Unclog Your Drain - The Natural Non-Toxic Way

Once again, you find your tub drain is clogged from your _____ 's (fill in the blank) hair, which seems to shed like no tomorrow.  You've contemplated using liquid plumber, but you're afraid of the impact it can have on the environment and your drinking water.  Well fear not, here's a great, natural and non-toxic way to unclog your tub or bathroom sink from hair and soap gunk. ( Note:  This solution is for slow moving water down the drain. If your drain is completely clogged and brimming with water, this will not work)

What you will need:

• 1 Cup of Baking Soda
• 2 Cups of Regular White Vinegar
• Rubber Drain Stopper
  
• Pot of Boiling Water
  
• Rubber Gloves
• Glasses/Goggles (to protect the eyes)

Instructions:

1) Dry the opening of the drain with a towel or paper towel, and remove any drain strainers that you may have.

2) Scoop 2 or 3 spoons of baking soda into the drain. Try to push as much of the powder as you can through the drain "crossbars".  Continue to scoop baking soda into the drain until there is about one centimeter of space from the top. This space is for left for the vinegar that we will pour in later.

3) This next step will require you to move quickly.  With your gloves and goggles on, pour about a 1/3 of a cup of vinegar into the drain, and quickly cover the drain with the rubber stopper.  You will hear the bubbling reaction of the baking soda mixing with the vinegar (a chemical reaction that produces carbonic acid, carbon dioxide, and water). 

Explanation:  By covering the drain with the stopper, the gas produced by the reaction is forced to go the other direction, helping the move the blockage down the drain.  The carbonic acid also helps to soften the hair up for the last step.

4) Keep the stopper on the drain for 3 minutes, or until you stop hearing the bubbling sound. 

5) Repeat steps 2 to 4 until you run out of baking soda and vinegar.  This is not an exact science, so don't worry if you can't fit the exact amounts I described above.

6) Pour the pot of boiling hot water down the drain. This will flush away any remnants of the clogging hair.  I usually find that the hot water flows pretty well into the drain at this point.

Using this recipe, I've been able to unclog my drain 3 times.  Enjoy!