Chemicals

Strong chemical cleaners are easily available at the hardware store as well as in supermarkets. These are quite dangerous to human skin. Take precautions such as wearing gloves and not inhaling the chemicals while using them. Ensure that the chemicals are not mixed with each other and follow the instructions mentioned at the back of its packaging. If you have high-quality fixtures, such as faucets from Oltsw faucets, ensure that these strong chemicals do not fall on them. 

9. Make use of a wet/dry Vacuum

It is not very often that people use a vacuum to clean out a clog but it does do the trick, especially when the blockage level is high. To use this, a seal such as the head of a plunger over the drain must be done so as to avoid a huge mess from being created. Then start using the vacuum with the most powerful suction while turning on the liquid setting. This must be done for around 1 or 2 minutes before checking if it has unclogged the drain. Repeat the process if necessary. 

10. Call a plumber

If nothing works out, the final step is to call a plumber. The plumber is a professional who has dealt with all scenarios drain-related. He would know the issue with your drain and help fix it easily.

Conclusion 

It can be quite a nuisance to use the bathroom with a clogged drain. Both artificial chemicals and natural chemicals are good solutions to fix the problem. We hope the above-mentioned tips will aid you to clean and unclog your drains. If not, hope you have called your nearest plumber. 

Photos By: Freepik

No matter how much that you try to prevent it, the drains in our house can easily become blocked up with many different things. Whether it is the drains in your bathroom or your kitchen, a clogged-up drain can be a nightmare to unblock and clean. If you have a drain in your house that you are struggling you unblock, then here are a few easy ways to unblock the drains in your house that every homeowner should try.

Use a Hair Catcher 

A practical and useful tool that I believe every homeowner should have in their house is a bathtub hair catcher. When it comes to keeping the drain in either your shower or bath unclogged, a bathtub hair catcher is a necessity. Unlike other drain strainers that go over the drain of your shower or bath, this useful tool actually fits inside of the drain. Seeing as the bathtub hair catcher fits inside of the drain, it neatly and easily collects all the hair that is stuck in your drain. When you wash your hair in either the bath of the shower it is very common for strands of your hair to fall out, no matter what your age is or what the condition of your hair is like. These strands of hair can easily accumulate in the bath or shower drain, causing it to become blocked up and making it difficult for water to run down the drain. A bathtub hair catcher will collect these hairs within the drain and save you the annoying task of fishing them out yourself. 

Mix Baking Soda and Vinegar

When it comes to unclogging a drain, using baking soda and vinegar is an effective and reliable method. This method of unblocking a drain has been used for centuries and is used by many different homeowners across the world. To unblock a drain in your house with baking soda and vinegar all your need to do is follow a few simple steps. Firstly, you will need to mix 1/3rd of a cup of baking soda with 1/3rd of a cup of vinegar. Doing this will create a mixture that is effective as breaking down any dirt or grime that is stuck in your drain. Once you add the vinegar to the baking soda you will notice that it will begin to bubble and fizz quickly. This fizz is due to the two substances chemically reacting against each other. As soon as this mixture begins to fizz you should quickly pour it down your drain. It is recommended that you leave this mixture in your drain for at least an hour or as long as you can, in order for it to break down all the dirt in your drain. The next thing that you will need to do is flush the mixture out with hot water. In doing this you will remove all of the mixture and the broken-down dirt from your drain, leaving it clear and free of dirt.

Try Using Boiling Water

If you do not have access to baking soda or vinegar, a simple way of unblocking a drain is to simply use boiling water. This method is as easy as it sounds and involves you pouring boiling water from your kettle down your drain a number of times. Pouring boiling water down your drain in different stages will allow the hot water to break down and flush away any dirt that is stuck in your drain. This method of unblocking must be repeated a number of times for it to unblock your drain effectively. So, if your drain is severely blocked and full of dirt, this method may not be as successful for you as other drain unblocking methods.   

Use Dish Detergent

Another method that is easy and effective when it comes to unclogging either your bathroom or kitchen sink drain, is to use a dish detergent. Dish detergent, otherwise known as washing up liquid, is not only an effective method that is used to unblock a drain, but it is also very cheap. It is more than likely that you will already have dish detergent in your house, meaning you won’t have to go out and buy some. To unblocked your drain with dish detergent all you will need to do is squeeze a small amount of the detergent down your drain followed by some boiling water. The mixture of detergent and boiling water will act as a lubricant and is great for breaking down any dirt and greasy residue that is stuck in your drain. This method is also a great way of unclogging a blocked toilet, meaning you can unblock all the drains in your house at once. 

Try Caustic Soda

If you have a drain in your house that is extremely blocked, and none of the previous methods that were mentioned have worked for you, then you should maybe try using some caustic soda. Caustic soda, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a very strong substance that can be used for a number of different things. This substance is extremely effective at breaking up grease, dirt and hair that is stuck in a drain. When using caustic soda to unclog a drain all you need to do is mix it with some cold water in a jug. You should then pour this mixture down your drain carefully and watch it begin to bubble up. Once it has finished bubbling up you should leave this mixture in the drain for at least 20 or 30 minutes for the mixture to work its magic. You will then need to rinse the drain out a couple of times with some boiling water to remove all of the mixture and dirt from your drain. When using caustic soda, it should be noted that it is extremely strong and harmful so use it with great caution.

Use an Unblocking Product

If you are looking for a simpler way to unblock a drain in your house, then there are a number of different products and detergents available that do an effective job. Many companies offer detergents that are specially designed to unblock a number of different drains. These products are relatively cheap and easy to use and can easily be found in your local supermarket. When using these detergents all you need to do is pour them down your blocked drain, leave them to sit for a certain period of time and then flush it away with boiling water. These detergents contain lots of different chemicals that are great at breaking down and removing dirt, grease, and grime that can get stuck in your drain. Another benefit of these detergents is that the smell good too. This means that not only do they do a great job at unblocking your drain, but they also leave your drain smelling great too.  

Reach Out to a Plumber

If you have tried all of the methods above, it is recommended that you reach out to your local plumbing company to get the job done. There are times when traditional methods at home aren’t enough to unblock a drain and the problem could be much more serious that requires the assistance of a professional. Let the pros handle it, and it should be unblocked in no time! Once you have gotten your drain unblocked, make sure to maintain a clean sink by avoiding putting things like food bits down the drain or dumping hardened cooking oil.

Hopefully, this guide has opened your eyes to all of the effective and easy ways of unblocking a drain in your bathroom or kitchen. So, next time that you have a clogged-up drain in your house, try out one of these methods and your drain will be clean in no time.