Is it good to put baking soda and vinegar down the drain

August 26, 2019

Is it good to put baking soda and vinegar down the drain

Anyone who has plumbing installed in their home knows that plumbing problems can arise at any minute. Even newly installed plumbing can pose problems out of the blue. Due to how quickly plumbing can go wrong, many homeowners turn to DIY guides online for ways to fix these issues on their own, thinking it will be easy and that they will save a lot of money.

In reality, even simple DIY methods like the baking soda and vinegar technique that’s often used to clear a drain clog, can be harmful to your plumbing system.

The Dangers of the Baking Soda and Vinegar DIY

Many claim that the baking soda and vinegar method is tried and true for clearing even the worst of drain clogs. How it works is, one pours boiling water down their drain, adds baking soda, pours vinegar down their drain, and then covers their drain as the mixture works to loosen up the clog.

Although this can be effective in some cases, it’s important to note that there are some potentials risks to trying this technique. For one, if done excessively, you may be left with permanent plumbing fixture damage as a result of this DIY. Additionally, it’s been proven that this method is unable to destroy fats (e.g., butter, oils, grease) that’s clogging your drain.

In general, there are many cases where the baking soda and vinegar method simply doesn’t work, wasting both time and money. This is especially true in cases of a several drain clog.

Is There Ever a Safe Way to Unclog a Drain at Home?

As plumbing experts, we’ll tell you candidly that there are ways you can safely unclog your drain at home. For instance, it’s relatively safe to use a drain snake, even without significant background knowledge on drain cleaning. Chemical-free drain cleaners may also do the trick. In minor cases, hot water alone may help bust the gunk in your drain.

However, whenever you try any unclogging method at home, there will always be risks attached to doing it yourself. While you might be able to save money, other times, you may end up spending more cash trying to attempt to fix your drain clog .

The only truly safe way to unclog a drain is to have someone with the knowledge and experience come out and fix it for you. After all, what you may think is a simple drain clog might be something much more severe, hence why you might have not been able to fix it on your own.

Professional Drain Cleaning in Southern California

When in doubt, it never hurts to call out the experts. 1st Choice Plumbing, Heating, and Air has been serving the South California community since 2012. We gladly provide services for clients in Vista, Encinitas, Cardiff, San Marcos, Fallbrook, Del Mar, Escondido, Solana Beach, Carlsbad, and Rancho Santa Fe, CA.

Give us a call for drain cleaning today at 866-437-0205. Present this coupon to us in person to get drain cleaning for just $59!

Is it good to put baking soda and vinegar down the drain

You’re usually careful about keeping your sink clean, but you just watched your Great Aunt Betty pour a whole skillet full of bacon drippings straight down your drain after a family dinner.

Now all you can think about is having a house full of company and a clogged kitchen sink, hands plunged into gross dishwater with the residue of a dozen plates and cooking pans burping backward onto your basin.

Don’t worry because, yes, you really can clean your drain with baking soda and vinegar.

Why does Cleaning the Drain with Baking Soda and Vinegar Work?

Remember back in science class when you studied the difference between bases and acids? Baking soda, or since we’re thinking about chemistry, “sodium bicarbonate,” is an alkaline base. Vinegar is an acid. When you mix them together, there’s a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide and water.

Bubbles form. You’ll hear them fizzing and popping. It’s those bubbles that break up the grease, fat, or oil residues that have solidified and bonded with food particles, forming that nasty, stubborn clog.

Schedule Drain Cleaning

The Recipe for Cleaning the Drain with Baking Soda and Vinegar

It’s a simple recipe using basic kitchen staples you probably have on hand.

If your drain is clogged, clean it by pouring a pan of boiling water down the drain. Follow the water with 1 cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar.

You’ll probably see some bubbles as the chemical reaction works its magic and opens your drain.

Perform a drain cleaning on a weekly basis to keep the problem from happening at all. If you use a box of baking soda in your refrigerator to eliminate odors, you can simply pour the old box down your drain when you put the new one in.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Work to Clean Bathroom Drains, Too

Have you been taking a shower to feel water creeping up over your ankles? (You can’t blame your Great Aunt Betty for that one!)

It’s the accumulated hair, shaving cream, and soap scum that have congealed in your shower drain.

Cleaning the drain with baking soda and vinegar works in showers and tubs, too. Do it on a regular basis to avoid the dreaded dirty-water-ankle-creep.

Why You Might Need More Than Baking Soda and Vinegar

The basic kitchen staples and conventional wisdom of cleaning the drain with baking soda and vinegar only go so far, and only if the clog is not deep in the pipes.

Let’s face it. Whether you have a new home, an old home, an apartment, or a condo, you don’t know what’s gone down those pipes in the last few years. Here at ServiceOne, we’ve found all kinds of crazy objects clogging drains.

Sometimes baking soda and vinegar just aren’t enough to get rid of the blockage.

How We Can Help

Professional plumbers have years of expertise and a wide range of tools that will make unclogging your drain a quick, clean, and painless event.

Just because the clog is unseen, doesn’t mean we have to guess about the best way to dissolve it.

ServiceOne offers video cameras that can crawl into your pipes for a hundred feet and actually “see” what’s going on. We’ll know exactly where the problem is and how to address it.

Long, flexible rods. Special augers. Powerful water jets. We have an arsenal of tools to fix any plumbing problem and keep your home clean while we do it. You avoid the mess and the stress.

We have fully loaded service trucks with polite, professional plumbers who care about fixing your problem…because nobody wants clogged drains and nasty backups.

When baking soda and vinegar just aren’t enough. Call us.

We’ll do the dirty work so you can get on with your business…like figuring out how to keep Great Aunt Betty from pouring grease down your sink at the next family gathering.

Call us at 407-499-8333 for drain or sewer cleaning, regular maintenance, plumbing checkups, installs of new sinks or toilets, leak detection, or any other plumbing need you have.

We’re here to serve you.

ServiceOne is not just a company. We’re people who care.

How long do you let vinegar and baking soda sit in drain?

Follow these easy steps to unclog your drain:.
Start by pouring a pot of boiling water down the drain..
Next, pour a cup of baking soda and 1 cup water/1 cup vinegar solution..
Cover with the drain plug and wait 5 to 10 minutes..
Pour boiling water down the drain again..

Can you leave baking soda and vinegar in drain overnight?

If it's still clogged, pour one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar down the drain, followed by two cups of boiling water. Let it work overnight to clear the drain.

Is it safe to pour vinegar down the drain?

Vinegar is both safe and beneficial to pour down your drain. It acts as a natural cleaning solution and can remove blockages and harmful bacteria that cause foul odors.

Will baking soda clog a drain?

Some of the leftover baking soda is usually left in the pipe, which can actually make an existing clog worse if the reaction turns it into a sludge that doesn't rinse away easily.