A slow kitchen drain rarely clogs overnight. It happens a little at a time: a film of grease, coffee grounds, rice and soap scum building up inside the pipe until the water starts to pool. My plumber told me the best fix is not a strong chemical once a year but a gentle routine every month. Here is the one I use. It will not clear a pipe that is already fully blocked, but it keeps a working drain from ever getting there.
What you need
- 1/2 cup (about 110 g) baking soda
- 1 cup (240 ml) distilled white vinegar
- 2 to 3 quarts (2 to 3 liters) hot water
- 1 sink stopper or a wet cloth
- 1 mesh sink strainer
How to do it
- Start by running the hottest water from your tap for one minute to warm the pipe and soften the fresh grease.
- Pour the baking soda straight into the drain. Use a spoon or a small funnel to push it down rather than leaving it in the sink bowl.
- Slowly pour in the vinegar. It will fizz and bubble. Cover the drain right away with the stopper or a wet cloth so the foam is pushed down into the pipe instead of up into the sink.
- Wait 15 to 30 minutes. The fizz itself is mild; what helps is the loosening of soap scum and the light scrubbing of the foam on the pipe walls.
- Flush with plenty of hot water: about 2 to 3 quarts (2 to 3 liters). If you have metal pipes, water just off the boil is fine. For plastic PVC pipes, a porcelain sink or a sink with a garbage disposal, use the hottest tap water instead of boiling water.
- Every week, not just every month, pour a kettle of hot tap water down the drain after washing greasy pans. It takes ten seconds and makes the biggest difference.
Good to know
- Never pour bacon fat or frying oil down the sink: let it cool, wipe it into a jar or the trash with a paper towel.
- A cheap mesh strainer catches rice, grounds and peels and is the best anti-clog tool there is.
- Do not use this right after a commercial drain cleaner, and never mix vinegar with bleach or other drain products.
- If water stands in the sink and will not go down at all, use a plunger or call a plumber; a fully blocked drain needs a mechanical fix.
Set a reminder for the first of the month and keep that strainer in the sink. Your drain will thank you, and so will your wallet.
