If there is a lingering smell around your sink and the water takes ages to drain away, then you likely have a blockage, but thankfully, there is a very simple way to clear it quickly. Sinks often become clogged as greasy residues such as food scraps and soap go down the plughole daily, and over time, they will coat the inside of the pipes with a sticky film.
It will trap anything else that goes down the drain, which eventually will create a clog over time, and usually it requires a chemical cleaner to be able to cut through the hardened grease. However, the cleaning experts at Bathroom City have shared there is a natural yet very effective solution to cut through the grease, as all you need are some soda crystals.
They said: “Soda crystals, also known as washing soda, are super affordable. This non-toxic sink un-blocker and multi-purpose cleaner has been in use for hundreds of years. Soda crystals can unblock even the most stubborn sink blocks.”
How can soda crystals unclog a drain?
Soda crystal is one of the best ways to remove grease as it is highly alkaline, and can dissolve acidic substances like food scraps, soapy scum and other greasy residues.
Since kitchen sinks are used to prepare food, most people want to avoid harsh chemical drain cleaners, which makes soda crystals a great natural alternative.
Will other natural remedies work to clear a blockage?
It is common on social media to recommend mixing baking soda and vinegar together to unclog a drain, but this is unlikely to work unless you a dealing with a very weak blockage.
When vinegar and baking soda are mixed together when cancel each other cleaning properties to create a fizzy reaction, which looks impressive, but does nothing to grease.
Soda crystals work because of how alkaline they are, which can dissolve most of the residues that commonly found in sink drains like food, oil, soap and leftover coffee grounds.
How to use soda crystals to clear a sink drain
All you need to do is fill a kettle with water, and once boiled slowly pour it down the sink. Hot water will help loosen the greasy build up on pipes and also activates the soda crystals.
Then, wait a few minutes for the water to drain away, and put a few teaspoons soda crystals into the plughole.
Wait roughly 10 minutes to give the crystals time to break down the grease, then fill the kettle again and pour it down the sink.
Keep repeating this process until the water flows freely, and the sink will be completely unblocked.