Why does grandma pour salt into the toilet and sink?

Sewer pipes tend to get clogged, and a special cleaning agent is not always at hand. To remove fat deposits and unpleasant odors - this is the answer to the question: why pour salt into the toilet and sink?

Signs that your sink and toilet need salt

When a sewer pipe becomes clogged, it stops flowing water. Everyone thinks that the culprit is a blockage of hair, wet wipes, food residues and other insoluble debris. But it’s not only garbage that is among the sworn enemies of pipes. The fat that gets into them envelops the walls and hardens, making the passage opening very narrow. This is what it looks like from the inside:

The presence of growths and deposits in pipes can be determined by 3 characteristic signs:

• the water began to drain more slowly than usual;
• there is an unpleasant odor coming from the drain;
• Dark accumulations are visible in the plastic pipe through the light.

How it works?

Thanks to its wide use in cooking, table salt can always be found in the kitchen cabinet. It not only changes the taste of products, but also has a number of properties useful in the household:

• disinfects;
• absorbs fat, moisture, unpleasant odors;
• When dry, it removes dirt mechanically.

Salt is most effective for cleaning kitchen sinks. But it is also poured into the drain of a bathtub, shower stall, or toilet.

How to properly clean sewer pipes:

1. Pour 1 cup of table salt down the sink drain (to clean the toilet with salt, use 2 cups).
2. Then pour out 2–3 liters of hot water.
3. Wait 15 minutes.
4. Rinse with 5 liters of hot water.

Another recipe is used when a blockage occurs. If the water drains very slowly, mix a glass of salt and a glass of baking soda and pour it down the drain. Then add 3-4 tbsp. spoons of vinegar and leave the mixture for 2 hours.

Why do summer residents pour salt into the toilet?

It is also customary for summer residents to pour the product into the toilet, but for a completely different purpose. If the room is not heated in winter, the water in the water seals freezes and turns into ice. Breaks occur. To avoid this, the water is sucked out and the sewer outlets are sealed.

Using salt is an alternative method. A strong saline solution does not freeze even at a temperature of -20 degrees. Therefore, on the last pre-winter visit to the dacha, one or two packs of NaCl (1–2 kg) are poured into the toilet.

Questions and answers

When is it pointless to use salt for cleaning?

Home remedies won't help if your drain is clogged with hair, hygiene products, food waste, etc. Call a plumber or use a plumber's rope to unclog it yourself.

How often should you clean the toilet and sink using the salt method?

In order to keep the pipes clean and no smell coming from the sewer, it is enough to clean the drains with a saline solution once every 2-4 weeks. Preventative measures will help you encounter blockages less often.

After seeing other people pour salt into toilets and sinks, many people ask “why?” and that will be?". Older people know the answer. At a time when there was no trace of “Mole” or other special means, salt was used to disinfect, remove unpleasant odors and neutralize fat. Today, these methods are used by adherents of an environmentally friendly lifestyle.Salt as a cleaning agent does not harm the environment, and this is its main advantage.