31Mar2023
9 Tips For Clearing Blocked Drains Using Household Items
Drains are among the dirtiest spots in your home, with millions of bacteria, viruses and fungi. These fixtures also house dirt, hair, food bits and other contaminants that accumulate in the drains over time and cause clogging. To maintain the optimal functioning of the drains, increase their longevity and prevent bad smells, you must routinely maintain and clean the fixtures.
If you are a renter, removing an obstruction from the drains and sanitising them is crucial to get your bond back in full. You can hire professionals for bond cleaning in Hobart or specialists for drain cleaning (if they are challenging to clean) and get your bond back completely.
However, it’s better to clean the drains in your home routinely to prevent blockage. You can use commercial drain cleaners, but they have corrosive, toxic and dangerous chemicals. Therefore, you must know how to clear and clean blocked drains with things readily available in homes.
To get started, look at these 9 tips for drain cleaning using household items.
Use Dishwashing Liquid & Boiling Water to Clear Drains
Dishwashing liquid has a degreasing ability and dissolves dirt, grime and dust more quickly than most commercial cleaners. You can use it to wash drains and remove light buildup clogging the fixtures. All you need to do is pour boiling water first into the drain, followed by a few squirts of dishwashing liquid. Alternatively, you can mix dishwashing liquid in the water before pouring it into the drain. Let the soap dwell for 5-10 minutes before washing it with boiling water. This trick comes in handy while sanitising drains during bond cleaning in Hobart.Remove Hair, Threads & Lint with a Flexible Drain Cleaning Brush
These things can end up in drains, especially the ones in the bathroom and laundry room, clogging the fixtures and making them a hot spot for germs. Removing hair, threads, and lint is challenging without a drain cleaning brush, a common cleaning product in the household. Just make sure yours is flexible and can get inside the drain with little effort. You can use it to take out the gunk and toss it in the trash without contact.Sanitise Drains with Baking Soda & White Vinegar
If your drains are heavily soiled, soap and boiling water alone won’t work. Thus, you must also sanitise the drains with baking soda and white vinegar. Their reaction together creates carbon dioxide, a gas that dissolves grime and gunk. Thus, after pouring dishwashing liquid and boiling water into the drain, put in a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of white vinegar. Wait 10 minutes or until the fizzling settles, then wash all the grime & residue with boiling water.Plunge the Drain to Agitate Gunk & Grime
Unclear drain back up water or don’t drain at all. One of the easiest and most effective ways to unclog drains is with a plunger. It creates a deep suction that agitates the gunk and grime, blocking the drain & loosens it to restore proper drainage. After plunging the drain, you must pour boiling water into the drain to check its functionality and remove any remaining residues.Pour Bleach into Drains
Dirty drains not only smell bad, but they also attract pests like cockroaches, spiders, fungus gnats, drain flies, fruit flies and more. These pests can contaminate your food or make household surfaces unsanitary. Therefore, you must unclog the drains and disinfect them with bleach. To do this:- Pour boiling water into the drain, followed by a cup of bleach.
- Cover the drain and let the bleach dissolve the grime for 30 minutes.
- Uncover the drain and wash with water. The smell of bleach will keep pests away, and you can also keep the fixtures clean longer.