How to Declog Drains Fast

A sink that drains slowly is a sign that you need to unclog your drain.

When the sink or shower in your home stops draining or starts to drain very slowly, you may need to take steps to unclog your drain. Quickly unclogging a drain is a simple process that requires no special equipment or harsh chemicals. There are two common ways to unclog a drain, and you use one process for shower drains and the other for sink drains. Both are very fast processes that you can accomplish by using everyday household items.

Things You'll Need

• Large pot
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• Paper towels

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Instructions

How to unclog sink drains

1. Fill a large pot with hot water from your faucet until the water line is about 3 to 4 inches below the top of the pot.

2. Bring the water to a boil over high heat over the stove. Turn off the stove when the water reaches a rolling boil.

3. Pour the entire pot of water slowly and carefully into the sink. The heat from the boiling water should break down the grease and other material that clogged up the sink.

How to unclog shower drains

1. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the shower drain.

2. Pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar down the drain. The baking soda and vinegar react together to create carbon dioxide bubbles that will push the hair and material that caused the clog out of the drain and into the bathtub.

3. Remove the hair and other clog-forming material from the bathtub with paper towels.

Tips & Warnings

• You can prevent grease from clogging up your kitchen sink by putting grease in the garbage can instead of pouring it down the sink. When disposing of grease, wait for the grease to cool, place it in a disposable and sealable plastic container and then throw it in the trash.

• To help eliminate any odor that may result from unclogging your drain, pour 1/2 a cup of lemon juice down the drain after you've unclogged it.

• Be very careful when handling boiling water.

References

• Equipment and Construction News; Fast Steps to Unclog Drain Without Harming the Environment; Max Schilling; February 2011
• Apartment Therapy; How to Naturally Unclog the Bathroom Sink; Gregory Han; March 2008
• Bargaineering; How to Unclog a Drain the Green Natural Way; Jim Wang