Natural Drano

[lil' love]

I remember reading on this board about a recipe for natural way to clear your drains. However, I don't know if it was recently or before the boards went down (I'm running on mommy time!)

Did anyone write it down?
Thanks

BTW-I thought to myself, "I really should copy this down.....no, I"ll remember!" Yeah right!

[driad]

I have a recipe but I just guestimate amounts.

I pour a whack of coarse salt down, then a slightly smaller whack of baking soda - follow that with a few glugs of vinegar. One hour later toss a whole kettle of boiling water down.

Cleans almost everything.

[Missgrl]

Driad.....love those measurements!:p

[MCR]

We do all our drains with a plunger and a kettle full of boiling water, so far it has worked every time. I'm going to write down vinegar salt and baking soda, just incase. Thanks

[talia rose]

There is also a non-toxic product called Drainbo

[Spastica]

I use the baking soda and vinegar followed by hot water method, but only after I've taken the goop out. I use a straightened cheap wire hanger (the kind you get at the dry cleaners). The hooks at the ends are great for pulling stuff out.

[Alkenny]

I use the baking soda and vinegar followed by hot water method, but only after I've taken the goop out. I use a straightened cheap wire hanger (the kind you get at the dry cleaners). The hooks at the ends are great for pulling stuff out. :yeah:

[defectgrrrl]

I've tried the goop pulling, the baking soda and vinager, borax and hot water and I still have the worlds slowest drain. Any other stronger ideas? Or has anyone tried the CLR stuff (it's like super pressurized air that shoots down the drain)?

[talia rose]

The product I mentioned before, Drainbo, is non-toxic and supposed to work well. It is available at www.organicgrace.com

[Love my 2]

Bac out by BioKleen helps

[boongirl]

There was a thread about this a year or so ago. I recall adding my two cents and getting a chorus of agreements that baking soda and hot water/vinegar is only good for occasional cleaning of a working drain or a slightly clogged one. If it is plugged, chances are good that you are adding baking soda to the goop that is clogging it. We have had plumbers tell us never to do this. It only works if the clog is small or minor. It does not clear away the gunk like draino does. And, if you try to use baking soda and it makes the problem worse, do not ever use draino or any of those other chemical products because the combination in your pipes could cause an explosion. The advice to use baking soda always comes from a homemaker's point of view, not a plumbers. (not dissing homemaker's since I am one) Google plumbing answers to clogged drains and you will not see baking soda amongst the possibilities.

If you were to call a plumber, they would try a snake or a plunger to get it unclogged. Use a plumbing snakes fish it out or you can also try a plunger, like you would use for a toilet. After it is out, use an enzyme cleaner to prevent future clogs. We use an enzyme cleaner called bioclean (http://www.connel.com/bioclean/). The plumbers gave it to us when they installed our new pipes. If your drain is prone to clogging, or if it just smells funky, using this stuff will make a huge difference. Since we started using it, no clogs.