Do you have a clogged drain in your home? Are you wondering how to clean it out?
Turns out, there are several different ways you can clean out a clogged drain.
Check out this guide to learn how to clean a drain.
- Use a Mixture of Water and Vinegar
Everyone has water and vinegar in their home, which is why it makes such a handy drain cleaner.
Grab a one-gallon jug and fill up half of it with piping hot water and half of it with distilled white vinegar. Pour this mixture down the toilet that’s closest to the mainline.
Then, flush the toilet. After flushing, the drain should be clear. This mixture helps to loosen up blockages and melt grease that’s solidified in the drain. Use this mixture once per month to maintain the health of your drain and septic system.
- Use Dry Yeast
You can also use dry yeast to clean out your drain.
Flush down the contents of an entire 0.25-ounce packet of dry yeast. Again, flush the mixture down the toilet that’s closest to your mainline. Yeast helps to enhance the good bacteria in your septic system that’s needed for eating away yeast.
- Use a Plunger
Of course, you can always use a plunger to clean out your drain.
Before you use a plunger, remove the strainer from your drain and then reach your hand into the drain in order to pull out anything that’s clogging the pipe.
While this sounds gross, trust us, it’s highly effective. If you can’t find anything that’s clogging the pipe, then it’s time to grab the plunger. Put a sink plunger over the drain and then fill up the sink with about 2 to 3 inches of water.
Then, give the plunger a few pushes up and down. Doing this will help to form a seal. Start out plunging gently and then push harder and sharper if necessary. You’ll know you’ve succeeded once you see dirty water quickly go down the drain.
- Get Under the Sink
Sometimes, you need to get your hands dirty and get under the sink in order to clean your drain.
To do this, you’ll need to grab the biggest bucket you can find that can still fit under your sink. If your sink has a drain plug on the bottom, take it off using a pair of slip-joint pliers.
If you have a drain-free setup, then you’ll need to use a pipe wrench to loosen the threaded collars that are holding the trap together. Unless there’s a major clog, water should rush into the bucket. If there’s a large clog, you can use a flexible wire to loosen it up.
If this doesn’t work, then you may need to call a plumber for help.
How to Clean a Drain: Are you Ready to Clean?
Now that you know how to clean a drain, it’s time to get to work. Pretty soon, your drain will be squeaky clean and clog-free.
Be sure to check back in with our blog for more home improvement tips and tricks.