How to Unclog Sinks and Drains, Naturally
It’s pretty easy to keep your sinks and drains clear, if you use a sink protector to stop food particles blocking drains. Use an oil recycling bin to stop cooking oil clogging drains (don’t pour cream liqueurs down sinks either). You can wrap and bin small amounts of cooking oil in kitchen roll, and bin.
Experts now say not to compost coffee grounds and tea leaves (as acids could harm compost creatures). So this can stop them clogging sinks, when you rinse out tea pots and coffee pots, before binning them.
London’s Thames Water deals with around 85,000 sewer blockages each year (all due to wet wipes and people pouring cooking fat down their drain. Use zero waste wet wipes.
Use Vinegar and Baking Soda
If your sink is starting to drain slowly, pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by 1 cup of cleaning vinegar. Cover the opening with a damp cloth and let the mix fizz for 15 minutes. Then flush with plenty of hot water to break down grease, soap and food scraps.
Keep all cleaners (even natural ones) away from children and pets, and never mix any cleaners (even natural bleach with lemon or vinegar, as it causes chemical reactions).
Salt and Hot Water: Dislodge Sticky Buildup
A simple but effective way to clear small blockages involves plain salt. Pour about half a cup of table salt down the blocked drain, then add a litre of near-boiling water. The hot water and salt combo helps dissolve greasy gunk and soap scum. For best results, repeat once a month to keep pipes clean.
Keep salt away from young children and pets.
Soda Crystals (wear protective gloves, can cause eye irritation) are good. To unblock pipes, pour a mug of soda crystals down the plughole. Flush through with hot water.
A Sink Plunger Removes Most Blockages
A sturdy plunger remains one of the best tools for dislodging tough clogs. Place the plunger over the drain and fill the sink with enough water to cover the rubber cup. Pump the handle up and down several times, then lift it to see if water drains away quickly.
Delphis Eco Biodegradable Drain Cleaner
Bio-D Drain Cleaner & Maintainer is a tin of 10 fizzy tablets, each one contains millions of good bacteria to digest drain build-up (bad smells, gurgling noise or collecting water). Free from bleach and caustic soda, use one tablet daily for a week, then once a month. Also as commercial liquid drain cleaner.
Sink Filters (for Hand-Laundry)
Microplastic catchers are usually sold for washing machines, but this sink filter is for hand-washing. To stop synthetic fibres (like nylon and polyester) from breaking off and going into the sea or clogging drains. Just collect the fibres and bin securely.
How to Unplug a Clogged Toilet
Pour one cup each of baking soda & cleaning vinegar into the pan (it will fizz). After 10 minutes, pour in a kettle of hot water (repeat if not clear).
For bad clogs, Luigi toilet plunger goes right inside the u-bend and is easily cleaned with a little oxygen bleach (then plunge in cold water). To avoid clogged bath drains, avoid bath bombs (leaves lumps of oil), plastic bath ducks (microplastics break off) and thick body oils (like coconut).
