Years ago, I learned the hard way how important it is to keep your bathroom drain clean and clear. We had quite the clog and at the time my first inclination was to buy some drain cleaner. I hesitated when I read the warnings on the label, but I was desperate to not have to brush my teeth in the bathtub.
I also decided at that point that I never wanted to buy that stuff again. After some research I realized how easy it is to avoid the toxic cleaners by just cleaning the drains on a regular basis.
In fact, it only takes 4 simple products to clean, deodorize, and unclog your kitchen and bathroom drains naturally and three of them are most likely in your kitchen.
Clean Your Bath & Kitchen Drains Naturally
1. Baking Soda
See #2 vinegar.
2. Vinegar
To deodorize and unclog your drains, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow with 1/2 cup vinegar that was warmed up in the microwave. Don’t be alarmed the vinegar will cause the baking soda to fizz, but it soon dissolves. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or more. Flush down with very hot water. I try to do this every 2 to 4 weeks to keep the drains clear and fresh.
3. Citrus fruit
Instead of throwing a used lemon or lime in the trash or compost, cut it into smaller pieces and drop it down the garbage disposal. Run the cold water and turn the disposal on and the stinky smell disappears.
4. Snake Drain Hair Removal Tool
Snake this simple tool down the drain and wiggle.
It will dislodge hair and soap junk to help it flush down the drain. It will also drag some stuff up as you pull the tool up out of the drain. YUCK!
I use the snake all the time to remove bathroom sink gunk. It can be found at hardware stores, is relatively inexpensive, and will last for years.
By using the above 4 products regularly, I haven’t had to buy the toxic drain cleaners in years.
What natural tips do you have to clean and unclog the bathroom and kitchen drains? Let us know in the comments.
Thanks for a very useful post, you can use the vinegar to clean electric kettles and descale them too.
I use baking soda and vinegar for my drains and I love it. I most recently used it for my bathtub and it made a huge difference. I found you via A Bowl Full of Lemon. I would love it if you visited my green cleaning blog.
Have a fabulous day,
Angela
My wife uses the baking soda and vinegar mixture to keep our drain clog-free. At first, I was kind of hesitant because I felt the mixture was weak. But when I saw the wonders it did to our drain, I was sold. I hope that others would also try that mixture over chemical based products. It’s safe, cheap, and effective. You can’t ask for more from this solution!
Nice post with useful cleaning ideas. Some time I use lemon if I don’t have vinegar. It is also very useful. If your hands smell with raw things like onion, fish etc use lemon juice to get rid of it.
I really love your site. Thanks! I will share it with all my friends and colleagues 🙂
~ Gunnersbury Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
Wow, I had no idea that there were so many different solutions that could help with drains! My kitchen sink drain has been struggling to drain things, so it might be time for me to use one of these remedies. I don’t want to use that drain cleaner, though, because that could damage my pipes!
I think it’s great that such simple tools and ingredients can keep a drain clear from clogs. Using baking soda, vinegar, and hot water to clear out most of the gunk, then using a snake removal tool if needed, seems like a great way to keep your drains running smoothly. Using citrus to make your kitchen sink smell nice is a great idea, too. Thanks for the article!
Wow these are great advice, and I am very interested in trying this baking soda followed by white vinegar method for cleaning bathroom and kitchen drains! Very helpful, thanks for sharing!