Never Use Baking Soda For a Grease-Clogged Drain
Wait. What? This is the Baking Soda and Vinegar Queen talking here. What does she mean, “Never use baking soda for a grease-clogged drain”?
Actually, there are instances where baking soda and vinegar won’t work very well at all.
Baking soda and vinegar may look very impressive with all that vigorous fizzing and bubbling, but they don’t do much for a grease-clogged drain.
What You Should Use
So, what do you use to unclog a gunked up kitchen drain?
Hot water. Yup, that’s it.
Put a squirt of dishwashing liquid down the drain and follow it up with a kettleful of hot water that’s just off the boil. The combination of hot water and detergent will help melt the fat stuck to the sides of the drain pipe. You may have to repeat the procedure to clear the grease clog sufficiently.
Once the water starts to drain as it should, then you can tip a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar down the hole. Doing this after clearing a grease clog will help to eliminate unpleasant odors loitering around the sink area.
How To Prevent Future Problems
Don’t dump used oil or grease down the drain. Scrape as much as you can into an empty jar with a lid. Once the jar is full, close the lid and dispose of the whole lot in the bin.
This practice won’t eliminate grease totally from entering the drain, but it will cut the amount down significantly.
Common Problems With Toilets And How To Fix Them
Fatbergs in Sewers
Fatbergs are another reason why oil and grease should be kept out of drains and sewers as much as possible. According to National Geographic, the largest fatberg to date was found in a sewer under a part of London in England. It was discovered to be a grotesque tangle of wet wipes and grease the size of 11 double-decker buses!
To create awareness of the problems going on under the city, Thames Water made a video. A bit of a whacky one, but could be an issue for sensitive viewers.
©Kerry Biddle, 2020
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