How To Use Liquid Bleach to Clean Household Drains
Liquid bleach kills most germs found in the home that cause illness or odors. This makes bleach an excellent candidate for killing the germs and bacteria that live in household drains. There is a problem, however--bleach cannot be mixed with most other chemicals found around the house without the possibility of a potentially toxic reaction. For this reason care must be exercised when using bleach to clean household drains--especially if other chemicals have previously been used in an attempt to clear the drain. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Run plenty of hot tap water through your drain. If the drain is running freely then allow hot tap water to run through the drain for 20 seconds or so and then shut off the water.
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Open a window and turn on any exhaust fans in the room where you will be pouring bleach down a drain. You want plenty of ventilation in the room while the bleach is doing its work.
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Pour half a gallon of full-strength liquid bleach down the drain and wait five minutes. Listen for any sounds coming out of the drain, but do not get so close that you risk breathing any of the fumes coming out of the drain. When all sounds cease coming from the drain then run hot tap water through the drain for one minute. Your drain will now be clean.
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Pour 6 ounces of water heated in a pan on the stove into a blocked drain that has not had any other drain-cleaning chemicals used on it. Pour half a gallon of bleach into the drain and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. When all sounds have stopped coming out of the drain run hot tap water through the drain to clear it. If necessary, put on gloves and eye protection and use a plunger to clear the drain.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear gloves and eye protection whenever using bleach. Wear old clothes in case of an accidental spill or splash of bleach. Do not breathe fumes coming out of a drain pipe in which you have poured bleach.
Do not--under any circumstances--pour bleach into a clogged drain that has had lye or any other drain cleaner added to it. Call a plumber if the clog persists.
