A clogged drain or plumbing system can be really annoying. However, you can get it free in an environmentally friendly way without the use of harsh chemicals.
Pipe free
Most people know chemicals from the drugstore. However, the stuff is quite aggressive and can harm health and the environment. That doesn’t have to be the case if there is a completely harmless, simple alternative.
Recipe environmentally friendly and effective solution
Mix 40 ml (2 ⅔ tbsp.) vinegar essence or 1 ½ tsp citric acid with 200 ml water. Set the mixture aside.
Pour 1 litre of boiling water down the drain.
Pour 60g of baking soda down the drain.
Now quickly pour the vinegar/citric acid mixture down the drain, put on the stopper and wait 10 minutes. The mixture reacts by bubbling with the baking soda and that dissolves the impurities.
Pull the plug and add 1-2 litres of boiling water.
Clean manually
The blockage in the pipe can often be removed manually. This is especially helpful if the pipe is clogged with solid things that cannot be chemically dissolved.
Plunger/suction cup
A classic that helps above all is when there is a blockage in the pipe that can be “flushed away” with a little more pressure. Because with the plunger you move the water in the pipe “jerkily” back and forth. Constipation can be loosened and often completely resolved.
However, the plunger often does not help against long hair that has become tangled directly under the visible part of the drain.
Prevention is better than hindsight: How to prevent a clogged drain or plumbing system
A simple hair sieve helps you with this. You have a hair strainer in front of every drain. Otherwise far too much would disappear in the pipe, especially in the kitchen.
Every few months you have to dump 1-2 litres of boiling water down the drain. The boiling water loosens much of the biofilm that forms inside the pipes.
If you live in an area with hard water, it is best to mix either 40ml of vinegar essence or 1½ tsp of citric acid with water once a year and pour the mixture down the drain. After an hour, rinse with a litre of boiling water. This removes limescale.
On the other hand, if these remedies can’t help and the problem is serious, Plumbing companies can definitely help.