T
24

Baking soda and vinegar for clogged drains is a lie, here's why

I always thought the fizz reaction was strong enough to break up gunk, but I saw a plumber on YouTube test it with a clear pipe and it barely moved anything. Turns out the reaction is mostly surface level, so I just spent $8 on a proper drain snake instead and it cleared a 3 foot clog in 5 minutes. Anyone else find out this 'hack' doesn't actually work?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
kim.xena
kim.xena22d agoMost Upvoted
Fell for that one myself a few years back. Poured in half a box of baking soda followed by a whole bottle of vinegar expecting results, and all I got was a kitchen that smelled like a science fair project. Ended up having to take apart the trap under the sink anyway and pulled out a disgusting wad of hair and soap scum with an old wire hanger. Now I just consider it a fun little experiment, not a fix.
7
thomas.tyler
That bit about the kitchen smelling like a science fair project really hit home for me. I did the exact same thing, got my hopes up because of all the fizzing and bubbling, and then nothing actually changed. Ended up with a sink that still drained slow and a lingering vinegar smell for two days. Finally caved and bought one of those little plastic drain snakes for like six bucks, and it pulled out this horrifying clump of hair and gunk that must have been building up for months. So yeah, you're dead on, it's basically just a fun little experiment.
7
kelly.nora
kelly.nora22d ago
Same thing @thomas.tyler, tried the vacuum trick on a car door dent and just made a louder noise.
5