Clogged Drain Home Remedy: 5 Ways to DIY

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were having a nice warm shower and then your tub drain got jammed and dirty water didn’t go away?

Or when you had a lot of dishes to do, but you just couldn’t because the sink drain was clogged?

Yes, all of this can sometimes be very frustrating, because you would have to spend the money on repairs instead spending it on something far more enjoyable.

Well, fear not! We are here to present you some of the ways, which you can personally use to deal with a clogged drain.

Assessing the situation

In every military operation, preparation takes more than half of the job. If you do the actual scouting, learn your enemies’ numbers, assets, and position, you can begin the operation prepared and plan almost everything.

It is the same with everything else we do. When you have a clogged pipe, before you start working your way to unclog it, you have to find out the exact location of the barricade and prepare yourself, by equipping proper tools, which you intend to use to unclog the pipe.

Apart from the location of the clogging, you need to know what type of pipes you have, because some methods are more effective on different types of pipes. For example, if you have PVC pipes, pouring a hot fermented water is probably not a good idea, because it could cause the pipes to melt.

Another thing to notice is that some methods are more useful for different types of clogging, depending on the cause of it. If the object which caused it is made of a harder material, you would have to use a different method to unclog it than if it weren’t the case.

What can induce a clogged drain?

Before plunging into the problem solving, you need to figure out what is the actual cause of it. There are several possible reasons which can cause pipe clogging. Some are more common for sink drains, other for shower drains.

Let us talk about what can cause the sink drains first. One of the most common causes is lard from the dishes. Sometimes, especially while you are washing dishes, lard can squeeze into the drain, where it can pile up and eventually lead to jamming the entire pipe.

Another cause is the food remnants. The food pieces can also end up in the sink drain and jam the pipe unless you throw them somewhere instead.

If we talk about shower drain, things are a bit different, mostly because you would almost never keep food remains in your bathtub.

Oftentimes, the cause of shower drain clogging is hair. Yes, hair is pretty nasty. It can get almost anywhere, which is very frustrating at the times. It tends to pile up inside the drain and jam it.

Another possible cause of shower drain clogging is suds, which is left after we have had a shower.  That’s why you should always scatter it with the water after you are done bathing.

Clogged Drain Home remedy – truth or myth?

When you encounter a clogged drain pipe, you may think that you are doomed and that you will have to call a plumber and spend some money on cleaning and repairing the drain, but in reality, you can do that by yourself. You just need to know how, and we will teach you right now!

There are several effective ways to do this, which are considered the most common home solutions for a jammed drain.

1. Fermented water

The most used solution for cleaning the clogged drain pipe is the fermented water. It is very easy to execute and requires only a small amount of time.

The way to do this is very simple. First, you need to ferment a cruse of water. When you do that, pour some of it into the drain, but make sure not to do it all at once, otherwise, you can damage the pipe, especially if you have PVC type of the pipe.

So the idea is to pour the fermented water several times, so it could have a couple of seconds to do its job. Once you have done this, check if the drain pipe is still jammed.

One little downside of this method is that it doesn’t always work. Its effectiveness depends much on the circumstances and the material which jammed the drain pipe. In that case, you should try one of the other methods from our list.

2. Coke

Have you seen what a mint candy can do to a bottle of coke? If your answer is yes, then you shouldn’t be surprised why people even got an idea this method could work.

For that reason, even if you are not a Coke, Pepsi or any other soda fan, you should keep a bottle of two in your house, just in case.

This is considered as one of the alternatives to chemical products and, sometimes, it can be effective. The idea is to take a bottle of Coke, Pepsi or whatever soda and pour it into the clogged drain. It would cause a chemical reaction and potentially unclog your drain pipe.

Of course, as with any other method on this list, it might not always work, depending on the circumstances, but still, it doesn’t hurt to consider it as a viable option.

3. Baking soda and friends

At first sight, you may think this sounds like a name of some law firm, right? Luckily it’s not, because it would be a horrible name.

When using a baking soda for unclogging the drain pipes, there are several options.

Baking soda + salt

One of the options is to bring together the salt and baking soda. First, what you need to do is put some baking soda inside your drain pipe and wait for a couple of minutes. Then, put some salt and leave it for some time. One cup for both should be enough.

After some time, ferment some water and spill it into the drain to cause a reaction. Practically, it should deal with a clogged pipe.

Baking soda + vinegar

The other option is to bring together the baking soda and vinegar. The experiment is similar to the previous one.

First, put some baking soda into the drain pipe and wait for a couple of minutes. After it, pour some of the vinegar into the pipe and leave it there for several hours or preferably, the entire night if it is possible.

Once it is done, pour some fermented water to clean the pipe and check if it is still jammed.

4. Plunging tool

One of the most basic tools for unclogging the drain pipes is, of course, the good old plunger. It is a very effective way of dealing with a problem and is considered as one of the tools which should exist in every household.

It can drain even the most stubborn pipes in most cases. The problem with its effectiveness can occur if the material which causes the clogging is either too far in the pipe, so the suction method cannot reach it, or if it is very hardened material which can be stuck without the possibility to move it.

There are different types of plunging tool, depending if you need it for a sink or a shower drain. Sink plungers are usually much smaller than the ones used for unclogging the shower drain pipe, but the smaller the plunging tool is, the lesser its ability to suck out becomes.

Large plunging tools have higher pressure and are usually more effective, which means, they can deal with a much more complicated clogged drain pipe.

5. Drain piercer

Drain piercer or drain auger, how it is called differently is a handy tool for unclogging the pipes. It can try to pierce the clogging and be used to pull it out of the pipe.

Its rate of success is pretty remarkable. That’s why it is considered as one of the best tools for unclogging the drain pipe.

The idea is simple, first, you put it in the drain, then you push it down until you reach the blockade.

After that, you pierce the blockade and pull it up. It usually takes several tries to pull out everything which blocks the pipe, but you got the general idea of how it works.

After it is done, pour some hot water to clean it and check if the pipe is still clogged.

Conclusion: Clogged Drain Home Remedy

There you go, folks! We presented you several alternatives to chemical products used for unclogging the drain pipes. Hopefully, this will be of some help to you, so you wouldn’t have to spend the money on a plumber.

Note that not all of these alternatives will always work, so be sure to try them all out before you disband them as useless.

Also, after you are done with unclogging the drain pipe, be sure to clean it more often so it doesn’t jam and cause you further problems.