Stop using vinegar and baking soda to unblock your drain as 1 natural item works better (Image: Getty)
The kitchen sink serves as the core of any bustling kitchen, handling everything from coffee grounds to greasy cookware. However, when a clog or an unpleasant smell arises, it’s essential to discover effective methods for cleaning a kitchen sink drain.
Maintaining a clean and clear kitchen sink drain is a crucial part of cleaning a kitchen, and fortunately, it doesn’t necessitate harsh chemicals or extensive scrubbing. One thing that’s always recommended to naturally unblock drains is the combination of baking soda and white vinegar. However, plumbers at Clear Stream Drainage and cleaning expert Wendy Graham, who runs the eco-blog Moral Fibres, have pointed out how ineffective that natural method is and what to use instead.
Baking soda and vinegar is a common natural remedy recommended for blocked drains (Image: Getty)
Does baking soda and vinegar unblock drains?
It makes sense that using baking soda and vinegar to clear your drain naturally would work well. The fizzing and bubbling that occurs when you mix these two ingredients seems like it would help remove any blockage in your sink.
Their chemical reaction produces water with a tiny bit of salt in it, and unblocking a drain with salty water is “rarely effective”, claimed Wendy. She added, “You need something that will break down the fat and tackle the oil and grease that is lodged in your drain.”
Plumbing experts at Clear Stream said that “baking soda and vinegar cannot unblock a drain in any meaningful way”. They added, “The reaction shifts light, loose residue and can freshen a mild odour, but it has no power over the fat and scale that cause almost every real blockage. It is a light maintenance rinse, not a drain unblocker.”
Why does the fizzing reaction not shift a blockage?
The fizz cannot shift a real blockage because your drains are “an open system”, explained the plumber. Any pressure the reaction creates escapes straight up the plughole and out through the vent pipe, so almost no force reaches the blockage. Plus, the reaction is also brief, and it happens in the sink rather than deep in the pipe where blockages form. The experts added, “The visible foam stays up near the plughole. The blockage sits a metre or more further down. The two rarely meet.”
Use soda crystals for a better option to help unblock drains naturally (Image: Getty)
What should you use instead to unblock drains?
For a better option, Wendy recommends “using soda crystals to help unblock drains naturally”. What makes soda crystals “a great choice for this job” is that soda crystals have detergent properties, which help tackle dirt and grease. It’s these grease-fighting properties that make it great at dealing with fat-clogged drains in your kitchen.
How to unblock your kitchen drain with soda crystals
First of all, boil a full kettle of water. Once boiled, carefully and slowly pour the kettle of water down your drain. This will help dissolve any fat blockages.
Once the boiling water has finally drained away, pour a large cup of soda crystals down your drain. Leave the soda crystals to sit for five to 10 minutes in your drain to help break up fat and grease deposits.
Next, boil another kettle full of water. Once boiled, carefully and slowly pour the kettle of water down the drain to wash the soda crystals and broken-down fat and grease away. Take care, as you may get splashes of boiling water as the soda crystals get to work on the blockages.
Repeat the first and last steps until your drain is clear. You should be able to see an improvement every time you repeat these steps.
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