how do you unclog a drain with boiling water

Here’s how:

1. Fill a kettle with water and heat it to a boil.
2. Remove any standing water from the sink and the drain.
3. Squirt a liberal amount of dish soap down the drain.
4. Let the soap drip for a few minutes so it reaches the grease clog.
5. Pour the hot water from the kettle down the drain to flush it.

Full Answer

How to unclog severely clogged drains?

• Pour one cup of fresh baking soda down the drain, followed by one cup of white vinegar.
• Place a rubber stopper or other sink hole cover over the drain opening.
• Wait 15 minutes to allow the vinegar and baking soda to unclog your drain, Then take out the drain cover and run hot tap water down the drain to clear ...

How to unclog a drain, naturally?

Ways to unclog your drain without using chemicals

1. Snake, Wire Hanger or Plunger. These are the simplest, most obvious methods most people use to unclog a drain. ...
2. Dish Soap & Hot Water. Another great natural way to unclog your slow drain is to use dish soap and hot water. ...
3. Baking Soda and Vinegar. ...
4. Hydrogen Peroxide. ...

Is it OK to pour boiling water down the drain?

Pouring boiling water is quite risky as it might lead to a steam burn or scalding. Another thing to keep in mind is what type of material you are pouring in into. If you have a porcelain sink, it is likely to crack due to the heat. All in all, pouring boiling water down your drain will only cause issues down the road.

How to help a boil drain?

• taking ibuprofen to help reduce pain and swelling
• holding a warm, wet compress against the boil for 10–15 minutes three to four times each day until the pus starts to drain
• keeping the boil and its surrounding area clean
• avoiding touching the boil
• keeping a burst boil covered
• washing the hands and the area of the boil well

Will boiling hot water clear a clogged drain?

Try Using Boiling Water to Fix a Clogged Sink Pouring a pot of boiling water directly down the drain into the trap may dissolve the clog, especially if it consists of soap scum or grease. Hot tap water won't do the trick—it has to be boiling water.

How much boiling water does it take to unclog a drain?

Pour 4 cups of boiling water down the drain. Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain. Let it sit 5 minutes.

Is it OK to pour boiling water down the sink?

Do NOT pour boiling water down your sink or toilet. In recent years, DIYers looking to find a green alternative to chemical products have suggested pouring a potful of boiling water into a clogged sink or toilet to clear a clog.

Does boiling water dissolve hair?

Boiling water with salt and baking soda is one home recipe for hair clogs. Take six cups of boiling water, a half-cup or salt and a half-cup of baking soda. Pour all of the boiling water down the drain in one shot. Vinegar and baking soda is another mix.

What unclogs drains the best?

Our Top PicksBest Overall Drain Cleaner: Drano Max Gel Clog Remover.Best Natural Drain Cleaner: Earthworm Drain Cleaner.Best Drain Cleaner for Hair: Liquid-Plumr Hair Eliminator Gel.Best Drain Cleaner for Sinks: Rockwell InVade Bio Drain Gel.Best Drain Cleaner for Toilets: Green Gobbler Ultimate Main Line Drain Opener.More items...•

How does Dawn dish soap unclog a drain?

Greasy clogs can be cleared with dish soap and hot water. Squirt dish soap down the clogged drain and then pour boiling water down the drain. Grease is eliminated!

Does Coke work to unclog drains?

Coke is a lesser-known fix you can find in your refrigerator. Pour a 2-liter bottle of cola — Pepsi, Coke, or generic brand substitutes — down the clogged drain. Coke is actually quite caustic and effective at clearing away buildup in your drains, but it's far milder than commercial drain cleaners.

What is the black gunk in my sink drain?

The black gunk that accumulates in your sink drain is created by a buildup of bacteria living on hair, hand soaps, shaving cream, skin cells, lotion, toothpaste, and phlegm (yuck!). The problem with this black gunk is it will not go away by itself.

Can hot water and vinegar to unclog drain?

Baking soda, vinegar and boiling water can help clean drains naturally, but you may need something stronger, like Liquid-Plumr, to fully unclog those really tough drain clogs.

What eats hair in a drain?

Use Baking Soda and Vinegar Baking soda and vinegar is a very powerful combination that can help clear nasty hair clogs. Besides helping dissolve hair in your drain, baking soda also has disinfectant qualities that can fight fungi and bacteria.

Can I pour boiling water down shower drain?

Sometimes you can clear a clog in metal pipes by simply emptying a kettle of boiling water down the drain, a little at a time. You can pour the water down the drain without removing the shower drain cover. Do not pour boiling water down PVC pipes, which can be damaged by the heat.

Can you pour boiling water down bathtub drain?

If you have a porcelain sink, it is likely to crack due to the heat. All in all, pouring boiling water down your drain will only cause issues down the road. While you may solve an immediate pain point, the water can cause the grease to move down the drain and stick to the side of the drain.

Can you pour boiling water down bathtub drain?

If you have a porcelain sink, it is likely to crack due to the heat. All in all, pouring boiling water down your drain will only cause issues down the road. While you may solve an immediate pain point, the water can cause the grease to move down the drain and stick to the side of the drain.

Can hot water and vinegar to unclog drain?

Baking soda, vinegar and boiling water can help clean drains naturally, but you may need something stronger, like Liquid-Plumr, to fully unclog those really tough drain clogs.

Can I pour boiling water down my garbage disposal?

Occasionally Use Boiling Water However, if you are trying to wash away any excess food stuck in your system, a pot of boiling water down the drain once a month will do the job. Keep in mind, the heat does cause the food that is in your garbage disposal to melt, which can cause clogs.

Should I use boiling water with Drano?

If it's bubbling, that means it is working. Cover the area and then let sit for about 15 minutes. When the bubbling subsides, you can pour hot water down the drain. If you have plastic pipes, do not use boiling water as it can melt them.

Can Boiling Water Unclog A Drain?

Boiling water can be useful for certain kinds of clogs, but the results are — at best — hit and miss. Plus, there are risks associated with pouring boiling water down a drain, especially if you have PVC pipes; boiling water can soften and even melt the PVC joints!

How To Clear A Clogged Drain

There are several tried-and-true methods for unclogging a drain. In our experience, the best ways to unclog a drain include the following:

Meticulous Plumbing in Portland, Oregon

If you have any questions, Meticulous Plumbing probably has the answers. We’ve been providing expert plumbing services in Portland, Oregon, for many years. We’re ready and able to work on drain clogs or any number of plumbing-related problems.

Need to clear up a clog but don't want to mess with any chemicals? Here's how

There are plenty of products on the market to pour down your drains and chew through the nastiest of clogs. But those products typically contain nasty chemicals that can be bad for your health and harmful to your plumbing. So why go that route when safer and equally effective options exist?

Dish Soap

Grease can easily congeal in pipes and clog a sink drain, causing a whole host of issues. To break up a grease clog, attack it with something you likely have sitting right next to your sink — dish soap. Here’s how:

Grab a Plunger

Bathroom sinks are notorious for hair and soap scum clogs. The good news is, you can use the same tool to unclog your bathroom sink as you do your toilet — a plunger. Just don’t use the same plunger you use on your toilet, or at least clean the plunger thoroughly first.

Baking Soda and Boiling Water

Baking soda is a fantastic natural cleaner that chews through grit and grime. Combine baking soda with a little vinegar and some boiling water and you’ve got yourself a powerful, chemical-free unclogging compound. Here’s what to do:

The Wire Hanger Method

You can also use a wire hanger from your closet to break up drain clogs. Here’s how:

Drain Snake

If a wire hanger isn’t doing the job, you might need to buy a drain snake. These are specifically designed to unclog drains. They tend to do a pretty good job if you know how to use them. Here’s how:

How to Naturally Unclog a Drain in 4 Steps

Let’s start with the best natural drain cleaning solution first. Using natural or organic methods for clearing out a clog is always the best first step.

Watch How with This Video

A simple solution for unclogging your drain using vinegar and baking soda. You can find more videos like this on your YouTube Channel.

Which Drain Cleaning Product Works Best?

This is the easiest answer I’ll ever provide in one of our DIY blogs. So, which chemical drain cleaning product works best on clogs?

5 Natural Remedies for a Sink Drain That Smells

Watch this video for safe, natural methods of deodorizing your kitchen or bathroom sink drain. Often, biofilm collects (scum, debris, and bacteria) on the inside drain walls or your garbage disposal blades. Using these 5 natural deodorizer methods — from ice cubes to mouthwash to cleaning brushes — you can quickly remove those foul odors.

Conclusion: How to Naturally Unclog a Drain

If you need to unclog a drain but are concerned with what you put down your pipes, then you should follow the above step-by-step instruction on how to naturally unclog a drain.

Call 1-Tom-Plumber

If you have a clogged drain that you can’t handle — don’t feel bad, everyone’s been there — our professional drain technicians are ready to help. Don’t hesitate to contact us or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237).

Is It Safe to Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain?

It is not safe to pour boiling water down the drain, mostly if it is made of PVC. It is always recommended that you avoid such acts. A majority of homes do have PVC pipes below their sinks and if the house is new, chances are it has them installed.

Is Pouring Hot Water Down the Drain Bad?

Pouring hot water down the drain can be bad if it reaches boiling temperature. In such a case you may encounter the following issues;

Can You Pour Boiling Water Down the Shower Drain?

You can pour boiling water down the shower drain only if the pipes are made of metal. The water temperature will help to dissolve the substances blocking the drain. For instance the gunk.

How Often Should You Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain?

You should not pour boiling water down the drain. Not unless the drains are metallic. If not, you need to avoid that habit. Even though some do believe you can do it only once every week to avoid build-ups on the inner sections of the pipes, this isn’t right.

Conclusion

As noted, boiling water destroys PVC pipes and you can even get injuries in the process. It can also cause clogging which then results in backups and I bet you wouldn’t want that to happen in your home. Therefore, if you normally pour extremely hot water into the drains, then it’s time you stop the habit.

1. Boiling Water

If your drain isn’t jammed with years of grime and dirt, the simple boiling water can also open your clogged drain. Just ensure that the drainage pipe is not a low-quality plastic or rubber that will melt itself whenever it contacts with the hot water.

2. Baking Soda, Vinegar, And Hot Water

This drain cleaning method uses the baking soda and common vinegar lying in the kitchen shelves. You can use them with a little hot water for cleaning a drain. Hot water and baking soda work together to loosen grimy sludge in the bottom of the clogged drain. When you add vinegar over baking soda, the fizzy reaction helps to clean the drain.

3. Salt, Hot Water, And Baking Soda

This is one of the best ways on how to unclog a drain naturally at home that you should not pass! However, if you do not have common vinegar at the moment or if the drain is not dirty, you may even use salt, hot water, and baking soda to clean up your clogged drain. The reaction of three certain chemicals is enough to dissolve the blockage.

4. Vinegar And Ice Cubes

Vinegar is a very good cleansing agent thanks to its mild acidic agent. You may use it with some ice cubes to clean up the sinks with garbage disposals. Moreover, ice may chill and scrape off the grease on its wall quite effectively. You actually need to create some ice cubes mixed with common vinegar for this method to work.

5. Dish Detergent And Hot Water

A clogged sink drain in your kitchen is really a very irritating thing to handle. This one seems to be difficult to clean because of oil and some other greasy substances clogging your drain. However, there is a way out and it is an easy one, which is the humble dish detergent.

6. Caustic Soda And Cold Water

In fact, drain openers contain many harmful chemicals and are also expensive. However, if the drain is blocked with oil grime, you cannot unclog the drain with warm water or some mild kitchen ingredients. Instead, you need to take the help of some chemicals.

7. Wet-Dry Shop Vacuum

A shop vacuum may effectively clean not only dirt, dust, spills, and debris but also your clogged drains! Here is another way on how to unclog a drain that you can try!