Tried the trusty plunger? Gone fishing in a pair of rubber gloves? Tried a straightened out coat hanger or even tried a hand-held drain snake? Out of ideas? Sometimes, the best way to clear and unclog a stubbornly blocked drain can be as simple as boiling the kettle and pouring it down the plughole to work its hot, steamy magic on a dense ball of hair, grease & muck.
What you might not realise is that there is more than one way to brew up a natural drain cleaner at home – without ever needing to reach for a harsh chemical product or pulling out the number for your trusty local plumber or professional drain master. So if you’ve got all the most basic household ingredients at hand and you’re in the mood to explore what the best natural DIY drain cleaner maybe, let’s get cooking:
1. Baking soda & vinegar
After trying the boiling water alone and getting no joy, let’s turn up the volume a little with some baking soda and ordinary white vinegar.
- Half a cup of baking soda
- Half a cup of white vinegar
- Pour it all down the drain
- Plug the drain and let it sit & sizzle
- Follow up with a kettle of boiling water
- Repeat if necessary.
2. Lemon juice
If that didn’t work, let’s add some lemon juice to that brew. But for now, leave out the vinegar for now and replace it with the sour, acidic juice of a lemon. One thing’s for sure: it’s a lovely, pleasant, healthy lemon-ey smell!
3. Salt
The next homemade drain cleaner to try is a combo of that old-faithful baking soda with ordinary table salt.
- Half a cup of baking soda
- Half a cup of table salt
- Mix and pour down drain
- Let it sit for at least an hour
- Follow up with boiling water
4. Cream of tartar
The keen home cook will know all about cream of tartar – but what the drain expert knows about it is its high acidic qualities. Cooking up this natural drain unblocker will require some shaking, so find a jar or a vessel that can seal reliably.
- Half a cup of baking soda
- Half a cup of salt
- 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
- Add to sealable vessel and shake
- Pour half down the drain
- Follow up with a kettle of boiling water
- Sit for at least an hour
- Repeat with other half of the cream of tartar brew.
5. Borax
You’ve noticed by now that most of our DIY drain cleaner recipes involve baking soda – but not this one! This time we’re going to try the salty, acidic Borax, which has been a great natural cleaner for generations.
- Quarter cup of salt
- Quarter cup of Borax
- Pour both in drain and flush it down with half a cup of vinegar
- Finish with boiling water and let it sit for an hour.
Need to call a professional Drain Master?
How did your DIY brews fare? Great success … or need some professional help? Drain Masters Plumbing are Brisbane’s renowned specialists in cleaning blocked drains with all the most sophisticated methods, products and specialised tools and technologies like a drain inspection camera, motorised augers, high pressure water jetter, and a lot more. So if your natural recipe failed to make a dent in your stubborn clog, why not give us a call today?
