[Janie]

I've been using baking soda and white vinegar to unclog drains. Occasionally, it doesn't work and I have to resort to Liquid Plumber. As a preventive measure, the baking soda and vinegar is a winner. I usually mix about half and half. Fair warning: It bubbles and rises to the top of the container very rapidly. You'll feel like a mad scientist!

You need to follow up with boiling water which is also a good preventive. If you pour some down a drain every week or so, it can melt stuff and wash it down the pipes before it has time to create a problem.

[missymay]

That is an excellent idea...although my husband probably wouldn't like the idea of me acting like a mad scientist. With my luck I can totally see the baking soda and vinegar bubbling up and over the container like a volcano and making a huge mess!

[Popeye]

That is a great idea! I have used a bottle of Coca Cola before and that works pretty well 90% of the time. I hate having to use the Liquid Plumr if I don't have too.

[Livvie]

Great tip! I have used Coke many times too. I did not know that baking soda and vinegar would do the trick. It would even clean them and make them smell better too.

[jollyrancher]

We use an old fashioned drain snake and a drill. You put the snake in the drain and use the drill to twist it around and it goes in the drain and grabs whatever is causing the clog. It works fantastic with no chemicals.

[athome4]

I read a tip one time about using alka-seltzer tablets to unclog a drain. It worked extremely well! I like the tip of pouring boiling water down the drain for maintenance, very good.

[Sunny14]

That is a great tip - I bet it unclogs the drain and cleans it at the same time. Baking soda is an amazing product. I'm like Popeye - I use Coke! I drink Coke too so at first it was a bit gross to think that the pop that I drink can unclog a clogged drain. It works! You dump a 2 liter of Coke (can't be flat either) into the sink and the drain unclogs!

[Chickie]

I love baking soda, it has so many uses! I buy it 5 or 6 at a time. I have never tried coke! I'm going to dump some in my shower. It will clean out the hair build-up? It sounds pretty gross that we drink the stuff and it works on clogs!

[sunny37]

Do you actually boil water and dump it in after you pour the baking soda/water mixture? How long after? I'm wondering how long it takes the baking soda mixture to do it's job?

[Candice81]

I'm going to try this in my shower that is clogged beyond belief. Maybe if I do it once a week for a while it will slowly work out the clog. I've tried chemical solutions and they haven't worked, but I also don't like to use them frequently. A once (or maybe even twice) a week treatment of this mixture might do the trick over time. Thanks!