Drain Cleaning

Some thoughts from our experts on Drain Cleaning and maintenance.

The best advice is to put a tablespoon of baking soda into the kitchen and bathroom drain approximately once a week, then slowly pour in 1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon juice and let it stand for 25 minutes. Next run lots of hot water through the drain to eliminate minor buildups and odors – this is excellent maintenance.

Another goodmaintenance idea is to pour a strong salt water solution down the kitchen sink drain. This eliminates odors and keep grease from building up.
Some ideas on clearing drains while ecologically minded:

The plunger is always the first tool we recommend. The plunger is a sustainable, reusable tool that doesn’t put chemicals in our water supply or leave any permanent imprint. It creates suction and forces open the clog, in most cases

. If the plunger doesn’t do the job, take one-fourth cup baking soda and one cup vinegar and dump this solution over the clog. Follow with a pot full of boiling water. Let this stand for 15 minutes. If the drain did not clear, try plunging again. The vinegar-baking soda combo  may have loosened the clog.
We don’t like to recommend using a chemical drain cleaner solution. Some chemical drain cleaners will harm plastic drain pipes and the chemicals are not good for your health or the environment.  We encourage homeowners to stay away from chemical drain cleaners.
We always recommend you call a licensed plumber for anything beyond regular drain cleaning and simple unclogging of drains.