It is unlikely that anyone notices what a place in our lives is occupied by clean pipelines and sewers, but when they become clogged, a real collapse occurs. The only thing that comes to mind at that moment is how to quickly call a plumber. Unfortunately, experts are not in a hurry to respond to the call of citizens. They are sometimes difficult to find within reach.
What to do? Folk methods for cleaning clogged drains come to the rescue. Today we will tell you how to use baking soda with vinegar to clean sewer pipes. Such components are sure to be found in the house of every housewife. Cleaning pipes with baking soda and vinegar will not only help you quickly deal with blockages, but will also become an effective preventive measure.
Why do pipes clog?
Every housewife periodically notices that the water in the sink goes much worse. At the same time, an unpleasant smell of dampness and decomposition appears. This means that it has cometime to start cleaning the drainage system.
Most often this situation occurs in the kitchen. When washing dishes, small pieces of food, grease and other components fall into the drain. And if a special mesh is not installed in the sink, designed to trap solid particles, the pipes will have to be cleaned much more often. In order not to bring the situation to a critical point, from time to time perform preventive cleaning of blockages in the pipes with baking soda and vinegar.
No less often clogged and drain in the bathroom. The reason for this is the hair falling out during the washing process. Mixed with soap suds, they turn into a real cork that eventually clogs the drain hole.
The toilet gets clogged much less often. Firstly, the drain hole in it is wider, and secondly, it can become tightly clogged only from improper operation. The cause of a clogged closet is thrown rags, plastic bags, personal hygiene products, felt-tip pens, small toys, and so on. In this case, cleaning the pipes with baking soda and vinegar may not work.
What situations does vinegar and soda solution help with?
It turns out that the tool can not always be used. Cleaning sewer pipes with soda and vinegar can be done when you clearly know that foreign objects did not get into the drain, which caused the blockage.
You can use home remedies if organic debris is stuck in the pipe: hair, fat, food particles. AtIf the drain is contaminated with solid objects, it is better to use a plunger or a sewer cable.
What to do when a pipe is clogged?
Clogs occur in pipes made of any material. If you think that after replacing metal pipes with plastic ones you will get rid of the problem forever, then you are deeply mistaken. What to do if the pipes in your house are clogged? There may be several options:
- call a plumber;
- use a plumbing cable;
- apply aggressive store chemicals;
- use improvised means and home methods.
That's just the last one we will dwell on.
How to clean the sink with vinegar and baking soda?
Cleaning pipes with baking soda and vinegar is a simple and quite effective method. For work, you will need rubber gloves and a cloth napkin, preferably a terry cloth. The size of the rag should be such that it can tightly plug the drain hole.
The proportions of baking soda and vinegar for pipe cleaning will be:
- soda - 1/2 standard pack, approximately 250 mg;
- vinegar - 120 ml at a time, about half a glass;
- boiling water - about 3 liters.
To make the result of the work more tangible, before cleaning it is better to disassemble the siphon and remove all unnecessary from it. Sometimes such a simple action eliminates more than half of the problem. Before starting the procedure, do not forget to put a basin under the sink. It will drain dirty water fromsiphon and discard garbage.
When everything is ready, we collect the siphon back and start cleaning:
- Carefully pour the prepared amount of soda into the drain. It is important to ensure that as much powder as possible gets deep into the pipe, and does not remain at the bottom of the sink.
- Heat the vinegar a little and immediately pour it into the drain hole.
- Now you need to quickly plug the drain with a rag and leave it in this state for 30-40 minutes. It is important to be extremely careful. The combination of vinegar and soda will cause a violent chemical reaction with the release of a large amount of aggressive foam. It is very important that splashes do not come into contact with skin or eyes.
- While the mixture in the pipe will dissolve the greasy plug, boil the kettle.
- After the specified time, remove a napkin from the drain hole and pour a few liters of boiling water into it. The hot water will wash away the remaining cleaning solution and most of the dirt.
- If the blockage is very strong, baking soda plus vinegar for cleaning pipes will have to be applied several times in a row.
Solution cleaning
If this method did not help, perhaps the blockage has formed very deep, and the soda simply cannot get to the right place. In this case, cleaning the pipe with soda and vinegar should be done a little differently:
- Drain about 3 liters of boiling water into the drain hole. This will help wash off excess grease and soften the cork from leftover food or hair a little. Wait 25-30 minutes.
- From 1 cup of soda and 3 cups of boiling water, preparesolution. Pour it into the drain and wait 5-10 minutes.
- Now take a glass of vinegar and carefully pour it into the drain hole. Plug the drain with a rag and leave for 2-3 hours.
- After the specified time, flush another 3-4 liters of boiling water down the sink.
A little tip: before you start this procedure, use the plunger. This will loosen up the blockage and the cleaner will work better.
S alt and soda will help
There is another way to clean pipes with home remedies. It will help in cases where there was no vinegar in the house, and a serious blockage formed. In this case, cleaning the sewer pipes with soda and s alt will help. The procedure is best performed at night, so it will be more effective and will not cause inconvenience to the household. You need to act like this:
- Use a plunger to loosen the cork and remove the extracted debris.
- Disassemble the siphon and clean it.
- Take a pack of soda (0.5 kg) and 200 g of s alt. Mix dry ingredients and add a glass of water to them.
- Place the resulting gruel in the drain hole and pour a glass of boiling water there.
- Cover the drain tightly with a rag and leave for 8 to 10 hours.
- After the specified time, drain at least 5 liters of very hot water down the sink.
What if the remedy didn't help?
If cleaning pipes with home remedies did not bring the desired result, there are several ways out of the situation:
- increase the procedure time by a fewhours, preferably at night;
- purge several times in a row;
- additionally use mechanical methods - a cable or a plunger;
- apply technical calcined preparation.
Caustic will help
Cleaning pipes with caustic soda is a great help even when other means are powerless. Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) is a fairly strong chemical compound that has a very active alkaline reaction. No wonder it is called caustic soda. The tool has the following qualities:
- strong toxic effect;
- volatility;
- increased reactivity;
- the ability to corrode organic matter.
This product is found in most store-bought sewer cleaners. When working with the substance, extreme safety measures should be observed - wear gloves and a respirator, ensure the flow of fresh air into the room. To clean pipes with caustic soda, proceed as follows:
- carefully pour 6-7 tbsp into the drain hole. spoons of the product (both dry and liquid versions can be used);
- pour 3-4 liters of very hot water;
- plug the drain with a napkin and leave it for 2-3 hours;
- after this time, rinse the drain with plenty of hot water.
Reviews
According to reviews, cleaning pipes with baking soda and vinegar is a fairly effective way to clear blockages. Housewives note the simplicity of the method and itseconomy. The most impressive thing is that the ingredients for the recipe are always at hand.
When a blockage occurs spontaneously, there is no need to run to the store. Cleaning components are non-toxic and do not need to be hidden as far away as possible. Even if you accidentally spilled vinegar or spilled soda, nothing bad will happen.
Other ways
Let's look at some more sustainable sewer cleaning recipes.
Option 1
Take 1 cup each of s alt and baking soda. Add 1/4 cup cream of tartar to the mixture. Mix these components well, transfer them to a clean, opaque jar or box and leave for 8-10 days in a dark place. This tool is great for small blockages or for prevention. It is necessary to pour a glass of the resulting mixture into the drain and after 5 minutes add a large amount of cold water. Leave for half an hour and then rinse with plenty of liquid.
Option 2
This method is similar to the method we have already described for cleaning pipes with baking soda and vinegar. Only the latter in this case is replaced by lemon juice or a solution of citric acid in the same volume.
Prevention measures
In order for blockages in pipes to occur as rarely as possible, they must be handled carefully and carefully. There are a number of simple rules, the implementation of which will extend the life of the plumbing system:
- If the design allows, disassemble the siphons from time to time andclean them.
- Flush pipes once or twice every 10 days with plenty of very hot water. So you can remove greasy deposits from the walls of the sewer system.
- Perform preventive pipe cleaning every 2-3 months with vinegar and baking soda.
- Install special plastic or steel nets in the drain holes. They will help to avoid complex pollution and retain the bulk of large debris.
- Before placing the dishes in the sink, remove all solid particles and food residues.
If the implementation of these simple rules becomes a habit for all family members, you will have to clean sewer pipes much less often.
Remember! Clogged sewer pipes can not only deliver a few unpleasant minutes, but also lead to large financial costs. This will happen if, due to your negligence, you have to make repairs at the neighbors. Regular use of preventive methods will help get rid of a bleak prospect.
