Unblock Drains

Quick and easy tips for minor drain blockages

There are many things that we can do ourselves. Hence, the many Do-It-Yourself (DIY) articles, videos and even workshops that start to be popping around town like mushroom.
Well, here is another one for you – drain unblocking. Once you start to live on your own and by yourself, I believe this is one of the most basic things that you would need to learn in running a household. Like owning a car, where you would at least need to know how to check the engine for defects, learning how to unblock drain clogs is just as basic.
Note that this is for unblocking minor drain obstructions. If all the following tips and/or solutions do not resolve your drain blockage problem for good, it is high time to call your professional plumber.
•Boiling water
This is my first go-to solution whenever I have a blocked drain, which thankfully not often. I learned this from my dad and he explained to me the reason behind this solution.

The moment you notice that the water in your sink starts to drain slower than normal, you should start pouring boiling water into the drain. Why so? Well, most drain blockages are due to the accumulation of oils that stick to the pipes (called gunk) that came from washing our dishes and cookware. Boiling water can easily “soften” the gunk in your pipes and thereby allowing the oils to drain away from your pipe along with the hot water.

This does not work effectively, though, if the gunk in your pipes are older and have been hardened to a point that it is already forming part of the pipe’s lining.

•Plunger
I do not know of any household that does not have this at home. Plungers are like the “first-aid kits” of your plumbing system. Plungers work by pumping air into the drain when you push it down and then pumping out the same air along with the debris in your drain when you pull it out. Using this can be a bit messy and sometimes even gross. Also, since it is using “air force” to pump out the debris in your drains, this would not help clear out the hardened gunk that has been stuck in the pipe’s lining. Nevertheless, this is an effect solution for those stubborn and bigger and softer debris.

Not many people know that there exist different types of plunger. There are three types of plungers you should be aware of depending on where you have the drain blockage is. Otherwise, you are in for a tiring and futile attempt in drain unblocking. So, here are the three types of plungers for your information:

One common one is the sink plunger. This one has the half-cup-like rubber end to a wooden handle. It helps to pump whatever is blocking your drain where it is on a flat surface, like the shower or sink.

The other one is the toilet plunger. This one is a bit special because the toilet drain is not flat. So, if it your toilet that has the blockage, this should be the correct one to use. Like the sink plunger, it also has a cup like rubber end. However, the difference is that from the rubber end has a rubber flap. The rubber flap folds inwards into the cup to give it a flatter surface to pump out the blockage.

The less common one is the accordion plunger. By its name alone you know that how it would look like and can be tricky to use. Hence, this is less common.

•Baking soda and vinegar
Personally, this the best “magic” formula you can have at home. This one is the most famous “DIY” solution for almost everything – cleaning stained surfaces and fabrics and now, including drain unblocking. The white bubbles this formula forms softens most of the hardened gunk that has stuck to the pipes. To understand this better, we need to understand the whole chemistry behind it.
We know that acids dissolves almost everything and anything. Vinegar is a “milder” version of an acid. So, why can we not just use vinegar if vinegar can theoretically dissolve the gunk in my drain? There is an interesting “chemistry” explanation for this and I would try to make it fun and simple for you as you may have other ideas on where to use this mixture. So basically, as an acid vinegar reacts to any base compound which baking soda is. The foam that forms out when you mixed the vinegar and baking soda is called “carbon dioxide” – this is the same bubble compound found in sodas.
If this is the case, then why can I just use sodas to clean my drain? The “magic” solution here is level of acidity a compound has. Although sodas have carbon dioxide in them, they are not acidic enough to drain out gunk in your pipe. They can be used as mild toilet cleaners though but that’s about it. Vinegar provides a higher acidity level on the carbon dioxide it produces upon mixture with baking soda.
•Drain declogger products
If you like an easier way to unblock your drainage, buying commercial drain declogger products is your best hope. You can find a variety of drain declogger products in the household section of your grocery store. These products are specially formulated to clear out any debris stuck in your pipe. However, do take precaution in using this. The formula of these products is more acidic than the baking soda and vinegar mixture mentioned above, and your pipes are not too thick, so using these products often can give you another set of problems apart from a blocked drainage.

So, if you must use these products more often than necessary, say weekly or monthly, then it is best to call a plumber to properly diagnose the problem in your blocked drain.

•Metal wire
If you do not have a plunger or either baking soda or vinegar at home, then your next simple option is a pliable metal wire. You would need to be able to fold and twist together the metal wire into each other forming a braid-like rod. Then, you can use this for fishing out the debris in your drain. This is assuming that the debris are strands of either fabrics or hair. Other than that, I think this would be futile to use for “food debris”. As such, unless the blocked drain is in the shower this is the last thing I would use if my sink is clogged.

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