Why is it a slow or clogged drain always seems to occur at the worst possible moment? You’re busy preparing a dinner party, company is soon to arrive, and now you find the water in the guest bathroom sink doesn’t want to drain. What to do?
你想要一些能迅速清除管道问题的东西,这样生活才能恢复正常。然而,你肯定不想把腐蚀性化学物质倒进家用排水管,从而破坏管道或环境。考虑自己DIY下水道清洁剂吧!
No matter if you are connected to a city sewer system or a septic tank in your back yard, toxic chemicals found in commercial drain cleaners leech their poison into the environment.
Read on to discover a few DIY drain cleaner options that are made out of eco-friendly items you likely have around the house or garden.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
用醋、小苏打和水处理下水道是最简单、最快、最环保的方法之一。这些都是在大多数家庭食品柜中发现的环保物品。醋是微酸性的,有助于溶解油脂和污垢。
Directions
- 向下水道中倒入一杯白醋,再倒入一杯小苏打。
- Let it sizzle, fizz, and do its work for five minutes.
- Flush the drain with a couple kettles of boiling water.
- Repeat if necessary, until the water drains as normal.
Salt and Baking Soda
Another way to freshen and clear sluggish drains is to pour a table salt and baking soda combination down the drain.
Directions
- Pour one-half cup of table or rock salt and one cup of baking soda down the drain.
- Follow up with two cups of hot white or apple cider vinegar.
- The mixture will sizzle and hiss — allow it to sit in the drain for 20 minutes.
- Flush with boiling water.
- Repeat until the water drains as normal.
Boiling Water and Dishwasher Detergent
Sluggish drains clogged by grease buildup respond well to a treatment of boiling water and biodegradable dishwashing detergent.
Directions
- Pour a cup of dishwasher detergent down the drain and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- 用一壶沸水冲洗下水道,洗去溶解的油脂和黏稠物,然后把它们送到管道里。
Ice, Lemon, and Salt for Garbage Disposals
To sharpen the blades of your garbage disposal and to clean all the grime and gunk off the blades and sidewalls, ice cubes do the trick.
Directions
- Pour a couple of scoops of ice cubes down the garbage disposal.
- Add a lemon, followed by more ice.
- Turn on the disposal and run cold water down the drain as the disposal grinds.
- Shut off the garbage disposal.
- Pour a cup of table or rock salt down the drain.
- Turn on the disposal, run dry for a couple of seconds followed by a teakettle of boiling water.
Unclogging Kitchen Sinks With a Plunger
Food debris tends to collect in the curve of the drain under the kitchen sink. You can clear the clog quickly with the use of a rubber plunger. Fill the kitchen sink half full of hot water and plunge.
A solid object such as a bottle cap or potato peel may be stuck, and the clog will not respond to the application of natural drain cleaners, a plunger, or a drain snake. In that case, you may need to take apart the plumbing.
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If the drains are running slow and smell a bit “funky,” freshen drains by dropping two or three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a flush of hot water.
如何避免厨房下水道堵塞
The easiest way to keep drains running free and clear is to avoid clogging the plumbing in the first place. Invest in a drain trap filter to catch food debris before it enters your plumbing system.
千万不要把烹饪用的油脂倒进下水道。你这样做是自找麻烦,所以在炉子附近放一个瓦罐来储存培根油和烹饪油。烹饪油、头发、咖啡渣和肥皂渣是堵塞下水道的最大罪魁祸首。
Enzymatic Drain Cleaners
Did you know that for sluggish septic systems,enzymatic drain cleanersare a safe, environmentally friendly alternative to chemical drain cleaners that can leech into the surrounding soil? These types of drain cleaner employ enzymes or bacteria that naturally feed on and break down organic waste.
Avoid Synthetic Drain Cleaners
如果你尝试过自制的DIY排水管清洁剂,但你的管道仍然堵塞,那么求助于化学清洁剂可能很有诱惑力。虽然这可能是一个更便宜的解决方案,但随着时间的推移,使用合成排水清洁剂会产生昂贵的问题。
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Please reconsider that option and call a plumber. Synthetic drain cleaners contain caustic sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide, chemicals that eat away and erode your plumbing system over time.
If you decide to use a commercial drain cleaner before calling the plumber, select a product that uses monosodium sulfate, a nontoxic acid that quickly cuts through drain gunk.
Lye is another active ingredient found in many drain cleaning products. Lye will dissolve soap scum and hair, but like other synthetic chemical drain cleaners, lye is corrosive. A little bit of lye used to clean your drain is reasonably safe, but too much is a bad thing.
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If you do use lye, be sure to wear protective eyewear and rubber gloves. Pour just a small bit down the clogged drain. Wait 20 minutes to let it do its job dissolving the grease, soap scum, and hair that clogs your drain, and then flush pipes with boiling water.
Patience is Key With DIY Drain Cleaners
如果你已经尝试过这些DIY的下水道清洁疗法,但没有取得很大的成功,重复这个过程。Natural drain cleaners take a few runs to have an effect, and patience is required.
如果以上方法都失败了,可以尝试使用排水蛇。很可能是使用了天然的排水管清洗剂,使堵塞物破裂并松开了,只需排水管蛇的一点推力就能清除阻塞物。如果你没有排水管蛇,你可以把金属衣架拉直,在末端留下一个弯曲的钩子来钩住排水管碎片。
References:
- Drain Cleaner, Oregon Metro
- Keep Your Drains Draining, Columbine Water & Sanitation District
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