How to unclog a sink or a bathtub

My bathtub is clogged. I hate having sloshing water at my feet when I am in the shower. (Who does?)

So, I tried the only natural method I know, since commercial drain cleaner has Sodium Hydroxide, which is a very caustic substance that I wouldn’t want in the house.

There are various methods of using baking soda and vinegar to unclog a drain. But this method seems to work the best for me.

How to unclog a sink or a bathtub

1. Pour 1/2 C of baking soda into the drain followed by hot boiling water. Sodium Bicarbonate – baking soda – and hot water reacts with any kind of grime and loosens up the gunk.

2. Then, add 1 C of vinegar and quickly cover the drain, sealing the bubbling gas – remember the erupting volcano experiment for Middle School science project? When you add vinegar (acid) to baking soda (basic), which is sitting on top of the gunk in the clogged drain, the combination creates gas and it bubbles up like a volcano, loosening up the gunk some more.

3. Add more hot water to push the loosened up gunk down the drain further, until it’s all clear.

Normally, this should do it.

But if this doesn’t work up to this point, proceed to the next steps.
4. If the drain is still clogged, run the faucet with hot water until the water pools about 3 inches on the bottom of the tub.

5. Take a small plunger, made for sinks and NOT for the toilet, and push down and seal around the rubber ring completely against the bottom of the tub or the sink. And then, with one swift motion, lift the plunge quickly.

6. Repeat if necessary, until the water drains.

Since I used the baking soda and vinegar method to loosen up the gunk in steps 1. through 3., I only had to use the plunger once and all the black gunk came up and then drained completely, unclogging the tub.

Also, I learned, to prevent drains from clogging, I should put baking soda in the drain, followed by hot boiling water occasionally.

I’m going to do that from now on and not wait until it clogs.

And buy a smaller holed strainer for the drain to catch all my hair.

[Drain CC Image via Flickr}