Remember when I was all, “You crazy kids. Don’t you ever use baking soda and vinegar together in cleaning. It’s just silly. Blah blah blah.” Won’t she ever stop being so dadgum bossy omigosh?
Well, here’s a surprise.
Like everything in life, cleaning with baking soda and vinegar comes with exceptions. And that exception is cleaning drains.
When you’re cleaning your drain, you want to see a little plop plop fizz fizz. You want something else to do the dirty work. Like baking soda and vinegar. (That means scrubbing bubble monsters in French.)
Baking Soda and Vinegar TOGETHER Produce Great Cleaning Results
I failed to mention in my post yesterday the awesome power of baking soda and vinegar in drain cleaning.
The plan was to mention that today as some big surprise. (Surprise!)
Instead, some of you got all ahead of things and started telling the secrets. Thus, I share as a bit of a lag-behind. You people are so crunchy, I can’t even keep up with you.
How to Unclog Your Drain With Baking Soda and Vinegar
In my last apartment, we had a super finicky bathtub drain. Going one week between “maintenance cleaning outs” was enough to land me in ankle-deep water before I even had a chance to shave my legs.
I sadly say that this is not a way to unclog very troublesome drains. But it is a great way to keep on top of a slow-moving drain or after you’ve used an oil/sugar scrub (which I’ve noticed tends to increase the likelihood of future clogging).
Don’t even get me started, though, on how eco friendly baking soda and vinegar drain cleaner is, compared to Drano Liquid Plumr anything you buy at the store. And with a little bit of extra elbow grease and a plunger, you can use them to unclog the toughest drains. It just takes a while.
But here’s how you do it the easy way (before your drain becomes a clog monster):
Ingredients Needed:
–Vinegar
–Baking Soda
Instructions:
- Pour a pot of boiling hot water down your drain.
- Dump in about 1/2 c. baking soda. Let that sit for a few minutes.
- Then, pour a mixture of 1 c. vinegar and 1. c very hot water down on top of the baking soda.
- Cover with a drain plug (to keep the reaction down below the drain surface) if you have one and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Flush one more time with a pot of boiling water.
Why this works: The baking soda and hot water treatment will loosen up any grimy sludge that’s hanging out at the bottom of your drain, and the explosive chemical reaction with the vinegar will jolt it all loose. Then one final super hot-water rinse will make all the bad stuff go bye-bye.
Vinegar and Baking Soda Garbage Disposal Magic
Tossing citrus peels in your garbage disposal keeps it smelling like freshly poured sunshine, but every once in a while, when someone puts onions in there and leaves them when they’re not supposed to (ahem), you might need a little extra help.
This is where you utilize the baking soda and vinegar goodness, as well.
How to freshen and clean your garbage disposal with BS/V:
- Start by running hot water through your garbage disposal for a minute.
- Pour about 1/4 c. baking soda into the drain.
- Flip the garbage disposal on for 2 seconds, just to whirl the baking soda inside, and then leave it alone for 10-15 minutes.
- Follow with 1 c. of vinegar. Watch the bubbles erupt out of your drain. (Yay!)
- Rinse through one last time with very hot water and run your garbage disposal for 5 seconds.
Why this works: The baking soda and hot water (left in to soak for 15-20 minutes) will deodorize your drain like nobody’s business. And the vinegar volcano on top of all that will help dislodge any stuck pieces of food in the crevices, thereby releasing any potential future stinkiness.
The Baking Soda & Vinegar Issue In a Nutshell
The hard and fast rule to remember when cleaning with baking soda and vinegar:
Don’t mix baking soda and vinegar together, store them, and then expect them to work. But DO harness their explosive chemical reaction when immediate fizzy bubbles are needed to do some deep, impossible-to-reach drain scrubbing.
And I think that concludes everything we need to know about working with alkaline baking soda and acidic vinegar in cleaning.
Class dismissed.
Can you think of any other times when cleaning with baking soda and vinegar together could be useful?
Also, I’m looking for good counter top cleaner recipes right now (I need to switch up and try something new here at home).
Got any you especially love?
Sock it to me.
P.S. In case this doesn’t work for you, another good drain cleaning option is lye. Yes, that amazing stuff used to make soap. That kind of lye. It works. Don’t ask me how I know. Just trust me on this, mmmkay?
DIY 101: Baking Soda + Vinegar = Not So Much
Do I have to clear out all the standing water first?
Thanks for the post
Do NOT DO THIS in a porcelain sink!!!
I just cracked my bathroom undermount porcelain sink today with the boiling water… the vinegar and baking soda would have been ok, but the boiling water cracked the sink – a long crack. And boiling water apparently not good for the white PVC pipe joints, either… expensive mistake.
works, even with South of the border guacamole sewage !!!
Can the baking soda and vinegar cure be used in a sink that has standing water?
Just a word of caution: pouring boiling water down your drain; whether it is for draining your pasta or cleaning the drain is not a great idea. It damages any plastic parts in your drain. My plumber told me to run cold water over the drain while draining my pasta so my drain will suffer less. He showed me the warped plastic ring from my drain that caused me the leaking issues. I always make sure I have the cold water on now to ensure no further damage. Hot water is fine, but stay clear of boiling.
Worked like a charm!
Thx!
We had a blocked drain and tried this and it worked wonders brill didn’t think for one minute it would work but it sure did thank you for that
By the way, water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, so if the pipes can tolerate up to 140, boiling water shouldn’t cause any harm.
Rakib- The limit on plastic pipes is 140 degrees Farenheit, well below boiling, which is 212 F. I wish the U.S. would get with the rest of the world and use Celsius, but I guess we like things to be complicated.
I read to add 1/2 c baking soda to washing machine drum, and 1c vinegar instead of fabric softener – then with nirmal detergent. It softens towels and brightens whites – I was so surprised at how well it worked, I have been trying to share this with as many people as I can!
I sprinkle baking soda on my shower floor, spreading it out some with my hands, then sprinkle vinegar over it and let it bubble. Taking a wet sponge when the bubbles have stopped I scrub all over. Rinse it well. It looks white again.
I just used hot tap water in my tub and it worked wonderfully! Tomorrow, I am going to do the disposal.
I definitely liked this method more than using the stuff they sell at the supermarket. One change I made was to add 2 pots of boiling water at the start. May be my sink was stuffed than normal.
I was surprised at how well this worked on my kitchen sink! Sure, I’ll try hot instead of boiling water next time … but hey plumbers, what’s up with your industry installing chintzy plastic pipes that can’t handle a pot of boiling pasta water?? Are you trying to guarantee yourselves a profitable return visit?
Well, unless you want to pay FAR more for your pipes, there aren’t exactly a ton of better options. Plastic is the best over-all, but ALL pipes have their own unique issues.
And we’re not the ones pouring the boiling water down your drain.
This worked great! I took the advice of the plumber below and just used hot tap water instead of boiling water. Thanks for the tip!
I knew that baking soda was good for cleaning the kitchen with, but I didn’t know that I could use it to clean my drains. I was really happy to learn that this not only cleans the drains, but it unclogs them as well. I can’t wait to try this out now, thanks for this awesome idea! Clear drains are on the horizon.
This works but it messed up the sealer i had just put on the floor.make sure you get all the baking soda down the drain.
Re:Cleaners. Wondered what you thought of the hydrogen peroxide & baking soda combination cleaner. I’ve only just discovered it, and it’s incredible. Make a slurry/paste of these two items and let it sit (stirring occasionally) until it begins a calm foaming effect, then apply a coat to your filthy item. Let dry and brush/wash away the grime. And just one caution:don’t leave this on your ‘yellow’ toilet seat for too long because it will remove the paint! Finally I’ve found something that will clean the Damn toilet seat completely! (You don’t need to include this part: No, I did not know that you couldn’t just paint the ‘cleaned, but still yellow/dingy’ seat with white spray paint. The reason the paint bubbles up is because the toilet seat is actually powdered coated and then carnuba waxed. Nothing sticks to wax. How many times do you think I sanded off the bubbled paint and repainted before I figured out why my paint kept bubbling? DONT ASK, PLEASE! It’s tooo humiliating. So, you probably have to rewax that toilet seat every time you clean with this substance, but (on the old rental) I’d rather go thru this easy-clean method and then spend 5 minutes rewaxing to that ‘brilliant white shine you can see your face in’ sorta like the shine on your fancy car! (OK, stop giggling, I know what you’re thinking.) I’m sending this because I’m sure you have thousands who read your blog and I believe that EVERYONE should know about this clever cleaning trick. It cleans anything plastic perfectly like new. Try it on that dingy plastic silverware holder in your kitchen dishrack. The stainless steel barbecue (apparently never cleaned by former tenants or landlord) is now shiny bright and brand-new looking. I don’t even know what this combination makes ‘chemically’ or what else you shouldn’t use it on, but I’m willing to keep testing, or maybe I should ask the many chemists in my family what concoction is being created. Hmmm… I have enjoyed reading your blog with your easygoing, having coffee at the kitchen-table type conversation. Have fun trying this out! Can’t wait to hear what you think of this method. Enjoy the Brilliance!!!, Suzanne
You aren’t supposed to clean the bar-b-que that well. Just take tinfoil, crunch it up and rub across the grill part while it is hot. (Hold with tongs.) Why didn’t you just spend the ten dollars it takes to replace the toilet seat?
The goal is not pollute the earth any more and clean without using harsh chemicals. Also the intention is to avoid anything that contributes to the plastic population problem.
Hello Exalted and All-Wise Maven of Clean :
Huge thanks for your notes on cleaning My Beloved’s bathroom sink.
And, since I am a brilliant, gifted writer also, I appreciated your style and humor. Oh, and I LOVE your disclaimer, Lady CB.
Godspeed, and thanks again. Rock ON.
With a smile,
Jack Lyons, Himself
actor / adventurer / inspiration to zillions the world over / husband of the year—ooops, DECADE, of course
Never thought about bread sodda and vinegar combination before.
Will definitely try – BUT what measurement is -c- ?
Many thanks, Patricia
c= cup
With 25 years in the plumbing industry, the last thing you want to do is pour boiling water down any plastic drains. Considering code states water hotter then 140 degrees is not allowed down a drain and for good reason. Water over 140 degrees tends to soften plastic pipe and cause it to lose its shape. Which could cause piping to lose its pitch causing even bigger problems. Although baking soda and vinegar may provide temporary relief of a stoppage you simply delaying the need to mechanically clean the pipe. As a drain freshener it is OK. The best thing to do is fill sink up with hot tap water and let it drain periodically. This will use head pressure and hot water to help flush any lose debris.
Well said sir. Experience speaks more, Thumps up. Anyhow, thanks to Crunchy as well.
Thank you
Liquid water cant exceed 100 degree temperature. So, no worries..
Rajeev, that’s Celsius. I’m pretty sure Dan is referring to 140F, which is 60C. Confused me for a bit, too. Just don’t pour boiling water down drains.
And that is exactly why I always run cold water while I’m draining spaghetti, etc
Thanks crunchypants! worked like a charm!
This did NOT work on my drain even after following the directions twice…SIGH back to Mr Plumber
If liquid isn’t going down and just sits in the sink then the effect is somewhat ‘diluted’.
We also use the plunger to help loosen what’s inside there.
I’m sure I’m a bit late but I thought I woudl share what worked for me. I had a bunch of gunky brownish water that wouldn’t drain and had just settled in the sink. I used a toilet plunger to loosen it (just until the water drained) and then followed the directions. I’m sure you’ve already found a solution…but maybe this will help next time?
Cheers
I have a slow leak in the pipes I want to unclog. Is it a good idea to use this mixture if I have a leak? I’m thinking I could possibly make my leak worse
I had tried the baking soda and boiling water before a couple weeks ago, and that made the drain run faster, but it was still slow. It started getting very slow again so I read this and the comments. Good to know to not use boiling water. Someone in the comments mentioned clogging the air return with a rag and using a plunger, so I tried that. I stuck half the rag in the pipe then had my wife push the other half against the opening. With the water running so the plunger was submerged I plunged until my wife stopped feeling the back pressure against the rag. That fixed it, and now the water drains faster than it comes out of the faucet!
This doesn’t have anything to to with baking soda but, soaking any rusty metal is vinegar will make it good as new. 🙂
It didn’t work for me and it really messed up my PVC pipes under the sink. Tomorrow I will do what I should have done at first and go to the grocery store and get a $4.00 bottle of Drano.
When cleaning my disposal, you site says to use vinegar, but didn’t say which to use – white or apple cider vinegar. Could you please advise.
OMG your language makes me want to vomit. Stop being so pleased with yourself, you are ridiculous!
I had to do multiple treatments, but this eventually did a pretty good job. Thanks for the tips!
This worked amazingly! I used the hot water already from the sink, instead of boiling water, and it worked just as well! I’m so happy that the drain that has been clogged for several months now works. Also, the smell has vanished! Thank you so much!
There are a couple DIY things you can do to try to make your drainage better, but none of them are fool-proof. When it comes to problems that could be more complicated than they appear on the surface it’s a good idea to call in the professionals. I really like being able to get the pros in, and have them make sure that I have nothing to worry about.
Hi followed the instructions, let it set for 10 minutes. Repeated the process and it worked with a PLUNGER. That was the trick in connection with the baking soda, vinegar, and hot water.
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Just tried it on one of our bathroom sinks. Did not work, smelly dark water rising up. Started plunging with plunger and got up hair and gook, but still stopped up and before while it was a slow sink that clear water went down slowly but did go down with no smells coming out of the drain, now it is backed up with dark smelly water. Please advise what to do next??? Hate having to call the plumber and explain this and to tell my boyfriend when he comes home of this mess in our house.
I can’t tell you how happy I am with this method. Drains get so stinky sometimes and this is a natural and inexpensive way to freshen everything up. You can get giant boxes of baking soda and vinegar at Costco for so little. Love, love! and thanks!
Great idea! The mixture works great for cleaning my oven… why not using it for cleaning my drain. Thank you for the idea! I was about to go and buy this acids for unclogging but I rather try this method first.
It’s interesting to think that this might actually work, I’ll have to give it a try soon. We always have problems with our sink, and I feel like we’ve tried everything to fix it ourselves. This will probably be the last step before we call in a professional service, where we know it will be fixed.
This worked well for me. No pipe drama. No issues. Plain, straight boiling water by the way works well on toilet blockage or a slow draining toilet.
tell me if it works
I use vinegar and water for my coffee pot. We have a keurig and Mr coffee makers. I clean 3times with the mixture and then rinse with clean water the same amount of times. In the reg pot I let everything doak for awhile. Then I rinse with hot water after washing it.ps I sometimes use a little bleach and water to get stubborn stains out if where the filter gies and then really clean with soap and water.
Good information, but WHY is it necessary to have to listen to drums in the background. Very annoying!
forget the baking soda. Use good Shop Vac on drain. Duct tape the overflows and let the vacuum suck everything out. You will need to remove the stopper. Good for jewelry that may have inadvertently fallen in drain.
Another good solution for a clogged bathroom sink drain is to pour about half of a 10 oz bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid in the drain and let it sit several hours preferably overnight to work. Then in the morning get a small plunger (I have one I use just for my sinks) and an old washcloth. Use the washcloth to plug the overflow hole on the sink. This allows all the pressure you will apply with the plunger to work on the drain. Then add a small quantity (2 cups or so) of warm water to the drain and plunge away. The Dawn will have loosened all the greasy gunk and the plunging will either bring it up (where you can toss it away with a paper towel) or flush it down. About 5 minutes of plunging once a month keeps everything working well for me.
hi betty, I was just wondering if the basking soda and vinegar method will also get rid of a mold back up in a kitchen sink? im in an apartment building and this is what is happening to me, please help me if you can, many thanks, from donna in Ontario canada
I use 1 cup vinegar,1 cup rubbing alcohol , 2 drops dish soap, 1 cup water or use equal parts of all ingredients mix in a spray bottle ,I use this all over my house for cleaning
I followed the instruction and the drain was clear up instantly! Thank you for posting!
disinfecting cleaner:
Put 1/3 cup vinegar and a few drops Dawn in spray bottle. Fill with water.
Well, it’s kind of a lottery here. It will not unclog physical or grease blockages and above that you might ruin your drain and we’ve seen quite a few of these. So would definietly recommend to call an expert first.
This method works. It takes some time, but it works. One additional thing I did tonight that I hadn’t thought of was to use a small plastic bottle (my vinegar bottle in my case) to put over the drain. I pushed it down and was able to squish it enough under the faucet so that I didn’t have to hold it constantly. When the pressure started to build in the bottle, I squeezed it. I created just that extra push to clear the drain. It was awesome. And no harmful chemicals splashing back in my face. My step grandmother had (RIP) scars on her face from years of splash back of harmful chemicals. It is crazy what we used to do in the name of clean. Anyway, thanks for the tip. I use this method for every clogged drain. Works like a gem. And feels like a chemistry experiment. 🙂
This method to unclog the drain worked wonderfully!!!!! After doing the hot water, then waiting a few minutes for the baking soda to boil in the sink and pouring the vinegar and hot water it didn’t seem to do anything, then I ran hot water and turned on the garbage disposer and wallah the sink drained perfectly. Thanks!!!!!
So what do I use to combat the mold that likes to grow down the bathroom sink drain (and probably all other drains) I can remove the center plug core, and when I look down the drain there are side holes which, I believe, are the outflow for the overflow. They actually grow a nasty mold, but since they are located at an angle that is impossible to get into, they are super hard to clean. The plug has a pink mold growing on the end and I know that below the drain, where I can’t see, it is teeming with nastiness!! I have done the hot water/soda/vinegar cleanse, but it hasn’t really done anything for the mold I can see – who knows if it has worked down below. Therefore, I fell back on my old standby – Chlorox! I removed the drain plug and scrubbed it clean and then soaked it in a Chlorox solution. After the soaking, I poured the remainder down the drain. Is there something that will really work that isn’t quite as non-green as Chlorox?
I had the same issue – I just poked the end of a stirring spoon to clear the one side hole of mold/whatnot. After that, I did the baking soda/vinegar solution one more time and now my drain works perfectly.
worked for me.
don’t use boiling water, as too much heat may cause some pipes to leak.
I used almost boiling water to fill the drain (it clogged again), and as it slowly went down I poured about half a (small) box of baking soda.
the baking soda (which is a powder) did bubble, and started to help the seized up drain.
When I poured in the white vinegar (usually for cleaning), it made a lot of bubbles, and the pressure cleared out the drain with some satisfying sounds.
Now, I can shower longer than 1 minute with the drain actually working.
if this doesn’t work for you, try again, but seal the top part of the drain, so the pressure can ONLY go down and not in both ways. It was enough for me to just use the hot water and the powder, then the vinegar.
thanks for the tip, and hope this helps.
A thin paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide left on the counter for ten minutes, then scrubbed gently with a clean damp cloth works great. I use it for my kitchen sink too. Just don’t use on surfaces that scratch easily.
If you have two spray bottles- one with hydrogen peroxide, and one with white vinegar – and spray each on your counter, then wipe, it actually sterilizes better than bleach. It is very safe.
Does the vinager and baking soda work if you have dirt or sand in the drain
This was a miracle cure! Wow! Thank you so much. Do you know of any home remedies to whiten teeth. Or remove stains?
Brush vigorously with table/sea salt and warm water…make a paste. I promise this works?
binko
Please don’t do that. I am a licensed dental hygienist and I have to warn you that using any abrasives or vigoursly scrubbing your teeth can wear down your enamel and cause sensitivity.
It is called activated charcoal.
I tried this method in my bathroom upstairs. We ended up with a leak. We had to call a plumber. I found out that the Universal Plumbing Code (UPC) prohibits the introduction of water hotter than 140 degrees Fahrenheit. You can damage your drains and seals making them leak. That happened to us. I had water dripping from my ceiling fan downstairs. We had to cut holes in the ceiling for the plumbers to access the pipes to repair them. Please do not use boiling water.
I just posted how this did not work for me and made the problems worse.
This person posting this method is not being responsible.
Unfortunately this trick did not work very well for me. While I could observe some progress, it did not finish the job. I made another mix of vinegar, baking soda and boiling water which worked a little better, but I feel like a stronger solution might be the answer.
Worked great. Fungus smell is gone now too!!
I poured boiling water into my sink as directed, and my ceramic sink got big crack after that. THANKS! It will cost me to replace the sink.
it’s unfortunate that the author assumed it to be common knowledge that hot + ceramics = cracks.
It is unfortunate that no one understands that you pour the boiling water DOWN THE DRAIN, not into the sink.
DRAIN CLEANER:
For those of you that have a basket built into the sink drain….
Mix the BS with cold water to make a slurry JUST loose enough to pour through the basket.
Then proceed as directed…..
Worked for me….
OH! and if you don’t have a stopper for the drain….use the inside lid from a canning jar and hold it down with the gallon jug you poured the vinegar from….It makes NO SENSE to buy white vinegar in anything smaller….This is how I did it.
Good Luck
Thanks for the cleaning tips! Do you have a solution to those nasty, burnt in stains on the stove “glass top”? Nothing seems to penetrate to remove them. Thanks, B
this did not work for me. I applied 2 times, even took the drain apart to get the soda down, I think the first time it took some of the clog down the drain an became stuck, off to the store for DRANO….I’m out of Baking Soda
this treatment worked, it is better than spending money at hardware store for drano etc.
This is so easy and absolutely chemical-free! I have very serious problem with clogged drains at home and we already became friends with the plumber who comes to unclog our drains….Honestly I am getting sick of this situation and poorer, too. I will try the baking soda/vinegar idea for cleaning the drains! I hope that it works! Thanks for sharing!
Hi,
I just tried the boiling water + baking soda + vinegar remedy on my clogged bathtub drain. I did it twice (and used a plunger each time afterwards), and it still didn’t do the trick. (Although I think some sludge might have come up.) Any other advice??
Thanks!
To get your drain running again (without resorting to chemicals worthy of a hazmat suit) pour ½ cup soda, then ½ cup vinegar, down a clogged drain. Cover it with a wet cloth, wait 5 minutes, uncover, and flush with steaming-hot water.
Thank you Crunch Betty and all the commenters with their further advice! It is 1:21 and after hours and hours and liters and liters this natural solution is a wonder. I was truly skeptic at first, and this was the last try before giving up and calling the plumber tomorrow.
Now the toilet is about 75% unplugged, enough for cleaning the mess in it. Tomorrow I’ll attack it again to fix it completely.
Thank you all for this natural, cheap and awesome hack on this sh*t.
I did what she said, and it worked, even though the drain had a lot of stuff heavier than grease.
This solution to clogged drains totally woked. Probably saved $100 plumber bill! Thank you!
To clean the oven: Spray liberally with vinegar. Then, sprinkle baking soda around liberally. Leave overnight. Wipe out residue in morning with paper towel. WORKS!
Please write in simple language so that every person can understand properly like me.Your suggestions seems to me very useful but style is literary
I had no idea that you could use baking soda and vinegar to clean out a drain! Does this work on drains? My daughters all share a bathroom, so that one gets a lot of hair stuck in it. Also, my kitchen sink gets lots of things stuck, and it gets clogged quite easily. Would this work for both of these?
Good work…unique site and interesting too… keep it up…looking forward for more updates. I was really impressed by your blog please keep on sharing such blog.
Baking soda and vinegar make a great bathroom scrub as well, and even lift calcium and lime deposits! Sprinkle the soda on a surface, drizzle vinegar over it, then scrub. Add a couple drops of lemon essential oil for a boost. Just don’t let it come into contact with grout, as it will begin to dissolve it. Powerful stuff 🙂
How to clean a drain pipe if it is very long say about 20 feet from the sink?
Plumer gave me a heads up long ago to NEVER use powdered detergents. You can unplug a drsin line by inserting a hose and flushing it unless it is damaged or has roots inside.
How do we clean the drain if it is connected to a main line outside the apartment. Water will not be retained in the sink. Should we block the pipe at the end?
If the drain is connected to the main line outside the apartment, pouring hot water or anything for that matter will only go to the manhole. It will not remain in the sink. How do we clean ? Do you suggest that the drain line should be blocked at the end so that the pipe is filled with hot water and soda ?
Thank you Thank You Thank you. My husband has been putting off snaking the clogged shower drain for some time now. This worked great BUT the trick is to use a plunger at the end to get that flushed clear.
Have a great night!!!
Thank you so much for the valuable information/method, it worked brilliantly on my clogged kitchen sinks! Saved me a lot of money from getting a plumber to solve the problem, thank you!
cleaning the battery cables on my golf cart. hot water and vinegar first on the cable sprinkle it with a little baking soda let it do its magic and then rinse. .. Wa_la clean battery cables
Nice blog post. Good to read this informative blog post.
Ok…stubborn outside bottom steps drain. It would back up when kitchen sink and dishwasher would run and outside debris would build up. Had it professionally done 3 years ago cost me 100$..I was about by me a cobra snake 399$ at the lowes and or to call the Speedy rooter guy..and thought I’d give this ever loving drain hack a try
Used full strength baking soda/ vinegar and boiling water
And on the third try..BOOM..CLOGGED DRAIN ..GONE
yes it does work!!!!) Thank you old reliable pipe douser..
To clean countertops make a paste from baking soda and water. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle salt generously over the exposed flesh of the lemon. Scrub the baking soda paste with the lemon over counter surface. We use a 25% vinegar and water in a squirt bottle to clean up baking soda. This will create some some foam. It works great. I am chemist and this is still my choice of cleaning at home. Safe for your family and pets.
Thanks! This worked and saved us a major headache at our new home. Clogged sink 2 days before our housewarming party was definitely not something I wanted to deal with after all the hassles of the move. Kitchen sink is draining well now.
I tried this method and it works great. I’m not a handy person but I was able to unclog the bathtub drain with not trouble. Thanks for sharing this with me!
Throw small pieces of lime and lemon peels with a handful of ice into your garbage disposal to eliminate odors and help maintain the blades!
The lemon and lime will keep your kitchen smelling citrusy fresh. Ice helps knock off any debris built up on the sharp edges that keep them from grinding food properly.
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Thank you for the great tip! I had no idea that cleaning my drains was a simple as baking soda and vinegar. The best part about that is that those are both things that I consistently have in my kitchen cupboard! I won’t have to spend any extra money, and I can clean my drains at my convenience!
Will the soda /vinegar mix treatment work on washer drain pipe as well. Did use on basement floor drain WAS wonderful. Can see why plumbers don’t tell you about these easy fixes..
Thanks, Karen
Will the vinegar and baking soda mixture work for washer drain pipe also ?
Thanks , Karen
I tried this in my bathroom sink and it CRACKED MY SINK IN HALF! I don’t know if it was the boiling water part or the baking soda+vinegar, I followed the instructions to the letter and a minute after the final step there was a big pop noise and a huge crack in the sink 🙁
most likely the boiling water. it’s a phenomenon called thermal shock. rapid expansion of materials that are brittle and not malleable, ie. ceramic, often results in the material cracking. One part expands quickly and the rest can’t keep up.
That is freaking hilarious!
I just followed the directions for a clogged drain to the “T”. My sink drain was not draining at all. Wow!!! Worked like magic!!! Thank you so much for posting this very helpful, ecofriendly, and informative page!!!
Didn’t work for my drain 🙁 boo hoo..going to get that ecofriendly drano now!
Oh but it made my chrome drain sparkly new!:)
Update!!! After reading Dixie’s comment about using a plunger right after using this method..it actually started to drain!!! Sooo happy! THANK YOU for this article and thank you Dixie for your plunger comment!
To clean a toilet, especially if all you have is a wimpy flushable toilet wand:
You will need baking soda and vinegar. First pour about a cup of baking soda into the bowl, leaving some on the front that’s dry. (You might take this opportunity to dampen the pad on the wand, pick up some of the dry soda, and rub some of the more stained places with it.) Then add a cup of vinegar or two and, while it fizzes, rub the wand around like mad, thereby cleaning the toilet.
Jarrod: “Our business endeavor is provide an alternative to products like Drano, Liquid Plumr, etc, that make use of lye, sulfuric acid, or other hazardous heavy metals.”
Lye and sulfuric acid aren’t heavy metals. There’s nothing hazardous to the environment about using lye. The soap that you used this morning was made out of lye and oil. If you mix lye and sulfuric acid, you get sodium sulphate, which is a non-toxic chemical found in your laundry detergent. If you mix lye and hydrochloric acid, you get harmless salt water!
Never confuse a feel good article with fact. You are absolutely correct and chemically astute.
I must say that I have already tried this cleaning recipe and it works so well! I just boiled one part water with one part white vinegar and put half a cup baking soda. It is simple and easy way to clean your drain!Biggin Hill Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
Do I have to use white vinegar.
I used this little trick – and unfortunately it made things worse! Does anyone have any helpful tips/suggestions??
Kaiser..
it did the same for me when I used it in the tub. But then I took the plunger and pumped it servral times and heard the clog actually go down.
Works perfectly now. It evidently had loosened it up but not enough to “flush” it. The plunger did that.
Good luck!
Kaiser..
it did the same for me when I used it in the tub. But then I took the plunger and pumped it several times and heard the clog actually go down.
Works perfectly now. It evidently had loosened it up but not enough to “flush” it. The plunger did that.
Good luck!
Thanks for the article, I guess it’s the best way to cut costs down too.
Thanks for the article, I guess it’s a cheaper method for household residents and will definitely give it a go over the weekend!
I have some vinegar but it’s expired. Will that work for cleaning? I don’t want to waste it
Vinegar doesn’t really expire per se. Try it and if it foams it’s fine. If it doesn’t foam… well that’s some really old vinegar!
Great recipes!! I can’t wait to try them out! I started using vinegar and baking soda a few years ago for my household cleaning and since then I’ve found there is nothing vinegar can’t do. I’m still shocked
can vinegar fold your laundry? or sweep your cobwebs?
Do you just go around looking for comments that need sarcastic replies? Seriously…
Hey cory,why are you such a dick?
hi Jarrod
just remark, pls consider that not the whole world knows that does “1/2 c.” mean
it took me 15 min to realize that it’s “1/2 cup”
Nikita
smarten up
<3
15 min is too long for the average person to come to that realization
or because only the US uses non metric measurements….
Or maybe you shouldn’t make assumptions about what someone else is familiar with and make snarky remarks about their intelligence.
I clean my tea kettle a few times a year (to rid it of lime deposits on the coil) by boiling a liter of white vinegar in it. This does the job with a smile. Then I normally dump the vinegar down the drain in the shower, followed by two more kettles of boiling water (rinses out the kettle). My drain runs like a charm. From now on I’ll also be throwing in a 1/2 cup (that’s 50 grams) of bicarbonate soda first, as per the above instructions.
That’s funny. Considering the whole planet, except we in the U.S., uses the metric system. Attempts to convert us have failed. Wonder why? Counting my tens too difficult to grasp?
They did that because it would take 100% of the U.S. Readers 25 minutes to figure out how to measure out 118ml. 😉 most likely it would result in going to the store and making an additional measuring device purchase.
Took me 10 minutes. I must 1/3 s (smarter). For goodness sake how much longer does it take to enter cup rather than c ?
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Great hack. I just used it and it worked like a charm. Saved me a bundle from having to call a plumber on a weekend. Not to mention I had all of the items on hand.
Because it was my kitchen sink I made sure to plug the secondary sink before I started with the hot water then baking soda.
Thank-YOU for the great info.
Fantastic; worked like a charm! Thanks!
Be careful of putting hot water down the Garbage Disposal a lot.
I have heard that it causes the lubrication to be ruined.
Better to use Cold or Cool water.
A good way to clean and freshen up the Disposal is to use ice cubes (the ones you buy in a bag or from the fridge ice dispenser) .
Put some in the disposal with thin sliced lemon. Run the cold water slowly and turn on the disposal.
Use the back of a wooden spoon or a chop sticks to move the ice around the top drain (be careful of going too deep and chopping up the wooden spoon or the chop sticks, BUT better them than a metal utensil ).
Add more ice as needed. it might back up a little as it grinds through.
The ice will clean the disposal insides and the blades and the lemon will have a nice smell.
I guess you can follow up with some baking soda , vinegar and them some cold water to get rid of more odors.
If you use baking soda because you want to protect the environment you probably want to get rid of your garbage disposal.. very bad for for the environment my friends
Garbage disposals aren’t actually all that bad, yes composting is best, but as long as you are not in an area with a water shortage, a disposal is better than sending it to a landfill. In fact many waste-water treatment plants rely on the food waste to feed the bacteria in their systems, bacteria which is used to filter out other biowaste which could hurt the environment, by having food come in with the waste water, the plant doesn’t have to truck in food for the bacteria, in a landfill the food would have to be trucked there, where it would decompose and give off methane. So really looking at the big picture garbage disposals aren’t that bad, just dont put fats and oils down it, those can block up a whole system.
My plumber who is also a friend told me if I get a garbage disposal to call anothe plumber !!!!!
Jen p–You should have said why garbage disposals are bad. Recent reports in the news explain why. The reason is because people are putting too much of everything in garbage disposals so that it’s clogging up the water treatment plants. There is hardly any water left to recycle. So people really should put everything they possibly can into their receptacles instead and only use disposals for items that can’t be put into their garbage cans, such as liquid products.
The boiling water can warp and cause plastic drains to leak from being deformed from the heat. Been there and done that. I did it by draining the hot water from pasta and letting it go down the drain. Run cold water while dumping hot boiling water down a drain with any kind of plastic drain.
love it! thanks
Vinegar and soda just neutralize each other. The reaction might look effective but it does nothing. See http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/science/vinegar-baking-soda-the-ultimate-cleanser
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I live in an apartment. My tub is clogged. So I’m going to try the BakingSoda and Vinegar. I hope this works for my tub.
My sick real real. Bad how good baking soda and vinegag
My sick real real. Bad how good baking soda and vinegag
Does this work on shower drains??
What the fuck is a ‘c’ you stupid fucking bitch?
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I used baking soda and vinegar to get rid of an ant hill in my garden. I had to do it a couple times but it did work and they were red ants too.
Thank you for every other great post. The place else may anyone get that kind
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I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the search for such info.
i just tried to unclog my drain using draino max. the water goes down now but by the gurgling sound i can tell there is still something in there. Will it hurt if i use the baking soda & vinegar method now or will there be a bad reaction from any draino still in pipes.
If you hear gurgling, it could be the stack vent (the little pipe coming out of your roof). Call a plumber and have it water jetted to clean out the birds nests and such and all of your drains will work better. Then put a screen or cap over the top to keep it from clogging again.
I had both of ours cleaned and they were jam packed with walnuts from the squirrels looking for a safe place to put them.
If the faucet has a large metal nut holding the internal parts in place, check if it’s loose. Tightening that nut with a channel lock pliers may stop the leak. If not, remove the nut, screw or spring-loaded metal ring that holds the internal parts in place.
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This worked well at cleaning out my drain. However it also melted or dissolved the adhesive that that held the metal ring around the drain stopper to the sink. I hope it didn’t also melt any of the adhesive or rubber rings inside the pipes.
My bath tub drain blocked I think with hairs I put the drano alrday 3 time but dint work wht I can do more to clean…Thanx
Holy crap. I did not think this was going to work. I was just at target contemplating whether or not I should buy some Drano or whatever, but I decided to look up how to unclog a drain. All of these products cost close to nothing (or you already have them) when Drano is about $8. Somehow my roommates got toilet paper all up in the sink in the bathroom(plus hair, toothpaste, and all kinds of gunk) and the drain was not working at all. It’s actually never really worked perfectly, until now! I used 1/2 cup of vinegar and hot water instead of 1 of each. At first I thought it didn’t work until I plunged the sink and it all went right through the drain. Yay!
I use this combination and add a little bit of dish detergent and lemon or orange juice to clean doggy accidents on carpets. While doing that I also discovered that it took out some rust stains that were in the carpet from metal foot thingies that are added to chairs and some tables legs. When they rust they leave an ugly stain and I used to just put chairs and tables back in the same position so they were not visible. After I used my mix I was actually able to move my furniture around a bit. It also helps pick up the plush of the carpet a little but and does a great job on heavy traffic areas also.
Hi! There is a bad smell from the drain in the sink in my fleetwood camper, do you think that using baking soda and vinegar will solve that problem?
Best whishes from Inga
Love your writings and believe it is worth a go BUT what the hell is a “1/4 c”, “1/2 c.”,, “1 c.” and “1. c”?
In short – what is a “c”? I get the quarter, half and a full “c”
Cheers,
in
This article is poorly written. The way it’s written just makes it very hard to follow. It feels hard to just stumble on this article from a google search and extract the information I was looking for. It just has such a strange choice of wording….
Think of it as constructive criticism! 😉
I tried the baking soda and vinegar, along with hot, hot water, but finally logged onto YouTube on how to take the drain plug out and clean the drain. It’s pretty gross, but what a great feeling, getting it done right! I once had a plumber tell me that he wouldn’t work on people’s’ plumbing, if they had just put drano down them. I’m not sure how to explain it, but it can combust in your face.
I still like using baking soda and vinegar, but wonder if boiling water could crack pipes.
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What if the clog seems to be further down the pipe from the tub drain?
Wow. I forgot to pick up drain cleaner today when I was shopping so I Googled to see if there was anything I could do to free up my slow-running drain with what I had at home rather than head out again. Saw this site, tried your suggestion of baking soda and vinegar and – WOW. I was REALLY impressed with how fast and easy it worked. Now the drain is running freely again. Much easier (and cheaper) than harsh chemicals and better for the environment, all round a winning combination.
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How can I unclog candle wax from my sink’s drain?
I accidentally got wax in my bathroom sink drain. What can I do to get it out? I tried the vinegar and baking soda, but it didn’t help.
Cleaning counter tops? It depends on what you’re trying to do “clean” it or “sanitize” it.
If you want it “clean” it I use Krud Kutter. This stuff is biodegradable, non toxic, and REALLY does the job. It can be used around food prep areas without any problems. Keep a spray bottle under sink and use as needed, when needed with abandon.
If you want to “sanitize” it get out the vinegar! Nothing lives in vinegar. Nothing will live on your counters if you clean it with vinegar. I use undiluted white vinegar in a spray bottle that also lives under my sink with the Krud Kutter.
By the way came to your site looking for the receipt to clean my drains, thanks.
I’m glad to see this supplemental post, because I became suddenly and incurably indignant at the apparent slander you had perpetrated against this useful mixture. The cleaning power, if I may risk sounding like a comercial, in the mixture is not the resultant solution but the chemical reaction itself. It all happens in those few seconds of decomposition. Thanks!
Vinegar and baking soda also works great to clean stoves and grill grates. Just mix the two together in a small bowl, put the mixture of baking soda and vinegar on tough spots, and let the magic begin. Wipe with wet sponge. Some really tough spots have to be scrubbed at, but it’s a lot easier once the mixture sits there for a minute or two. I just moved into a 100 year old house and the stove (which is also very old) looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years, but this worked wonders and it looks like a brand new stove!!
I love using baking soda with vinegar to clean my pots and pans. It’s that initial fizz that seems to do the trick. I also use it to clean the oven, stove grates, bath tub and you name it. Of course you can’t really use it on surfaces such as stainless steel fridge but it’s my favorite standby for many various cleaning jobs. Yeah they may in chemistry neutralize each other but as long as your not mixing the two together in a container for future use it should be ok. I love using BS/V on my Pyrex dishes to remove those pesky stains that get baked or cooked on. Works like a charm!! Chemistry or not I just go with what works!
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would this work for my drain in the basement? I’m thinking sediment from rain run off has been slowing it down and I’m tired of plunging occasionally when I already have to sweep water to the drain(old house).
I think I love you. This worked perfectly! Except I had to break mine up into two batches. My drain in the shower is the screw one where it doesn’t detach, so I just used a spoon and shoved it on in there. But all didn’t fit at one time. Hence, the half and half method thing.
I have this type of drain plug in my tub too, and they actually do detach. Get your face (eyes) down into the tub and turn the plug until you see a little screw. The screw holds the plug on a metal post with a groove in it. The screw sits in that groove and makes it so the plug turns but won’t come off. Just loosen it and remove the plug.
Vinegar and baking soda is great for vomit. After cleaning up the area, I then sprinkle baking soda on the spot, and then spray it with white vinegar. After a few minutes, I dab the excess baking soda I can off the floor.
Then, as an extra measure, I measure out oxyclean in super hot water and use a tough scrub brush to scrub the spot. I like to leave a little bit of baking soda on the area because I think it really does help.
The spot comes out like magic! I did this yesterday on a few spots on white carpet that my puppy got sick on. Her vomit left deep orange and yellow spots that are now gone. It might leave a little baking soda residue but no big deal as it goes away after time, or shampooing.
OMG thank you so much, I can’t believe how well this worked! Our bathroom sink drain was SO slow you’d have to wait minutes for the water to go down. Expensive drain cleaners barely helped and certainly didn’t fix it. I must admit I preceded your process with 1/2 bottle dollar-store drain cleaner I had lying around because I was afraid the vinegar / baking soda wouldn’t go down enough to work. I let that sit for 30 min, then followed your solution, using the sink’s own stopper to close it. After another 30 min and a pot of boiling water, voila, it drains instantly now. It hasn’t been this fast in years! Thanks again.
I agree! This solution is the TRUTH! I had to bring my sister in to see how quickly the drain was working. I didn’t preceed it with anything, just removed the tangled hairs from the drain (yuck) and did your baking soda/vinegar magic. Wow. Made my day.
I have a septic and my bathroom sink is clogged. I tried the baking soda and vinegar but it didn’t work…. I’m thinking it’s hair from guys shaving. What can I use that’s safe for septics?
There are drain cleaning brushes which are long and skinny and they bend fairly easily. Brushing out the drain will bring up hair. It will be rather unpleasant but rubber gloves will keep the sludge off your hands. Then the cleaning with the vinegar and baking soda routine should take care of what may be left.
I had the same problem and I let it sit overnight with the water/vinegar/baking soda and used a plunger. It was still a little slow, so I plunged it again. I then treated it like this to make sure the gunk I had loosened up with the plunger would get washed down for sure.
I have to admit, I had my doubts since the drain was clogged a few feet past the trap, but it worked great. Something I will forever remember. Thanks.
I am just trying the venegar and Baking soda I don’t know what I did wrong it’s not working for me. My tub still clog. Should I try again. Please help. Thanks
Your tub is most likely clogged by hair which will not be cleared out by this method or chemical drain cleaners. You can try to plunge it, that worked for my tub.
They sell a $2.00 tool at Lowes or Home Depot that is white plastic about 30″ long that is straight and has spurs on it. Push it down the tub drain and it will hook the hair and pull it out. Do it all the time at my rentals.
I’ve done the same thing with a coathanger with a hook on the end.. while it gets out all the hair it’s somewhat scary to see all that gunky, wet hair coming back up.. freaks me out every time.
BEWARE of the coat hanger!!!
If you have old metal pipes the coat hanger well go right threw it and you will have a whole new problem on your hands….
plastic is the future.
NAOMIE & ANY OTHER WOMEN: Many times all you really need to do is unscrew the drain stop & get hold of the strands of hair that are visible. Once you have a good hold on them, start pulling them out the rest usually follow. Yes, there’s no doubt about it ~ it’s probably number one on the list of gross, disgusting & dirty jobs girls with long locks must get used to doing if we want to maintain the mane especially if you don’t want to shower in knee deep water LOL ~ so go on now & buck up cupcake & put on a pair of latex gloves. I know it helps me (I’ll just fold the glove over itself over the huge slippery slimy disgusting hairball when I take them off, kinda like when you’re doing a dye job ~ so you don’t get any color on yourself) Good Luck Naomie & anyone else this may have helped. They also sell a very inexpensive sink snake it’s very small & VERY EASY TO USE.
Actually chemical drain cleaners are probably the most reliable tool to get rid of hair, but you have to get the right one which is usually the industrial type that need to be handled with safety goggles and gloves.
This works well to remove hair from a tub drain:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BrassCraft-Zip-It-Bath-and-Sink-Hair-Snare-BC00400/100665735
It’s inexpensive and (contrary to what the packaging says) is reusable. My daughter has long hair and uses it weekly to remove large hair clogs from her tub drain.
Baking Soda and Vinegar always works, stoppage solved.
Barkeepers friend available at Lowe’s for less than $3 is the absolute best for cleaning countertops and almost anything! Look up the reviews, u will love it!
What should I understand for 1/2 c. and 1,c
in regard to cuantati
what should I understand for 1/2 c.
1/2 c = 1/2 cup = approximately 250 g or 250 mL
1 c = 1 cup = approximately 500 g or 500 mL
Hope that helps 🙂
Sorry but that’s wrong!
1/2 (c)up is equal to 125mL.
1 (c)up is equal to 250mL.
I’m not sure about the weights though! It differs material to material.
This is awesome. When I moved into my apartment the kitchen sink would drain incredibly slow. So I looked up ways to clean the drain and came across this. Whatever was in my drain required being plunged with a plunger several times, treated like this several more times and now it works perfectly!
Your blog is fun to read as well as informative. I’ve had great success cleaning my counter tops with Magic Erasers, even the store brand ones work.
Awesome! This worked great followed directions as written and used on my bathtub drain. Thank you!
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I found exactly what I was looking for!
My uncle (a retired plumber who worked for 30+ years in plumbing) passed away last year. He always cleaned out my kitchen and bathroom pipes with baking soda and vinegar any time he came to visit me. It was his way of making time for me, but still…
I never got clogs, because he would treat them proactively.
But alas, now I have a slower running drain and I remembered his two “secret” ingredients were baking soda and vinegar, but he never showed me how much to use.
I’ve been afraid to figure it out by trial and error, because too much can be VERY bad. I really appreciate this blog and all the different recipes/tips that are posted here!
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I also use this for a smelly bathroom drain, and I tried it after expensive harmful drain cleaners failed. It truly does work…I have had to do twice sometimes…but it will effectively rid odors from smelly drains.
Thanks Crunchy B (love your picture),
I know this works, but the baking soda just sits on top of the permanent metal drain ‘criss-cross.’ What to do?
Then everything explodes before I can cover. When all is done, baking soda still staring up at me. Any solutions?
Thanks, Kathie
thius didn’t work fopr me
It works well. I have done this before and want to share a top. Wear rubber dish gloves. I had a paper cut once and the fumes caused it to sting as I poured. Also, try using a funnel to direct the baking soda and vinegar/water deeper. Less back foam. Thanks!
Excellent info. We’ve been using baking soda and vinegar for months now, and we are genuinely surprised as how much chemicals we don’t need any more.
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Wow ok, i clogged my drain doing this. It’s been slow awhile but now I’ve got a sink full of grimey liquid. I’ve tried the plunger to no avail… I suggest using caution when attempting this. Pour the baking soda slowly and don’t put too much!
My wife’s shower is congested with hair and other unidentifiables. She waited until the drain was massively slow (i.e., water builds up at your feet) to mention it to me. With such a large task to overcome, I’ve taken a slightly different approach to the baking soda and vinegar application. Everyday I apply several minor doses to the drain, watch it eat away some of the gunk, then flush it with hot water. After 5 days, the drain is flowing smoothly, But I’ll keep going to I clear out the bulk of the visible gunk.
I’ve found that when I pour the baking soda around the rim and onto the gunk inside the drain, I can just pour the vinegar lightly around the drain. It grabs the baking soda and works it’s way down onto the sludge, eating away at it. When it stops bubbling, I add a little more vinegar. Eventually, I fill the drain once with vinegar to make sure that it gets the stuff beyond my vision… It’s Working.
To go f yourself
I am a plumber of 40 years.
There is nothing wrong with bi-carb and vinegar going in drains, we use this method in my internal house drains to keep clean and of smells.It is no good for major blockages. How much boiling water do you think is discharged by industry into drains every day.
I think you need to get advice from a real plumber.
Wow! This is a very helpful article. Your soda and vinegar thingy really works. Cheap and environmental- friendly. Amazing! Thank you sooo much 🙂
I tried this today and it worked! Thank you! (◡‿◡✿)
Hey there.. I knew that this would work, I’ve used it before for a drain unblocker and I also do it just for the fun of watching it bubble up and sizzle.. lol
Anyways, we’ve recently had some major issues with a bathroom sink. Living in the country, our vanity sink drains into a pipe that waters the garden grass, nothing more, nothing less. It’s a real ingenious plan from the person who built the cottage, however, there has been an AWFUL stink coming from the drains recently. We’ve tried Drain-o and Mr Plumber, to no avail. We ended up sticking a small bowl over the plug hole so we couldn’t smell it anymore. It was seriously enough to make you gag.
Fast forward to my remembering this drain cleaner recipe, I just omitted the boiling water being mixed with vinegar and used 2 cups of vinegar instead. Voila! Stink gone in a matter of seconds, could actually stick my nose over the plug hole and have a good whiff and no gaggy smelly drain.. 🙂
Thanks for sharing.. And to the troll way up there above, take your own advice. lol
I unplugged the bathroom sink today with vinegar and baking soda. I feel like a successful war lord. So, thanks for making me feel like a successful war lord.
My recipe for bathroom sinks and tubs: make a paste of baking soda, a drop or two of tea tree oil and a few drops of natural cleanser. This makes a great gentle cleanser. It’s not too abrasive for my porcelain tub and it quickly removes any grime or soap scum. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and it smells great, too.
Can I use this mixture to clean resin out of glass pieces? I am unsure if the reaction will cause the glass to burst.
Another exception…..if you have pets and potty stains on your carpets. Soak the carpet with vinegar(important to do this first) then dump dry baking soda on stain soaked in vinegar. Let set. Put a plate or bowl over it to keep from tracking if a high traffic area. I let mine set anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. You can see the baking soda draw up the stain. It is amazing.
my drains need unblocking and i wanted an eco friendly alternative. thanks very much!
hello
HOW IS PUTTING AN ALKALINE LIKE BAKING SODA, TOGETHER WITH AN ACID LIKE VINEGAR GOING TO CLEAR A DRAIN????
THEY CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT, SO WHAT’S YOUR POINT??????
YOU NEVER PUT BAKING SODA DOWN A DRAIN, TOLD TO ME BY 3 DIFFERENT PLUMBERS! WHO ALSO TOLD ME TO NOT PLACE BOILING WATER DOWN A DRAIN!!
PLUS I’VE ALREADY TRIED THIS AND IT DOESN’T WORK!!!!
GO BACK TO KNITTING OR PLAYING CHECKERS, BETTER YET, WHY DON’T U KILL YOURSELF!!!!!!
There is no better way to make a point than by hiding behind no name, writing in all-caps, and telling someone to kill themselves because you disagree with their recipe for drain cleaner.
#cowardlycomment
Laughing so hard right now!
PS, there is absolutely nothing wrong with knitting. Or checkers. Or even baking soda + vinegar + boiling water in your drain.
While this comment was harsh and totally uncalled for…
This did not work for me. I went from a slow drain to a “uh-oh, big problem” drain. Aaaand I’m out of vinegar. Otherwise I’d try it again because that’s the kind of smart I am. >.>
woohoo! nevermind! There is definitely something to be said for plungers though.
My grandma lives in a trailer and was told by ALL the plumbers in her area to use this when her drains were getting slow. This is safer to use on the pipes they use in trailers than draino or othrr such drain cleaners. Think about why plumbers who you PAY are going to tell you not to use something cheap and very effective. Obviously you did not learn in 3rd grade science like the rest of us did that there is a chemical reactiom between baking soda and vinegar.
Psychotic! And not only is he* NUTS but he has nothing better to do than read blogs and abuse people. He has nothing meaningful to do with his life so he sits behind his keyboard and feels like he is just so amazing, and that writing abuse in all caps will convey a message effectively.
And if three plumbers told him it was not a good idea, why is he really wasting his time being a knobhead and replying to blogs he doesn’t need to be reading anyway?
#LOSER #moron #wasteofspace
I have been using the baking soda and white viniger, also sometimes I use an anacid like alka selser. it fisses really well hot water after. I have the little plastic thing with a handle to put down into my bathroom sinks and get gunk out along with this . but my tolliets are not flushing well. they flush slow and then take a long time to fill up with water. sometimes they clog, I just know when I have company one of these will clog. help
this worked! awesome! I even only needed to use 1/4 cup baking soda since 1/2 cup wouldn’t fit down the sink drain! So happy…
This works because I just did it in my kitchen sink‼
This combo of baking soda and vinegar works well with disinfecting and helps in removing black mold that sometimes forms in plastic container lids, travel mugs, and the plastic straws that come with the thermo cups, etc where that nasty fungus grows in those hard to reach crevices. Just put the baking soda on the area and pour a little vinegar on it and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before rising with hot water and wash as usual before using.
Can you use any kind of vinegar?
This totally works! Thanks so much!
This is the reason why it is important to always have access to Simoniz pressure washer parts in case the need to replace something arises.
These pressures washers are built with rubber wheels for mobility and maneuverability.
Replace Water Hose Gaskets at the Water Inlet
and on Water Hoses to the Power Washer.
Yes, it works, but keep in mind, that it might be not powerful enough for fully clogged drains. It is thought a great way to maintain your drains so it they do not clog.
Counter top warm vinegar water wipe dry you should be good.
I’m glad I found this today, I’ve been dealing with both sides of my sink not draining and when they do drain it takes at least 30 minutes. I’m gonna go try this now.
hello crunchy
i tried your baking soda and vingar on my sink and ot workrd great thsanks for your help great advise,
james
I hear H202 (Hydrogen Peroxide) is great for countertop cleaning. 🙂
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My kitchen sink would not drain. I looked this up again and used it. It worked. Thank you.
Lightning dude!! This is awesome. The drain in my bathroom sink was really slow and I knew it was only a matter of time before plugging up. This little treatment worked wonders. Thank you very much. Saved a bunch on my favorite drain cleaner – which is pretty much pure sulfuric acid.
Great advice, it’s best not to use toxic chemicals in your pipes as the article suggests!
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I just tried this and it totally worked!
This is really a great article for those who cannot afford to hire expert drain plumbers. It will save them money and this is one of the easiest way to get rid of blocked drains. Great article!
For clogs that won’t clear with this method, consider DRAIN-FX. Full disclosure, I work with the company, and I’m trying to drum up awareness for our product. We developed this product so that people don’t ever have to buy chemical drain cleaners again.
DRAIN-FX is in essence a portable pressure washer that hooks up to your tap and breaks up the clog using simple tap water and clever engineering. No chemicals whatsoever. We also donate 5% of our profit to WaterCan to fund clean water project in Africa. Google us 😉
Jarrod, Because I get tired of the “Chemicals are bad and scary!” arguments, I just want to point out that vinegar (in the above article) is a chemical (Acetic Acid- CH3COOH aka Vinegar), so is lemon juice, so is, well everything! Which means your lying, your pressure washer does use chemicals- Water. Water is a chemical- H20. You also used chemicals to make your product since plastic is made of different chemicals. Chemicals aren’t exotic and evil chemistry lab substances- they’re everything! So please cease the “Chemicals are bad!” scare tactic. Be knowledgeable which ones are undesirable to use and damaging, by all means, but quit with the scare tactics. It gets old and makes the person using that argument look foolish and uneducated, which is especially bad when you’re trying to plug your product.
RurouiKou, you are quite astute; water is in fact, by definition, a chemical. Moreover, you are right in your assertion that both acetic acid (vinegar) and citric acid (lemon juice) are also chemicals, and of limited toxicological harm. Unfortunately, the vast majority of – and I use this term colloquially – “chemical drain cleaners” utilize chemicals with significantly more harmful toxicological properties than the chemicals referenced in your comment.
Our business endeavor is provide an alternative to products like Drano, Liquid Plumr, etc, that make use of lye, sulfuric acid, or other hazardous heavy metals. We would certainly never discourage anyone from trying a non-harmful chemical like water, vinegar, or lemon juice on their clogged drain. Unfortunately, in many cases, even toxic chemicals don’t work very well.
I appreciate your constructive criticism regarding my level of education; I will endeavor to continuously improve both my sales methodology and marketing approach, and I thank you for taking the time to read my previous comment.
You are awesome Jarrod.
Hahaha Jarrod that’s great!
thank you sooooooooooooooo much. i do hope the vinegar parfume sticks around all day i love the clean aroma
Apt critique, RourouiKou, and nice, professional, humble response, Jarrod.
Very nice response to a rather attacking comment. Nice job.
Well-played, Jarod.
sure everything is made up of chemicals…but some are natural and safe for human consumption and some are toxic…can you drink “drano” or “liquid plumr” without killing yourself? NO. can you ingest baking soda, or vinegar w/out killing yourself? YES. there’s the big difference. those chemicals work w/ our body and dont harm us whereas many cleaners are extremely harmful to skin and will kill you if you ingest it….science is usually not better than nature no matter what companies tell u….
Smart response, Faithy. I used this method myself. There’s always going to be naysayers flapping their tongues. Hell, even humans and animals are made up of “chemicals” but I guess that’s OK cause we seem to get by just fine. Can’t wait for my rebuttal. 🙂
Water is a chemical COMPOUND, which is not the same as what non-anal people cal chemicals. Also…if you are trying to sound so intelligent and educated, you should learn 3rd grade vocabulary words like YOU’RE instead of YOUR.
RurouniKou,
I’m curious as to why people have to be pedantic on popular or mainstream uses of terminology.
“Chemicals” in the popular sense tend to refer to the toxic kind. If you’re a chemist, or work in a lab, that’s different and I’d understand wanting to use the broader understanding.
I’m wondering if you’re on the autistic spectrum for it to be so meaningful to you. Usually we’re the only ones that get that hung up on particular definitions, though some of us, myself for example, learn on our own how unnecessary and damaging such a focus is.
I’d recommend talking to your therapist or caseworker if you get that worked up on popular usage of terms in a public forum. I know it can be miserable to be that hyper-focused, not to mention you lose friends over it.
Good luck to you.
If this is the one that uses a garden hose and pressurizes the drain, I love it. My partners worked on a clogged drain that was 6 foot under a crawlspace and couldn’t open it. Hooked up one of those balloon like devices (which is what yours might be) to a hose and turned the water on. In 45 seconds it blew open the line and I was a hero.
Just lucky it didn’t blow out a joint. Drains have thinner wall thickness than pressure pipes. Most of the time clogs are easier to blow out than joints, but when that one time it happens…..
Thank you so much for an incredibly awesome, easy, environmentally-friendly and safe way to clean my drain. Your blog rocks! And this formula rocks, too! It worked!
Baking soda an vinegar mix is a great mix for homemade drain cleaner. It’s cheap and non toxic. Also, you can use it for preventative drain maintenance to clear out the drain. Don’t wait till your drain if fully clogged, because sometimes it can be too late for a homemade cleaner to work properly.
Does anyone know if BS/V would work on hard water stains/scale on a new toilet? I have used TSP, CLR, denture fizz (cannot remember the brand) all with soaking and elbow grease but little success. These unsightly rings are at the water line.
Try an electric kettle for boiling water in any room of your house that has an electrical outlet. I got mine years ago, before they had microwaves for dorms. Just fill it with water, plug it in, and you’ll have boiling (or just very hot) water in no time. Good luck! 🙂
I also add a cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle when I’m doing laundry. This keeps my favorite clothes smelling fresh until I am ready to retire them.
Love this website, BTW.
Baking Soda is the best for cleaning counter tops. It will not bleach or scratch or damage the counter top in anyway as comment or other abrasive cleansers will do. You don’t need the vinegar just a little of your muscle grease if it a bad stain.
Dampen a rag. pour a little baking soda on the stain, then rub with the dampened cloth. It gets it clean! If you want the past a little more liquid you can add a little water to it but still want it to be a paste! This gets out even Kool-Aid stains! If your counter top has been damaged by abrasive cleaners it will still work just takes a little extra personal “muscle grease” ( that is one has to use their muscles when scrubbing it a bit.) Not any product on the market by that name.
For Formica tops it helps persevere it if you also use Pledge or something like it . It not only helps preserve it but also protects it and makes it nice and shiny too.
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It worked! I had do it twice and the second time I let it sit for more than 30 min but it worked like a charm. I was able to unclog the last of the hair using a hanger and a Zip it snake. Now I just want to run the water so I can hear it go down smoothly. Thanks!!!
I used this Drain Cleaning method too! It works! But this method could not clear out the deeper clogs that I had.
All I can say is thanks!!! Having two people in the house with long hair both me and the fiance. It saved a lot of money.
$90 for a tub
$60 for a sink
From a plumber
Liquid Plumber = 7.00
My Vinegar and Baking Soda and Water…. 1.25
Savings of 5.75 to 148.75. Just saying it adds up.
I use baking soda and vinegar to clean tub and shower. It works amazingly, hardly any scrubbing. I also us a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water in a spray bottle to mop our hardwood floors.
I know this is an old post, but I’m having visions of carrying a pot of boiling water from the first floor kitchen to the third floor on the other side of the house where my bedroom is…
Alexa…try to use your kettle… I poured a kettleful of hot water down, then the soda, heated vinegar in micro to pour down (then cleaned microwave while waiting for the drain to clear), heated vinegar/water in kettle while cleaning microwave (boiling vinegar cleaned the kettle), and poured that down the clogged drain at the end.
I also have a neat gadget called a water drill- Basically it is a plastic tube with a very small hole in one end and the other end gets connected to your faucet…. and it acts like a pressure washer inside your drain. This is good for cleaning out really tough stuff, and pool or hot tub filters.
Oh, I get it, and I’ve used it in the kitchen, but my bathroom is on the third floor and on the other side of the house. My point is that, even with a kettle, I am sure I would damage myself permanently.
This didn’t work for me. The Final Rinse went down the drain just fine — but I washed dishes 20 minutes later only for the sink to drain very, very s l o w l y. :/
I had such high hopes for this.
IDK, perhaps I should try it again…?
Yes do it again – we have a house full of girls with long hair and so my tub drain was always clogged – we have a septic tank so I hate using the over the counter toxic stuff – so I did this method – it didn’t work the first time the way I thought it would. Pouring in the hot water first just expanded into the tub – so i put the backing soda down the drain the best I could and then poured alot of vinager, closed the drain for about 5 minutes, then ran hot water down the drain – I had to do this about three times – then all of a sudden the water went down. no clogged drain anymore – I now do this once a month to keep it unclogged . good luck.
Thank you for this! I was wondering about the first pot of boiling water which just sits in the sink because it’s clogged! I’m waiting for it to go down a bit before I try adding the baking soda.
Thank you so much for the drain cleaner recipe. So much cheaper than a bottled product, and I’m not afraid a stray drop will eat thru my skin or clothing. 🙂
Is their anything I can add to my carpet cleaner to safely brighten my light colored carpet?
I have three books that take care of all my cleaning needs.
1. Solve it With Salt by Patty Moosbrugger
2. Baking Soda by Vicki Lansky
3. Vinegar by Vicki Lansky
Buy these three books and you won’t need to buy another cleaning product for as long as you live. Look on youtube for natural recipes for deodorant and soap detergent.
Any suggestions for old pet stains?
I have also found that this combo works well for getting stuck-on food and such off of the table easily. For example, on a super hectic day if my 2yo has “cream a wheap” (so sweet) and he drops some that I don’t see until say homework or dinner time, it is a dried stuck aweful mess!! And that is a serious understatement! But, if I spray my vinegar/water mix (roughly 1/3 vinegar mixed with 2/3 water) I use this for almost EVERYTHING in my house and rub a little and then add a sprinkle of baking soda let it fizz and scrub off no big deal…VOILA!
This doesn’t have to do with baking soda or vinegar, but for ultra clogged drains, my family uses a Zip It tool thingamajig. It works remarkabley!! They’re just a few dollars, can be used and abused over and over again (I have long hair that comes out a lot in the shower and doesn’t always get caught by the drain strainer, so ours has gone through a lot of abuse over the 6 years and didn’t need replaced till recently), and they’re easy to use!
Zip it is a great tool! And when I ask my kids to do it, they understand why I get after them about cleaning the hair out of the sink, instead of washing it down the drain!
Put tarnished silver jewelry in an aluminum pan add a couple tablespoons of baking soda and pour in some vinegar and watch the tarnish disappear. (Don’t use on anything with paint or fake pearls – they will dissolve!)
Also soak a rag in vinegar and wrap it around the base of faucets where hard water has deposited. Wait 30 minutes to an hour and the deposits will wipe right off.
I clean EVERYTHING with vinegar, my favorite is leaving orange peels in a mason jar of vin for about 2 weeks and then throwing it in a spary bottle, works on wood like pledge and does well on glass no streaks and has gotten off gross things from every surface of my not so well maintained by others apartment 🙂 I love vinegar and dont mind the smell but my man not so much, this makes him want to use it cause he things it smells awesome, choose any citrus. For bad stains like on a sink or stove rub bakig soda with a scotchbrite bad lightly then spray your magic stuff on, and if you dont love how easily it comes off your crazy 😉
I was skeptical, but I just unclogged my bathroom sink. Thanks so much:
http://trophyw.blogspot.com/2012/09/putting-pinterest-to-test-natural-drain.html
Would this concoction be safe for plastic pvc pipes?
boiling vinager, microwave till bubbling, wil clean anything like the BBQ thats sticky. shower doors with soap scum. Gum on anything, hair, shoes, clothes.
Look for a book called Vim and Vinegar. lots of stuff there.
Thank you!! I just googled how I can unclog my bathroom sink drain, and you came up 🙂 It was like a science experiment, with all of the gurgling noises!
Thank you for posting this. My son put an oreo in our bathroom sink and then ran the water, pushing it into the drain and clogging it. It was stuck in places we could not get. Thanks to your article, we now have an unclogged, no longer leaking sink.
I use it on my stove top!
Thanks for the great healthy household tip. I just used it on a stubborn bathroom sink drain and like it SO much better than the unfriendly chemical drain cleaners. Vinegar and baking soda are the best household supplies to keep around. It worked great and I will do it regularly now!
A couple thanksgivings ago (and in the midst of a blizzard) our bathtub drain backed up. Yippee. We actually tried the harsh chemical stuff to no success before trying this. Needless to say, we were converts.
I appreciate your advice. I am wondering though about the boiling water down the drain. My plumber told me not to put boiling water down my drains as it is damageing to the PVC pipes. Maybe ok in older homes perhaps?
I hear ya, especially if you’re not sure what type pipes you have. We ended up running the hottest water that would come out of the tap, and it worked!
If u have white counter tops baking soda and water will get the stains off without damaging the finish. I had white tops the people before me used bleach (which is a no no cuz it strips the finish off) and so my tops stained easy, i mean anything would stain it even tea even if i wiped it up as soon as it touched the counter. I found online to try bs and water and it worked great and didnt damage it and the kids (3&4) could touch it and would hut them. I even used magic erasers and it worked.
sorry forgot to add make it into a paste and let it sit on the stain for a couple mins
So, I know this post is so three months ago, but I just wanted to add, if you have rust stains, vinegar and baking soda is magic! Mix up a paste and put it on the stain, and use a toothbrush or scrubby. Gone! You may have to let it sit depending on the stain. We have iron well water and it gets to be a problem – this melts it right off. You can use it on clothing, or soak rusty metal in it. I discovered this about the same time you actually blogged about it (maybe the universe had a thing about it?), but I just found your site yesterday. Anyhoo, just wanted to share. Your site is fabulous!
I use this method to clean my toilets. I add baking soda to the water, pour in vinegar and watch it fizz. I let it sit for several minutes and then scrub like normal. 🙂
I use vinegar + hot water + essential oil of choice once a week for a thorough cleaning of the house (including stainless steel appliances). And I have a spray bottle of vinegar and water for spot cleaning and wiping up countertops, and cleaning the stainless steel sink.
I love using vinegar!
I didn’t have a chance to respond to your first post due to a crazy 48 hour stomach bug. But… I SWEAR by baking soda followed by vinegar in my toilet. I pour some baking soda down the toilet, scrub, then some vinegar, let it fizz and then sit (for as long as I can). I don’t know if it’s the combination of the two or just the two doing their powers separately, but nothing has proven to work better.
As for a good counter cleaner, I LOVE this recipe:
All-Purpose Cleaner
1 teaspoon antiseptic essential oils (eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree – I use a combination of all)
1 teaspoon washing soda
2 teaspoons borax
1/2 teaspoon liquid castile soap
2 cups hot water
Directions:
– Combine ingredients in a spray bottle (repurpose an old one if you can).
– Shake well.
– Spray cleaner onto surface, leave for 1.5 minutes for the cleaner to have its full effect.
– Wipe with a rag.
I can go on and on about why it’s important to use greener cleaners/less-toxic options – I urge people, if not for you, think of your pets and/or your children!
You’ve motivated me to do a bit of ‘preventative maintenance’ on my drains. Better to clean them when they aren’t yet blocked methinks!
As for countertops, I’m much the same as the rest of the gang, just a 50-50 vinegar-water spray bottle. And I bust out a sprinkling of bicarb when ‘someone’ leaves a puddle of egg yolk on the cooktop and it goes all hard. When there is a cough or sniffle in the house I tend to put a bit of eucalyptus or tea tree in the sprayer too (and chase the sniffler around with the bottle in hand and a “hmmmm!!!” on my face!)
My bedhead has horizontal slats which get a bit dusty, and I wipe them down with a cloth wet with water and a drop or two of a nice essential oil so that my room is nice and fragrant.
I use baking soda + vinegar to get the cooked-on stuff off the top of a gas range, or a charcoal grill grate. You can usually take the top off of a gas range, so I take it off, lay it on top of an old towel, and bs + v it to death. Let it sit a while, and all the gunk comes off super easily. I have done the same with a grill grate.
And yes, it’s so fun to watch and do, I am always looking for new uses for this stuff together…!
Ooohh, I like the sound of this – will have to give it a try! 🙂
And thanks to all the other comments here, I now have some great ideas for mixing up some other household cleaners… Whooo hoooo! 😉
I love cleaning the drains with baking soda and vinegar. I usually add a few drops of tea-tree oil to the baking soda before putting it down because I like the way it makes it all smell fresh. I don’t pour pots of boiling water down before and after, instead, I run the hot tap down for a few minutes. But the fizzing and bubbling never fails to fascinate the kidlets.
For counter-tops, I use a basic all-purpose cleaning spray – vinegar, water, a small squirt of dish-washing detergent (I use a biodegradable one) and some tea-tree oil. But if I get a really stubborn mark that needs a good scrub I use a paste made up of baking soda and dish-washing detergent rubbed in well with a damp cloth. Actually, I use that kind of paste for cleaning anything stubborn from really grimy bathtub rings to burned on pans.
OMG I do this all the time – I just love to watch the bubbling action! I also use it in my toilet to give it an extra fresh flush of cleaning.
On another note, have you read anywhere about making your own dish soap? Right now I buy the largest container of it I can and then transfer it to a smaller one by the sink. I’m really trying to reduce our plastic consumption to as close to zero as possible and dish soap is the one thing I don’t seem to have a recipe for….thanks for any input!
You can just use ordinary soap to wash dishes. The only reason detergent came along was because soap wasn’t lathering in hard water. Soap will still break down the greasies though. I tried it for a bit when I moved house before I found the dish liquid again, you just have to be super careful because the dishes get VERY slippery when they’re soapy. Have a rinse sink or bucket of water with a capful of vinegar in it and the dishes will turn squeaky and suds free! I seem to recall that it may have left some water marks on the wine glasses, but I didn’t do it for very long so it might have been a technique that improved with a little refining 🙂
I kinda enjoy doing this!
We have hard water here and so we tend to get a ring around the toilet at the water line (some sort of calcification I guess). When I clean the toilet, I scrub the porcelain with baking soda or borax and let stand for an hour or so. Then I pour in some vinegar, let it bubble up, flush, and voila, bye-bye hard water ring.
I have used a bottle of cola to remove the hard water rings around the toilet – as far as I am concerned, it is the only good use for cola!
I buy the really cheap store own-brand stuff, remove as much water as possible by pushing it down the drain with a plunger and then pour the bottle of cola in. Let it sit for half an hour or so and then scrub and flush to rinse.
For general toilet cleaning I use borax – dump a cup of so in, scrub the sides and then flush.
That’s a great idea! Thanks. I’ll give it a try after my next trip to the store.
Scrub the ring with a pumice stone (89 cents @ WM). The porcelain is harder so won’t be scratched by the stone. Works great!
I don’t know where I got this same tip from, but I used it in my mom’s kitchen drain and she got all excited. I’ve been crunchy all these years and never even knew it. 🙂 Usually I pour the vinegar around the sink (instead of right down the drain) to give it an extra clean before it all goes down. Double duty vinegar.
Hey, now I WILL try the “draino volcanco”! 🙂 I kept wondering if it might work because of the bubbly reaction storming up and down the drain pipe…now I know! I’m going to do all my drains now (I’m sure they could use it!).
I should have realized it, but I didn’t make the connection right away. When you bake with baking soda it’s the bubbly action that you’re after too. That’s why the dry ingredients (incl. the BS) are introduced to the wet (incl. the acid) just before you pop whatever it is in the oven. And if the batter or dough sits around too long after being mixed together, the bread or cookies will be dense and flat. The power in in the bubbles!
On my counter tops (and virtually all other surfaces in the kitchen and bath)… Spray bottle with 50/50 vinegar and water with some essential oil. For scrubbing, a paste of baking soda and water.
I’m wondering if the BS/Vin bubble reaction will work for cleaning out bottles? Or might it be too explosive? I like to reuse bottles but sometimes they’re hard to clean out, especially if there is oily residue.
I’m a loyal Norwex user, so I use their enviro cloth for cleaning most any surface. They have a drain cleaner that works awesome, but it’s spendy. It’s very safe and ecofriendly, just spendy is all. So this is something I will surely try!!
I make up counter sprays all the time. As soon as one person starts feeling under the weather, I whip up the “antiseptic spray”. As soon as we see the little brown marching critters, I whip up the “ant spray”. At other times, I just make a spray for the scent. All of the above are simply water and essential oils in a spray bottle. Spritz counters and floors and banisters and lightswitches and doorknobs and walls and and and… wipe with cloth rag. (I prefer t-shirt rags.)
My everyday kitchen counter cleaner is simply the dishwater (BioKleen dishwashing liquid in hot water) with the same dishcloth I washed dishes with. I let them air-dry after each use and, once dry, toss them in a load of laundry. One use dishcloths and I don’t do any more laundry than I did when I used sponges. My dishcloths are actually repurposed 100% cotton dish towels with a texture weave that I cut into 3 different sizes and serged (overlock stitch) the raw edges. I have since knitted a small dishcloth with cotton yarn and two small scrubbies where I used the same cotton yarn and loosely wrapped it with long strips of tulle. No more buying scrubbies for me. These work REALLY well!!!
My everyday bathroom counter cleaner is baking soda and a wet rag to scrub off any goo, then rinse with water. That’s the first step in cleaning our bathrooms. The last step is spritzing water/vinegar (60/40 mix) the mirrors and faucets and counters, then wiping with t-shirt rag. Makes ’em shine and removes the last traces of baking soda and water splotches. Yes, the air smells like vinegar for a few minutes while it is wet. As soon as it dries, everything just smells clean. I hear you can add EOs to the water/vinegar mix to cover up the vinegar smell. I haven’t bothered because I like to change the scent a lot more frequently than we use up the big spray bottles of vin/wat spray cleaner (~16 oz plant sprayers in a previous life). I use small spray bottles (4-8 oz) for my scented counter cleaners mentioned in the beginning of this novel. 😉
I do realize that this post and comments are over two years old, but I was wondering if KarinSCDA, or anyone, could tell me what EO to use for the “disinfectant spray” and the “ant spray”.
And BTW, Betty, I love your blog! I just found it recently–this is the blog I wanted to do!! Anyway, thanks for all the good ideas and thoughts about the good ideas. You are adorable!
I have to do this in my tub drain. As a question, is there any special cleaning/degriming power in it while the reaction is happening?
Recently I followed a tip that I found on here (somewhere, I don’t even remember) of making a cleaner with vinegar and orange peels. Expanded, it works out to: stick orange and lemon peels in a mason jar until they’re within an inch of the top (don’t pack them down too tightly). Cover them with vinegar, cap the jar, and let sit for two to four weeks. At that time, strain out the liquid from the peels and dilute with water and/or distilled vinegar (I used equal amounts of both) until the cleaner fills a quart squirt bottle. I’ve used this in the kitchen with my extremely sensitive mother and nothing bad happened, so I would call this safe to be used.
As an aside, we had a very bad ant problem a few years ago. Very bad. We controlled it by wiping down the counter with straight vinegar every time after we cleaned it.
Any chance that the orange/lemon peel solution would work as a fabric softner that would impart its delightful smell onto my clothes…and maybe stay there?? Sounds like it would smell delighful either way, and I LOVE the idea of using peels instead of sometimes price EO. Thanks for the tip!
Well, it doesn’t exactly smell like oranges. It’s not as bad as vinegar, but it is definitely not a smell I enjoy. And the orange oil (I’m assuming that’s what ends up in the vinegar, but I don’t really know) might be kind of corrosive on your clothes since every miracle commercial cleanser that claims to use it says it gets grease off. It might work as a spot stain remover as long as you don’t use it too often– no saying what it would do to the color.
Your comment does make me think about the vanilla and peppermint extract recipes–if you did it with vodka, maybe? Whatever comes out would either way be cheaper and not as strong as EOs, I’m just not sure what it would be.
I use vinegar in my laundry with no problems. I always put 1/2 cup to 1 cup in with towels(I think it makes them softer, without having to use fabric softener which makes the less absorbent.. I don’t really measure. And if my cat pees on any clothes I will use vinegar to get that smell out. It has never discolored or otherwise ruined anything on me.
I DO THAT TOO W/ ALL MY LAUNDRY. IT WORKS GREAT TO GET RID OF ODORS AND SOFTENS CLOTHES.
THOSE ARE SO AFRAID OF THE VINEGAR SMELL, PLEASE! IT SMELLS A LOT BETTER THAN THE TOXIC DETERGENTS & SOFTENERS. BESIDES, AS SOON AS THE RINSE CYCLE IS DONE, THERE’S NO SMELL.
COMET! 😉
My counters usually don’t get so dirty that I need to clean them with anything more than some hot water, but my grandfather is a truck driver, so the molding around doorknobs in our house gets VERY greasy and grimy very quickly. A combination of vinegar, hot water, and Eucalyptus Oil actually gets it very nice and white again. I’m afraid the baking soda might be too abrasive for the wood though, but for laminate or stone/ceramic, it could be a good addition.
Yay! I think that explosions are a wonderful way to clean drains. Will your drain smell like vinegar, though?
Vinegar smell disappears as soon as you use the final hot water rinse. If you forget the rinse, the smell disappears within a couple hours.
Ha! I just tweeted that I was going to blow up the sink. Seriously, though, it’s a mild reaction, and it works great.
Unbelievable!! Works great!! Kudos to Crunchbetty!!!?
Hello
From London
Ontario
Trying this right now in my kitchen
Thanks
Xo