How to clean kitchen sink drain Overview
The sink is one of the most crucial components in the kitchen. It is where you wash your utensils, vegetables, kitchen towels, and more.
This makes it susceptible to clogging because of the accumulation of food leftovers, soap scum, and grease, among many other debris, making it challenging to drain waste water properly.
A clogged drain can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria that harm your family’s health. That is why it is essential to ensure that your kitchen sink drains all the time appropriately.
In this article, we will give you step-by-step tips on how to clean your kitchen sink drain.
Step 1: Gather all necessary supplies
The first step to cleaning your kitchen drain is gathering all the necessary supplies to get the work done. This process is a very important step because it will determine the work’s quality and how smooth the process will be. Important tools that you need to have for this job include hot water, vinegar, a plunger, baking soda, and a pair of gloves.
Step 2: Pour hot water
The first step to cleaning your kitchen drain is pouring hot water. First, remove any visible dirt and debris from the sink, then pour hot water. Pour the hot water gently, and wear gloves to prevent spilling water on your hands. Pouring hot water into the drain will help to break down accumulated grease, thus allowing water to flow freely.
Step 3: Plunge the drain
If hot water does not do the magic, you need to go further and plunge the drain using a plunger. This tool consists of a rubber suction cup attached to a plastic or a wood and clears the block in the kitchen drain by a thrusting movement.
Unclogging your kitchen drain using this device is simple. All you need to do is put the plunger on the sink drain and press it multiple times until the water starts flowing freely.
Step 4: Use white vinegar and baking soda
Once you finally unclog your drain, gently pour white vinegar and baking soda into the drain. Pour half a cup of both into the drain, then give them at least 5 minutes to react with any remaining debris in the drain. Baking soda and vinegar will help eliminate stubborn dirt, grease, and debris that cannot be eliminated by hot water or a plunger. Additionally, it will help eliminate any foul odor from the sink.
Why You Should Never Use Baking Soda and Vinegar to Unclog a Drain
Despite its popularity in cleaning, you should never use baking soda and vinegar to unclog a drain.
This trick, a common one to unclog your drains, is bad for your pipes but can cause damage to your drain itself.
When you mix baking soda, a base, and vinegar, an acid, a chemical reaction releases carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles formed by the CO2 effectively break up food residues, grease, and other clog-causing gunk.
However, if you do it too often and your drain becomes overly clogged, you could damage your pipes.
The Baking Soda and Vinegar method works best if you’re trying to remove a greasy clog, like the ones caused by hair. It also prevents odors from building up and will help keep your pipes smelling fresh.
If you’re looking for a more natural drain cleaner, try Bio-Clean. This product contains natural bacteria and enzymes that break down organic materials.
Why you should never use baking soda and vinegar to clean your drains
You shouldn’t use baking soda and vinegar to unclog your drain because it will destroy the metal that makes up your drain. This will eventually make your drains look corroded, making them harder to clean.
Baking soda and vinegar are safe to use in moderation, but you should still test them in a small area before applying them to your entire drain. If you decide to use this method, follow up with hot water to flush out any loosened debris.
How to Clean a Kitchen Sink Drain With Baking Soda and Vinegar
Kitchen sink drains can be easily clogged with grease, food waste, and other substances. The good news is that several methods for cleaning them are simple and inexpensive.
Baking soda and vinegar are popular ways to unclog a kitchen sink drain. They’re both alkaline and base chemicals, and they cause carbon dioxide bubbles to form that break up fatty, oily, or sticky residues that can cause a clog.
You’ll hear the bubbles forming as you pour the mixture down the drain. You’ll also hear them fizzing, which means the chemicals are working.
A ratio of one cup baking soda to one cup vinegar works best, but you can play around with it to get the right proportions. For stubborn clogs, you can even combine the two.
Boil water to clear up grease clogs
The quickest and easiest way to unclog your drain is by boiling water. It’s also a great way to clean your pipes regularly, since it melts away grease and soap scum.
Mix baking soda with vinegar.
The best combination for clearing a kitchen sink drain is a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar. Pour this solution down your drain and wait a few minutes to let the bubbles do their job.
Vinegar is slightly more acidic than baking soda, so it will better clear your drain. However, it’s important to note that using vinegar is not a good idea if you have already used chemical drain cleaners. This will cause the vinegar to react with the chemicals and can create a toxic gas.
Conclusion
Cleaning your kitchen drain is a simple task you can do independently. All you need is the right tools and the simple steps given above.
