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The Kitchen Table

Any home remedies on a clogged drain?

14 years ago

My bathtub is draining sloooooow.

I dumped half a bottle of Draino and some boiling water after it and it didn't help much!

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Comments (11)

sarber
14 years ago
Try dumping about a cup of baking soda followed by two cups vinegar. Let it "brew" in the drain for awhile, it will fizzle, then follow with hot water.
lydia1959
14 years ago
Pull the drain up to be sure there isn't a bunch of hair wrapped around it. When we had the foreign exchange student here, the tub she used appeared to be clogged, but the problem was actually long thick strands of her hair wrapped around the drain plug.

You can buy those notched plastic things that go down in the drain (cheap at Walmart) to remove hair/clogs, our problem was at the top of the drain though... couldn't see the hair, but you could feel it once you put your hand there. Ick... I know.
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Hubby has a GT Water Products Drain King clog buster that we have successfully used a couple of times to clear a slow/ partially clogged drain. https://gtwaterproducts.com/index.php/drain-king/ I'm far away from home right now so can't check it for which one of the products shown at the link that we have. Various sizes for different drain sizes. Worked good for the utility sink that our washer drain hose empties into. I now keep a lint sock on the washer drain hose to keep most of the lint from going down the drain & contributing to clogs. The last episode of slow drain at the laundry sink was due to a build up of hard water deposits in the drain line and P trap. Mentioning it as another possible cause of a slow drain. May not apply to your situation. (I would not have believed that it was possible for that much lime scale to accumulate in a drain--seeing was believing, though.)
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yankeegirl
14 years ago
yes the baking soda and vinegar works WONDERS! I did this and I warmed up the vinegar in the microwave before I dumped it down the drain and let it set like 15 mins and ran some hot water down the drain.
I was having to buy draino atleast ever other week and ever since I did this I haven't had any more problems with a slow running drain
jannie
14 years ago
If you have truble with hair in drains, spray with a good shot of Nair hair remover, wait 15 minutes, then run the hottest water you can. I know this works because I have two long-haired daughters who take showers at least once a day.
glenda_al
14 years ago
A good plunger comes in handy!
dilly_dally
14 years ago
If hair clogging drains is a problem, try using a mesh screen over the drain to avoid getting the problem of a clogged drain in the first place.
iowagirl2006
14 years ago
Hmmm..that Nair idea sounds good!

I get a bottle of stuff from my plumber. It is a crystal type dry product. You dump it down the drain and add water. It is some nasty stuff - but boy does it get rid of hair or grease clogs. I can only get it from him. The "over the counter" stuff doesn't do a thing. Waste of money, IMO.

The plastic thing that Lydia described work well also. I have also taken a wire hanger apart and "snaked" it down the drain to pull out hair. Gross - but effective.
susanjf_gw
14 years ago
if all else fails buy a "snake". i think a 10 footer is under $20...

caution don't use right away if you've just used a chemical...
LorifromUtah
14 years ago
Vinegar and baking powder are good uncloggers.
But please!
Flush the drano completely first!.
I'd hate to see you get burned by a back splash or
gassed if the three products don't mix well.

If you use a plunger be care of the drano too.
That stuff can BURN if it gets out you.

Lori
glenda_al
14 years ago
I don't do draino.

I just run water and plunge away.

Well, that's what I did for kitchen sink. Close one side, plunge with running water on the other side.

Just do it on a regular basis. I find short handled ones at WalMart. Don't use them for other fixtures, wink!
patches_02
14 years ago
mix 1 cup salt, 1 cup of baking soda and Â¼ cup cream of tartar. Pour Â¼ cup of this mixture in drain followed by two cups boiling water. Save rest of mixture for another time. Works real well.

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