Every day you rely on your toilet to flush and your sink to drain and nothing is more frustrating than finding out one of your drains is clogged. The potential damage caused by a backed up drain is stressful enough, but taking time out of your day to deal with a clogged drain is an added stressor. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of drain cleaning products that can help unclog a stubborn drain and can be used preventatively before your sink is full of water. These products fall into a few different categories.
Drain Cleaning Chemicals
Chemicals are the first thing many people use to attack a blocked up drain. There are a few different types available such as solid corrosive drain cleaners, liquid drain cleaners, and even acid drain cleaners. These products are widely available at your local hardware or department store, but the specialized cleaners (like the acid cleaners) usually can only be used by a licensed plumber.
These cleaners are made from powerful chemicals like bleach (sodium hypochlorite), potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide (lye) which can eat through the layers of grease and grime that are often the cause of blocked drains. More powerful versions of these cleaners come in two parts and are mixed as they go down the drain. When mixed, they react and create even more powerful cleaners or, sometimes, generate heat to help dislodge the blockage.
There are solid versions of these chemicals as well, which are poured directly down the drain and liquefy upon reaching the clog. The chemical reaction that takes place often produces a great amount of heat, which blasts stubborn clogs and can literally boil them away. Solid cleaners are ideally employed against big massed clogs, like those you would find in a bath or shower drain.
The most effective chemical cleaner are acid-based cleaners, but unfortunately these are not available directly to the public as they are harmful and potentially dangerous. Mixing these chemicals incorrectly or bringing them into contact with certain types of metals or plastics can cause violent reactions and / or toxic fumes. Even handling acid cleaners is dangerous as they can quickly erode your skin, clothes, and be incredibly harmful if they come in contact with your eyes or face.
Chemical cleaners have their advantages — they’re readily available at hardware stores, grocery stores, department stores, and even convenience stores. They are effective at removing many minor blockages and are inexpensive which makes them the go-to option for most homeowners when they have a clog. Despite their availability, however, it’s important to remember that they’re relatively dangerous chemicals that can be harmful if swallowed or if they get on your skin.
On top of the danger, the other problem with them is that you can’t do much beyond pour them down the drain, wait, and pray that they work. Clogs that are located far away from the drain opening, clogs that are especially large, and clogs that are not caused by organic materials are all problematic for over-the-counter cleaners and often require more serious attention.
So, if those fail you have a whole host mechanical drain cleaners.
Mechanical Drain Cleaners
Drain Augers
Hand-held drain augers are designed to attack clogs as far away as 25 feet from the drain opening. You use them by snaking the cable down through the drain toward the blockage and attempting to push the blockage through the drain, break the blockage up in the drain, or hooking it and dragging back toward the drain opening. The process is very similar to fishing, though instead of a lure you have a twisting piece of metal at the end of your line. Drain augers can be very effective in the right hands, but they do take a little bit of practice.
They come in a variety of lengths and widths, with some small enough to fit through your kitchen’s drain trap and others large enough to be used in a sewage line. Drain augers aren’t recommended for clogs in your toilet because the steel-tipped end can nick, scratch, and weaken porcelain toilets. In an emergency, though, a drain auger can be used carefully in a toilet.
Like their chemical counterparts, drain augers are readily available at hardware stores and are relatively inexpensive, making them the first fallback option if chemical cleaners don’t work. They can be a little tricky to use, but the idea is to either hook or dislodge the blockage using the coiled metal end. Considering that they’re a fraction of what a plumber costs and that once you own one you can use it over and over again, augers are becoming more and more popular.
The only true disadvantages are their relatively short reach and learning curve. While 25 feet sounds long, your drain pipes are much, much longer than that and, if the clog is beyond the initial 25 feet, an auger is completely useless, even in the hands of a skilled user. For most people, using an auger is awkward. You cannot see what you’re doing, and it takes some practice to be able snake the auger to a blockage and then remove it.
Electric Drain Cleaners
Also known as a plumber’s snake, electric drain cleaners are basically augers on steroids. The underlying concept is nearly identical — a steel cable is pushed from the drain opening down the drain toward a clog and, using the corkscrewed end, clogs can be broken up, dislodged, or pulled back up the drain. The difference, however, is that plumber’s snakes can reach nearly four times farther than regular augers making them one of the most effective clog removing tools.
Many of the models available to consumers are similar to Roto-Rooters, the most famous type of powered drain cleaner. Using a braided steel cable with sharpened blades on the end, these augers can cut through obstructions like tree roots, jeweler, and other hard materials that get stuck in drains, negating the need to dig pipes up or tear down drywall to reach them.
The less powerful versions are available as attachments for hand-held drills. Though certainly more effective than hand-operated augers, the drill-attachment versions often don’t pack enough punch to succeed where chemicals and regular augers failed. The powered versions, however, are bulky, noisy, and potentially dangerous. Because of their powerful motors and sharpened ends, these augers can cause more harm than good if used improperly.
You can buy or rent one from most major hardware stores such as Home Depot.
Home Drain Cleaning Remedies
Before you run out and buy Drain-O or another chemical cleaner, you can try a few home remedies. If there is no standing water (if the drain can drain, even slowly) then you can try to pour boiled water down the drain. Mixing it with liquid dish soap, which helps cut through grease, will boost its effectiveness. The heat can help loosen the clogged materials and break them apart.
Another thing you can try to clean your drain is to dump baking soda down the drain immediately followed by vinegar. Just like a high school science experiment, you will create a powerful foaming action that can blast away stubborn clogs. Unfortunately, this method is also ineffective on drains where there is standing water. You also need to exercise caution when using baking soda and vinegar as it is quite easy to turn your sink into a foamy, bubbly, smelly mess.
The last thing that is worth trying is pouring Coke down the drain. Remember how your dentist always tells you to avoid soda because it can eat away at your enamel? That’s exactly what Coca Cola can do to stubborn clogs. Pouring a liter or two of Coke down your drain and letting it sit as long as possible gives the acid in the soda time to eat away at your clog and, hopefully, open your drain back up.
Conclusion
The truth is, though that none of these homemade cleaners are promised to work and nothing is more frustrating than running out to the store, buying ingredients, putting them down your drain, waiting and finding out that you have to call a plumber anyway. Why go through the hassle? Most plumbers these days have a flat rate of $100 to clear out a single stopped up drain. Not only is that a pretty good deal, but it also means that you don’t have to waste your time trying to figure out how to use expensive pieces of equipment or wait for unproven drain cleaners to go to work.