How to clean drain pipes using vinegar and soda

If your sewer pipes are clogged, in most cases it is not necessary to seek help from professional plumbers. First, you can try cleaning the drain yourself. To do this, you only need table vinegar and soda.

During operation, a layer of dirt forms on the walls of the home sewer system over time, which can completely block the drain. In this case, baking soda and vinegar for cleaning pipes will come in handy. They will allow you to deal with the problem yourself, without resorting to the help of plumbers.

Why does the drain get clogged?

Over time, the clearance of sewer pipes decreases, and water flows into the sewer worse. The reason for this is usually grease, detergents, and food residues settling on the walls of the drain pipes. If measures are not taken in a timely manner, sediment from all kinds of dirt can completely block the drain. Even if metal sewer pipes are replaced with modern plastic ones, this will still not save you from this problem.

Most often, blockages occur in the kitchen under the sink, and a little less often in the bathtub. The toilet drain gets clogged much less often and the cause of this is usually objects that accidentally get into it: diapers, rags, hygiene items, bags. If the water has completely stopped flowing into the sewer, then most likely you will have to pick up a special cable and clean the drains mechanically or seek help from specialists.But it is better to clean the pipes in a timely manner, when the first signs of blockage appear.

Cleaning pipes with baking soda and vinegar

If water begins to slowly flow down the drain or an unpleasant odor appears near the sink or bathtub, these are the first signs that the drain needs to be cleaned, without waiting until the blockage completely blocks the drain pipes.

You can clean the drain using improvised means that are available in almost any kitchen, without resorting to special chemicals sold in hardware stores. Table vinegar and baking soda are excellent for removing various sediments from the inner walls of the drain.

It is advisable to disassemble and clean the siphons under the sink and bathtub before cleaning the pipes. These devices are used to collect various waste - fat, pieces of food washed off plates and other small debris that ends up in the drain. In addition, the water located in the bend of the siphon (water seal) does not allow unpleasant odors from the sewer to penetrate into the apartment. It is good if siphons with screwed cups are installed. This greatly simplifies and speeds up the work.

Before disassembling the siphon, it is necessary to install some kind of container under it to drain dirty water and settled dirt from the sump.

After cleaning and assembling the siphons, you can use baking soda and vinegar to clear sediment from the sewer pipes. For this you will need:

• Baking soda at the rate of 1/2 box per flush.
• Vinegar - approximately 100 ml per drain hole.
• A kettle with boiling water.
• A rag or tissue that can be used to tightly plug the drain hole.

You must work with rubber gloves. Safety glasses will also come in handy to protect you from accidental splashes.Vinegar is quite aggressive and can cause severe burns to the skin and mucous membranes.

Once all the ingredients are prepared, you can begin the cleaning process.

1. Pour about half a pack of dry baking soda into the drain hole. Do not mix it with water or other liquid.
2. After this, you need to pour about 100-150 ml of vinegar there. It is desirable that it be warm. To do this, place the container with this acid in hot water or heat it in a microwave oven.
3. Quickly plug the drain hole with a prepared rag so that the foam formed as a result of the reaction of soda with vinegar is distributed inside the pipe and does not come out.
4. This mixture must be kept in the drain for half an hour so that it dissolves the sediment. During this time you need to boil the kettle.
5. After the specified time has elapsed, remove the rag and slowly pour all the boiling water from the kettle into the drain hole.

If, after cleaning, the water still does not drain well enough, this means that the blockage has not been completely removed, and the pipes must be cleaned again.

Other ways to clean a drain with improvised means

You can clear the sewer from blockages using other available means, but the efficiency will be slightly lower than the previous method.

• You can clean the drain with baking soda and table salt. They are poured into the drain hole, half a glass at a time, poured with boiling water and left for 8-10 hours. You cannot use the sewer during this period.
• Instead of vinegar, you can use lemon juice or citric acid to clean drains.
• You can get by with just soda. Pour a glass of dry soda into the drain and pour boiling water (about 1 liter). After some time, rinse with water.

It is unacceptable to use improvised means immediately after cleaning the sewer with special chemical compounds purchased in the store. Compounds may be formed whose vapors are harmful to human health.

It is clear that it is much easier and cheaper to clean the sewer pipes yourself, without waiting for a serious blockage. Therefore, if the water has become worse going into the sewer, this means that it is time to clear the drain of sediment.