on 12/5/2009
Ive coated the baking soda & vinegar mix in my sink.. it did NOT work.. then I poured hot boiling water, and it worked like a charm.. maybe the combination of all 3? Not sure, but problem solved!
on 7/28/2009
when a sink is clogged everyone i know will automaticlly reach for a plunger i know for a fact that this will do more harm than good as the washers in most or all drains are not made to withstand much pressure and will probaly start leaking where the drain pipes connect. and never ever us those forced air products that you find in most hardware stores as they will surely blow apart your drain pipes and you will do more damage i've seen it first hand
on 4/6/2009
I tried Liquid Plummer regular and gel with hot water flushing without success. I finally googled and found this site. I saw two suggestions about using a hairdryer - it worked in two minutes. Just heat up the u bend for a couple of minutes and if it's any sort of grease, you should be set. Good luck.
on 2/28/2009
I have tried everthing mentioned here. I used the baking soda/vinegar mix, a plunger, Drano, and even dismantled the drain and "snaked" it. I ran the snake out 25ft and did not encounter any clogs. I then reassembled the sink and it is still clogged. My sink has a single basin and a garbage disposal. Could the clog be located in the disposal? The disposal appears to work when turned on. When I removed the p-trap less than 1/2 a gallon of water came out. I would have expected more if the clog was further than 25ft out and there was standing water in the sink. Once reassmebled the sink also backed up again rather quickly. I am totally lost on what to do next.
on 2/20/2009
I tried the baking soda, vinegar combo overnite for my clogged double kitchen sink. It did not work. Called my dad (not a plumber...with teamwork, he was able to plunge the sink. We first filled the sink with a couple inches of water, I heald wet rags over one drain and he used the plunger on the garbage disposal side. Within minutes....my DAD solved my 12 hour nightmare!!!!!
on 2/1/2009
I'm a fully licensed plumber and, I don't know about now, but in the past, chemicals sold in stores have been a rip-off, including Drain-O. So this baking soda and vinegar stuff is nonsense and may even make the clog worse if the baking soda coagulates. Besides, mechanical cleanings work much, much better than any chemicals I can think of and I can get my hands on some pretty heavy duty stuff. If you can't unclog it this way, you may need to get a bit rougher with the process and add some finesse. Or your clog could be much further down the line than you expect (Are any other fixtures slow draining?). Triplej, if it's a double sink, plug the side you're not plunging and you'll create more suction that way. You can feel when a plunger is working.
on 12/21/2008
I tried the snake on my bathroom sink and nothing came out...and I still have a bad clog. Any suggestions-or do I have to call a plumber?
on 8/31/2008
I have 2 teenagers so enough said. I have vinegar but no baking soda on hand, but I had dry Drano so I used hot water with it and it worked! (I first tried Drano's directions using cold water and it did not work.) Thanks ohneclue's!!!!!
on 1/27/2008
Both sides of my sink were clogged with debris and water almost to the brim on each side, so I knew the baking soda/vinegar, etc. were not going to work anytime soon. I took a suggestion from this site and it worked in 3 miutes! I held the hairdryer to the base of the trap (the u-shaped pipe underneath the sink) for 2-3 minutes, then flipped on the garbage disposal, and both sinks full of water disappeared in seconds! :o)
on 10/24/2007
I tried the Vinegar, Baking Soda and Hot Water combination ... Unfortunately, it didn't work. Any other proven ideas - outside of call a plumber?
on 10/23/2007
I was a little skeptical about the baking soda and vinegar.......but it works!!!! I have a 2 well kitchen sink, with a disposal on one side. The sinks were standing with water from trying to use a plunger on it. I was getting desprate at this point. Then I decided to give the soda and vinegar a try. I drain the side that didn't have the disposal on and added the soda and then the vinegar. I let it sit for, probably an half an hour. The water was draining out of both sides. When all the water was out of the sinks I poured some boiling hot water down each sink.......and that did the trick. Thanks Dolores for the tip, it was well worth the saving of calling a plumber!!
on 7/4/2007
I'll have to admit -- the baking soda and vinegar recipe did the trick. We figured it was worth a try, and at the very least it wouldn't cause harmful fumes.
on 2/6/2007
Sorry to burst all the chemical "bubbles" on this but when you have hair and/or a fat clogging your drain, VINEGAR is a complete waste of a good salad ingredient, period.
Any chemical action that creates heat (Oxyclean, bicarb of soda with vinegar, hot/boiling water) will unclog a drain BUT not because of the chemicals used but the heat produced by the chemical interaction. (Don't you wish you'd have paid more attention in chemistry?)
Sodium is a very volatile element. That's why it is used as a chemical activity helper in lots of commercial product production procedures.
The best thing to put into the fat clog is something that will chemically change it so it cannot resolidify -- and this process is called "saponification" as in turning the fat into a soap. Then it will flow right on down the sewer.
First, remove any standing water. Syphon it into a bucket or whatever container is handy. Then proceed to the following.
Put a little lye (powdered or dry Drano, not the liquid Plumber types) into the sink followed by a cup of very hot water. It can be boiling if you insist but the temp is not the key to the success of the procedure. The chemical change of the fat is the critical part of the equation or chemical reaction.
Let this stuff just set in the drain (usually the U joint is where it collects) and WORK. Go take a walk, go do your exercise program, go watch a marathon soap session, etc., but STOP watching it and/or timing it.
Do it at night before you go to bed so you can't obsess over the clog.
This will also dissolve hair clogs as in break apart the bonds that keep the hair in a strand.
If you don't believe me, talk to a beautician who is familiar with how perms work to "curl" your hair OR how straighteners work to "uncurl" your hair. It used to be sodium hydroxide based (read LYE) but now they have softer to the skin type chemicals to do the same thing.
Anytime you have a chemical burn on skin from a high pH or strong base (sodium or potassium hydroxide) use dilute vinegar (acid) to offset the burning effects of the high pH base. Any beauty salon that works on ethnic curly hair and does straightening procedures, needs to have vinegar in their first aid kit for this very purpose. Doesn't matter what source -- apple cider or distilled -- they are equally effective because what you want to accomplish is to change the basic pH of the skin (14) to a neutral pH (7) to stop the chemical burn.
Best way to stop a clogged sink -- STOP putting fats down there even through your disposal. STOP expecting your disposal to act like a pig eating slop. Don't put potato skins down there and expect a miracle. Add them to a compost pile and let them turn into good fertilizer for your garden or potted plants.
Don't want to do that? Go ahead and put them directly into your garbage so they can go to a land fill and NOT down the disposal or drain to screw up the plumbing. Your plumber may not like this advice but so what -- tell him/her you have your own kids to put through college so you need to save your own money.
Oh, the suggestion about not using bleach is excellent!!!! Bleach has NOTHING to do with breaking up a sink clog, period. And, as someone else pointed out, don’t EVER mix bleach and a product containing ammonia – POISON!!!!! That includes scouring powders you may use on your sink followed by or used with a bleach chaser.
The suggestion about the hair dryer is great because ANYTHING that softens or melts the fat will work very well.
Or, just remove the U section and clean it out when it's not in the plumbing line. You can put it in a pan of really hot water (doesn't have to be boiling) and some dishwashing detergent or even better, some dishwasher dry powder added and let it clean itself. Then, reconnect and you're done.
on 1/18/2007
Here I am at 3:36 a.m. all clogged up. My husband is letting our 31 year old handle it while he supervises in intervals. Since my husband has a day job he went to bed around midnite leaving "Ronnie" to keep working on the clog. Now this has been going on for about a week mind you so at this point he thinks himself to be an "expert" where I being just a "woman" know nothing. I did note however that he had too much twist in the snake. I commented that he should stop and let it unwind. Since there was no response, I repeated and added an example using when a phone cord needs to be unwound. To that he snapped "I know what I'm doing". That's when I started looking online for advice and education. Around 10-15 mins later I heard a noise and some choice words stated loudly, I don't know what happened but He chose to leave it for later and went to bed. Anyhoo I found this sight, didn't have vineger/bk.soda. But I do have the extra large economy tub of "Oxyclean" added it and am ready for my 2nd 212*H2O pour and it seems to be working. I am in hopes that in 45 mins when hubby gets up all will be clear and flowing. sorry to vent but I am only a "woman" lol. thanks for the tip. I am going to get some vngr & soda as it is le$$ and probably does the same job (foams).
p.s. Since the thought of it going into the drain was bothersome, what, exactly, did Cajoy20 do with the water that had all of the nasty gunk in it?
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sin0186 said
on 12/5/2009 Ive coated the baking soda & vinegar mix in my sink.. it did NOT work.. then I poured hot boiling water, and it worked like a charm.. maybe the combination of all 3? Not sure, but problem solved!
xrudolph said
on 7/28/2009 when a sink is clogged everyone i know will automaticlly reach for a plunger i know for a fact that this will do more harm than good as the washers in most or all drains are not made to withstand much pressure and will probaly start leaking where the drain pipes connect. and never ever us those forced air products that you find in most hardware stores as they will surely blow apart your drain pipes and you will do more damage i've seen it first hand
satara717 said
on 4/6/2009 I tried Liquid Plummer regular and gel with hot water flushing without success. I finally googled and found this site. I saw two suggestions about using a hairdryer - it worked in two minutes. Just heat up the u bend for a couple of minutes and if it's any sort of grease, you should be set. Good luck.
japc90 said
on 2/28/2009 I have tried everthing mentioned here. I used the baking soda/vinegar mix, a plunger, Drano, and even dismantled the drain and "snaked" it. I ran the snake out 25ft and did not encounter any clogs. I then reassembled the sink and it is still clogged. My sink has a single basin and a garbage disposal. Could the clog be located in the disposal? The disposal appears to work when turned on. When I removed the p-trap less than 1/2 a gallon of water came out. I would have expected more if the clog was further than 25ft out and there was standing water in the sink. Once reassmebled the sink also backed up again rather quickly. I am totally lost on what to do next.
pharmacistinma said
on 2/20/2009 I tried the baking soda, vinegar combo overnite for my clogged double kitchen sink. It did not work. Called my dad (not a plumber...with teamwork, he was able to plunge the sink. We first filled the sink with a couple inches of water, I heald wet rags over one drain and he used the plunger on the garbage disposal side. Within minutes....my DAD solved my 12 hour nightmare!!!!!
rockypeterson said
on 2/1/2009 I'm a fully licensed plumber and, I don't know about now, but in the past, chemicals sold in stores have been a rip-off, including Drain-O. So this baking soda and vinegar stuff is nonsense and may even make the clog worse if the baking soda coagulates. Besides, mechanical cleanings work much, much better than any chemicals I can think of and I can get my hands on some pretty heavy duty stuff. If you can't unclog it this way, you may need to get a bit rougher with the process and add some finesse. Or your clog could be much further down the line than you expect (Are any other fixtures slow draining?). Triplej, if it's a double sink, plug the side you're not plunging and you'll create more suction that way. You can feel when a plunger is working.
mellymcc said
on 12/21/2008 I tried the snake on my bathroom sink and nothing came out...and I still have a bad clog. Any suggestions-or do I have to call a plumber?
goode2shuz said
on 8/31/2008 I have 2 teenagers so enough said. I have vinegar but no baking soda on hand, but I had dry Drano so I used hot water with it and it worked! (I first tried Drano's directions using cold water and it did not work.) Thanks ohneclue's!!!!!
skbaratta said
on 1/27/2008 Both sides of my sink were clogged with debris and water almost to the brim on each side, so I knew the baking soda/vinegar, etc. were not going to work anytime soon. I took a suggestion from this site and it worked in 3 miutes! I held the hairdryer to the base of the trap (the u-shaped pipe underneath the sink) for 2-3 minutes, then flipped on the garbage disposal, and both sinks full of water disappeared in seconds! :o)
Jeremy Reed said
on 10/24/2007 I tried the Vinegar, Baking Soda and Hot Water combination ... Unfortunately, it didn't work. Any other proven ideas - outside of call a plumber?
Jeremy Reed said
on 10/24/2007 Vinegar and Baking Soda didn't work for me. Any ideas outside of calling a plumber? I've got two sinks - one is a garbage disposal.
deb72921 said
on 10/23/2007 I was a little skeptical about the baking soda and vinegar.......but it works!!!! I have a 2 well kitchen sink, with a disposal on one side. The sinks were standing with water from trying to use a plunger on it. I was getting desprate at this point. Then I decided to give the soda and vinegar a try. I drain the side that didn't have the disposal on and added the soda and then the vinegar. I let it sit for, probably an half an hour. The water was draining out of both sides. When all the water was out of the sinks I poured some boiling hot water down each sink.......and that did the trick. Thanks Dolores for the tip, it was well worth the saving of calling a plumber!!
NLumpkin said
on 7/4/2007 I'll have to admit -- the baking soda and vinegar recipe did the trick. We figured it was worth a try, and at the very least it wouldn't cause harmful fumes.
ohneclue said
on 2/6/2007 Sorry to burst all the chemical "bubbles" on this but when you have hair and/or a fat clogging your drain, VINEGAR is a complete waste of a good salad ingredient, period.
Any chemical action that creates heat (Oxyclean, bicarb of soda with vinegar, hot/boiling water) will unclog a drain BUT not because of the chemicals used but the heat produced by the chemical interaction. (Don't you wish you'd have paid more attention in chemistry?)
Sodium is a very volatile element. That's why it is used as a chemical activity helper in lots of commercial product production procedures.
The best thing to put into the fat clog is something that will chemically change it so it cannot resolidify -- and this process is called "saponification" as in turning the fat into a soap. Then it will flow right on down the sewer.
First, remove any standing water. Syphon it into a bucket or whatever container is handy. Then proceed to the following.
Put a little lye (powdered or dry Drano, not the liquid Plumber types) into the sink followed by a cup of very hot water. It can be boiling if you insist but the temp is not the key to the success of the procedure. The chemical change of the fat is the critical part of the equation or chemical reaction.
Let this stuff just set in the drain (usually the U joint is where it collects) and WORK. Go take a walk, go do your exercise program, go watch a marathon soap session, etc., but STOP watching it and/or timing it.
Do it at night before you go to bed so you can't obsess over the clog.
This will also dissolve hair clogs as in break apart the bonds that keep the hair in a strand.
If you don't believe me, talk to a beautician who is familiar with how perms work to "curl" your hair OR how straighteners work to "uncurl" your hair. It used to be sodium hydroxide based (read LYE) but now they have softer to the skin type chemicals to do the same thing.
Anytime you have a chemical burn on skin from a high pH or strong base (sodium or potassium hydroxide) use dilute vinegar (acid) to offset the burning effects of the high pH base. Any beauty salon that works on ethnic curly hair and does straightening procedures, needs to have vinegar in their first aid kit for this very purpose. Doesn't matter what source -- apple cider or distilled -- they are equally effective because what you want to accomplish is to change the basic pH of the skin (14) to a neutral pH (7) to stop the chemical burn.
Best way to stop a clogged sink -- STOP putting fats down there even through your disposal. STOP expecting your disposal to act like a pig eating slop. Don't put potato skins down there and expect a miracle. Add them to a compost pile and let them turn into good fertilizer for your garden or potted plants.
Don't want to do that? Go ahead and put them directly into your garbage so they can go to a land fill and NOT down the disposal or drain to screw up the plumbing. Your plumber may not like this advice but so what -- tell him/her you have your own kids to put through college so you need to save your own money.
Oh, the suggestion about not using bleach is excellent!!!! Bleach has NOTHING to do with breaking up a sink clog, period. And, as someone else pointed out, don’t EVER mix bleach and a product containing ammonia – POISON!!!!! That includes scouring powders you may use on your sink followed by or used with a bleach chaser.
The suggestion about the hair dryer is great because ANYTHING that softens or melts the fat will work very well.
Or, just remove the U section and clean it out when it's not in the plumbing line. You can put it in a pan of really hot water (doesn't have to be boiling) and some dishwashing detergent or even better, some dishwasher dry powder added and let it clean itself. Then, reconnect and you're done.
kimbyonit said
on 1/18/2007 Here I am at 3:36 a.m. all clogged up. My husband is letting our 31 year old handle it while he supervises in intervals. Since my husband has a day job he went to bed around midnite leaving "Ronnie" to keep working on the clog. Now this has been going on for about a week mind you so at this point he thinks himself to be an "expert" where I being just a "woman" know nothing. I did note however that he had too much twist in the snake. I commented that he should stop and let it unwind. Since there was no response, I repeated and added an example using when a phone cord needs to be unwound. To that he snapped "I know what I'm doing". That's when I started looking online for advice and education. Around 10-15 mins later I heard a noise and some choice words stated loudly, I don't know what happened but He chose to leave it for later and went to bed. Anyhoo I found this sight, didn't have vineger/bk.soda. But I do have the extra large economy tub of "Oxyclean" added it and am ready for my 2nd 212*H2O pour and it seems to be working. I am in hopes that in 45 mins when hubby gets up all will be clear and flowing. sorry to vent but I am only a "woman" lol. thanks for the tip. I am going to get some vngr & soda as it is le$$ and probably does the same job (foams).
p.s. Since the thought of it going into the drain was bothersome, what, exactly, did Cajoy20 do with the water that had all of the nasty gunk in it?