Imagine that you’re doing the dishes. Then, you notice that the water is overflowing and doesn’t seem to be coming down. You’ve come to the disturbing realization that your drain must be clogged. What should you do? Drain cleaning is essential in populous residential zones because most sewage and overflow come from houses, with anywhere from 40 to 90% of homes with failing systems in one form or another. So what are you to do if you have a clogged drain? Here are some options to consider if your issue isn’t too severe yet.
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Use Baking Soda and Vinegar
Some people argue against this technique being the right solution in the long run. However, it’s one of the most popular go-to moves for people who need to unclog immediately and have to use materials that are likely available right away. It’s a good option if you need to get it done at the moment.
All you need to do is pour in half a cup of baking soda with hot water. Then after a while, follow through with a half cup of vinegar. The idea is that the chemical reaction will loosen any bits and grime that have stuck to the rims of your drain and allow them to go down smoothly with another wash of hot water. An important thing to remember is not to mix them and to make sure that you give it some time before you pour each component.
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Combine Hot Water and Detergent
Sometimes, the simple solution works for the situation. If you’re struggling to break up any clogged gunk in your drains, mix up some boiling water (it should be near boiling temperature but not quite there) with a tablespoon of dishwashing detergent. Pour that mixture down the struggling drain and wait for around five minutes to see the results. This mixture is another good option if you are faced with an overflow suddenly and need a fix with items that you have within your reach.
Also, a comparison has shown that while the previous method helps push things down effectively, this way dissolves the pesky cloggers. The trouble comes with how it may corrode your pipes if you do it too often.
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Make Use of Drain Snakes
You can purchase this item easily at any hardware store, or you can even create a makeshift version using wire hangers. Essentially, this method goes the opposite route of getting rid of the build-up by fishing out whatever may be backed up in there instead of trying to loosen it enough to go down the drain. While this solution may not target whatever’s causing your pipes to be clogged all the time, it at least gets rid of the things that get caught and block the path completely.
If those solutions don’t work, you may be facing a more complicated issue that needs the intervention of professionals. It may also help you to find more permanent results that prevent further damage so that you can avoid additional expenses in the future.
