If your sink water is draining at a snail’s pace or emitting an unpleasant odour, it’s likely you’re dealing with a blocked drain.However, fear not, as this is a relatively easy problem to rectify.
It’s hardly surprising that drains get clogged up, given the daily onslaught of food scraps, soap, oils and grease that are washed down them, all of which can lead to a build-up over time. But according to the experts at Bright & Beautiful, the best solution for a blocked drain isn’t a chemical cleaner, baking soda or vinegar, but rather soda crystals. They said: “There’s no need to call a plumber for most ordinary or non-severe blockages. Try pouring boiling water down the sink, once it has drained away, fill a mug with soda crystals and pour it down the plughole.”
While white vinegar and baking soda are commonly used in cleaning, the chemical reaction they produce when mixed together isn’t potent enough to shift the fatty grease that accumulates in drains.
Neither substance is capable of dislodging food or soap particles either, as vinegar is acidic while baking soda is a weak alkaline substance, leaving you with nothing more than fizzy salty water instead of a clear drain.
Soda crystals, on the other hand, are strongly alkaline, meaning they can break down the acidic grease and fat so that they dissolve easily in water.
Another advantage of soda crystals is their ability to dissolve organic build-ups, making them equally effective for unblocking bathroom sinks clogged with hair or soap scum.
To use soda crystals to unblock a drain, simply boil the kettle and then pour the hot water down the drain. Wait for the boiled water to drain away then fill a mug with soda crystals and pour them down the drain as well.
Leave the sofa crystals to sit for five to ten minutes as it will need to time to break up the greasy blockage.
Boil the kettle once again and pour it slowly down the drain to rinse away the soda crystals plus the broken-down grease and fat.
The expert advised: “To be extra sure your blockage has completely gone, empty a full kettle of hot water down the sink.
“Et voilà – your sink should be blockage-free! If you sink still doesn’t drain, you should contact a plumber.”