How to Clean Clogged Drains with Bicarb Soda and Vinegar

The most ignored part of any household plumbing system is the drain. As long as it still does its job, we don’t really pay much attention to it. When we see water disappear from the sink, it’s a good sign that the drain is working. The real problem, however, lies in a blocked drain. Pipes that often get more than just water – like food residue and other solid wastes – get blocked due to the accumulation of these solid objects. When this happens, it’s difficult for the water to drain. It will eventually reach a point when the water doesn’t drain anymore from your kitchen sink.

Whenever we are faced with blocked drains, we are faced with the temptation to use the most powerful chemical drain cleaners in the market. Sadly, they do more harm than good due to their strong chemical nature. They can harm your plumbing system, you and your loved ones and the environment.

Instead of chemical drain cleaners, there is a gentler and more effective way to clean clogged drains, and all you will need are the following household items: bicarb soda and vinegar.

How does it work, one might ask?

Clean clogged drains with baking soda and vinegar

Blocked drains can happen anytime and all it takes is one more piece of meat or a small piece of a wet wipe to complete the wall of gunk that will completely stop the water from draining. It happens to the best of us, I suppose.

Cleaning clogged drains with bicarb soda and vinegar seems like a very weird idea, but it does its job better than any commercial drain cleaner. That said, it’s worth noting that while this fizzy duo can be surprisingly effective for tackling small clogs or as a preventative measure, they don’t quite have the muscle for major plumbing disasters. So, if your sink is just starting to gurgle and water is draining a bit slow, this gentle, eco-friendly fix is perfect. But if there’s a stubborn, monstrous clog worthy of a plumber’s horror story, you may need to call in reinforcement or at least a plunger.

When (and Why) Bicarb and Vinegar Work

Baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water can naturally help clear out lighter blockages—think soap scum, a bit of grease, or those mysterious bits that slip past the strainer. Over time, regular use of this method can keep your drains running free and fresh, helping to prevent buildup before it becomes a real problem.

However, for those truly tough clogs—the ones that laugh in the face of fizz—you might find that this home remedy just isn’t enough. When the water refuses to budge and you’re staring down the barrel of a completely blocked drain, it’s usually time to step up your game with a plunger or ring up your friendly neighbourhood plumber. Think of bicarb and vinegar as your trusty first line of defense, not your only weapon in the war against clogged drains.

Here’s how you do it the easy way (before your drain becomes a clog monster):

How to clean clogged drains with baking soda and vinegar

1. Pour boiling hot water down your drain.
2. Dump in about 1/2 cup of bicarb soda. Let that sit for a few minutes.
3. Then, pour a mixture of 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup of very hot water down on top of the bicarb soda.
4. Cover with a drain plug in order to keep the reaction below the drain surface. Let the reaction sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove the drain plug and flush it down with one more pot of hot water.
6. As one final touch, you can pour in a solution of lemon water (lemon juice + water) to make your sink smell really nice.

Can you use dish soap and baking soda together to clean drains?

Absolutely! If you’re out of vinegar or simply want an extra edge against stubborn greasy clogs, dish soap combined with baking soda can be a reliable duo for your drains. The trick is to start by squirting a fair amount of grease-fighting dishwashing liquid directly into the drain.

Next, follow up with a generous pour of boiling water. This helps the soap coat the drain’s interior and loosen any oily buildup hiding inside those pipes.

Once that’s done, simply pour about a cup of baking soda down the drain. If your drain opening is narrow, a funnel or a paper cone works wonders to keep the baking soda going where you want it (and not all over your countertop).

The result? The dish soap works on greasy residues while the baking soda adds a bit of gentle abrasion and odor control, creating a double whammy for minor clogs and lingering smells.

Using Dish Soap and Boiling Water

Sometimes, a stubborn clog is the work of greasy build-up slowing things down behind the scenes. In cases like this, a combination of boiling water and dish soap can do wonders. All you need is a kettle and a bit of your favorite grease-cutting dishwashing liquid – no need to break out the heavy machinery.

Start by squirting a generous amount of dish soap directly into the drain. Follow this with a slow, careful pour of boiling water (be cautious to avoid any splashes). The dish soap will work on breaking down oily residues, while the boiling water helps flush everything through, giving your drain a fighting chance to run freely again. Give it a few moments, and you just might hear the satisfying gurgle of success.

Cleaning and Freshening Your Garbage Disposal

Now, what if it’s not just your sink but your garbage disposal that’s in need of some TLC? Good news – the humble bicarb soda comes to the rescue here, too. You can use either the bicarb soda and vinegar method or try a combination of bicarb soda and salt to tackle those funky odors and lingering bits.

To give your garbage disposal a quick cleanse and deodorize it at the same time, just halve the amounts from the previous method:

• Sprinkle roughly 1/4 cup of bicarb soda down the disposal.
• Follow this with a hearty splash of vinegar (about 1/2 cup), or toss in some coarse salt if you’d rather skip the vinegar.
• Let that fizzy reaction happen for a few minutes with the disposal turned off.
• Finish by flushing it all down with boiling water.

This routine will help banish smells and keep your disposal in tip-top shape, with minimal elbow grease required.

How long should you let the salt and baking soda mixture sit?

If you want to amp up the cleaning power, try adding about 1/2 cup of salt after the bicarb soda. Once you’ve combined the salt and baking soda in the drain, patience is key – let the mixture sit undisturbed for several hours. For best results, you can leave it overnight to let the ingredients work their magic on any stubborn gunk.

Why could baking soda and vinegar clean clogged drains?

The science behind this particular DIY drain cleaning solution is the nature of vinegar and baking soda – vinegar being an acid and baking soda being a base. From our science lessons, bicarb soda and vinegar react because of the acid-base reaction. bicarb soda is a bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and vinegar is an acetic acid (HCH3COO). When you mix an acid and base together, you get something new: carbonic acid (H2CO3).

When bicarb soda and vinegar react, they fizzle and sizzle and they expand. This is why they are able to remove clogs from drains. The pressure from the expanding product shoves the clog down as it moves along. The vinegar solution (vinegar plus water) can remove soap residue that clings to the walls of the pipes.

The hot-water rinse is simply to wash off the remaining residue that weren’t washed down by the vinegar-bicarb soda fizzle.

Unclogging a Drain with Salt and Baking Soda

Now, if your trusty bicarb soda and vinegar tag-team doesn’t quite get the job done, don’t throw in the towel just yet. There’s another tried and tested household remedy you can use: a mix of salt and baking soda. This method is especially effective if you let it work its magic overnight, meaning you can go to bed and let science handle the rest.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Add baking soda: Start by pouring a cup of baking soda directly down the drain.
2. Follow with salt: Next, sprinkle in about half a cup of ordinary table salt.
3. Let it sit: Don’t rush this bit! Allow the salt and baking soda mixture to sit undisturbed for several hours – overnight is ideal, as nobody will be running water through the pipes for a while.
4. Boil and flush: In the morning, boil two cups of water and carefully pour it down the drain. This hot flush helps break up whatever stubborn grime remains.
5. Final rinse: If things seem to be flowing better, finish the job by running hot tap water for a minute or two. If the water is still draining slowly, don’t lose hope – repeat the process once more or consider switching back to the bicarb soda and vinegar routine.

If you’ve given these approaches a fair go and your drain is still impersonating a small, stagnant pond, it might just be time to roll up your sleeves and check the drain trap for a more hands-on rescue effort.

Washing soda can also clean clogged drains

Washing soda, or sodium carbonate, can be found in the market and is the same family as baking soda, only more caustic or alkaline (with a pH of 11). While it has no harmful fumes, you still need to wear gloves when you’re handling washing soda.

When water is not going down the drain, you can use washing soda and let it set to work as it makes its way down to the clog. Once the clog is loosened, you can follow it up with a bicarb soda-vinegar method. Because it’s more alkaline than baking soda, you don’t want to use this if you’ve recently used a commercial acid drain cleaner because there will be a strong reaction. The reaction can harm the PVC pipes.

How to avoid clogged drains

Prevention is always better than any cure, and you can always avoid clogged drains instead of having to remove blockages.

• You can purchase strainers for your drains that will prevent items from entering the drainage pipes. Strainers are also usually referred to as hair catchers and food catchers.
• After you use the kitchen sink or bathroom sink, wash it down with hot water. Hot water will always wash away the fresh buildup so the residue doesn’t stick to the sides of the pipes.
• Brush your hair before and after showering. This will allow you to remove the majority of loose hair – the loose hair that gets showered down and ends up in your drain.
• Buy and learn how to use a plunger or an auger (also known as a drain snake). Clogs happen no matter what we do. Small clogs can be dealt with before they turn into bigger clogs with the help of these two plumbing apparatuses.

Now you know why bicarb soda and vinegar work as drain cleaners and there’s science to back it up. In case the clog is very difficult to remove, call a plumber. They have the equipment needed to remove those pesky and persistent clogs.  Hopefully, you won’t be using commercial chemical drain cleaners anymore.