How Do You Clean A Black Slimy Drain?

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Drains can be an unsightly mess, but they are necessary for any household. Over time, drain grates can develop a black slimy substance which is not only gross to look at but can also prevent water from draining properly.

One of the few ways to clean the black slime in your sink is to use a drain cleaner. This is a heavy-duty substance that will help you break down any clog in your drain. Another solution is to use of a mix of hot water, baking soda, and bleach.

What is the black gunk in your drain?

Black slime goes by a few other names, including bio-slime, black sludge, and biofilm. If you’re currently experiencing this black stuff in your drain, it’s best to tackle the issue immediately before it turns into another thing. Matter of fact, the presence of black slime on your bathroom sink is a warning sign that you need to clean your drain.

Have you ever seen black slime in your bathroom sink? If yes, I’m sure you must have asked yourself this question; what exactly is the black gunk in the sink drain?

The primary function of your sink drain is to allow the flow of water out of the bathroom. However, water isn’t the only thing that goes through the drain. Hair, toothpaste grit, shaving cream, soap scum, skin cells, lotion, grease, dirt, are some of the many other things that go through the bathroom sink drain. Well, the black gunk that you keep seeing in your bathroom sink drain is caused by the buildup of bacteria living in the aforementioned things.

Furthermore, you need to understand that hair is the main factor that causes the accumulation of the black gunk in your drain. Unfortunately, the creepy black substance is always very difficult to remove. Even if you go ahead and pour plenty of water down the sink drain, it’s usually not enough to eliminate the slimy black substance.

There’s no good thing attached to having black slime in your sink drain. Instead, the substance can cause an overflow of water inside your sink and unfortunately, this usually takes a lot of time before draining.

So, before the black stuff becomes messier, you need to look for the best approach to dissolve the sludge and address the issue.

So, here’s a burning question; what are the best ways to clean the black slimy drain in your bathroom? Find out the answer to the question in the next section of this post.

How do you dissolve drain sludge?

As earlier mentioned, you can always take advantage of several different techniques to clean the black sludge in your bathroom sink drain. You can check below to see some of them:

Use drain cleaner

One of the best ways to fix the messy and creepy black slime in your drain is to use a chemical drain cleaner.

In case you don’t know, there are different types of drain cleaners and every one of them has its strengths and weaknesses. One of them is the caustic drain cleaners, which are usually made of lye.

Caustic cleaners work by providing electrons to the things causing the drain to clog. It’s pretty simple; when the materials come in contact with lye, a chemical reaction is initiated, which causes heat.

The heat will be the one to dissolve the greasy materials and other slimy stuff in the sink drain.

Oxidizing drain cleaner is another type of chemical that you can use to dissolve black gunk in your bathroom sink drain. Unlike caustic cleaners, this type works by removing electrons from the black sludge.

Here’s a brief illustration; as soon as oxidizing drain cleaner comes in contact with the slimy stuff, an oxidation reaction will occur. When this happens, electrons removed from the organic materials will cause the black gunk to dissolve.

Acidic drain cleaner, which often contains hydrochloric acid, works by forming hydronium ions when it comes in contact with the organic matter that causes the black slime in your drain. The hydronium ion will be the one to help you dissolve the black sludge in the drain.

You can always choose any of these three products depending on the situation of things and the type of materials used to manufacture your bathroom sink.

  • After choosing your preferred product, start by wearing your gloves.
  • Next, pour the chemical drain cleaner down the drain and avoid dripping the substance on the sink.
  • Leave the chemical cleaner inside the drain for at least 30 minutes. While waiting, you need to prepare hot water.
  • After that, use the hot water to rinse off the chemical cleaner inside your drain.

That’s all about using the drain cleaner to address the black slimy issue in your home. However, if this option fails to work or is too expensive, you can check below for an alternative.

A mix of hot water, baking soda, and bleach

As previously mentioned, another method you can use to dissolve the black sludge in your bathroom sink drain is to make use of a mix of hot water, baking soda, and bleach.

Yes, this option is pretty much effective to dissolve the organic matter causing the black slimy substance in your drain.

  • The first step involves heating enough water until it starts to boil.
  • Up next, get your baking soda and pour it directly inside the black slimy drain.
  • After that, the next thing you need to do is get your bleach and pour a small amount of it inside the drain. If you don’t have bleach at home, a good substitute is “vinegar.”
  • As soon as the vinegar comes in contact with the baking powder, you should notice a fuzzy reaction. That will cause the sludge in the drain to dissolve. All you need to do is wait for a couple of minutes for the baking soda-vinegar mix to dissolve the organic matter.
  • Now is the time to use the heated water. Fetch the boiling water and flush it directly inside the drain. This move, together with the action of the vinegar/bleach and baking soda, will help you dissolve the black sludge in the drain.

Is the black slime in your drain dangerous?

Here’s another frequently asked question, is the black slime in your drain dangerous? As earlier mentioned, the black slimy substance in your bathroom drain is caused by the buildup of bacteria in your sink drain.

You need to understand that the bacteria is not dangerous; it will cause no harm to you – so far you’re not eating it.

However, you need to also understand that having the black slime sit inside your drain for too long might be dangerous for your sink. It can always slow down the rate at which water drains inside the sink. This could also cause your bathroom sink drain to clog if proper care is not taken.

Bottom line: black slimy substance in your sink, if not attended to, can cause your drain to clog over time. Once you start noticing the sludge, take immediate action and use any of the options mentioned above to fix the mess.

Marco
Marco
Meet Marco, a lifelong tinkerer and DIY enthusiast, developed a passion for plumbing after fixing a leaky faucet in his own home. Years later, he turned that passion into a thriving business, Amarco Plumbing, where he shares his knowledge and expertise with the community.