Drains

Alka-Seltzer and Heinz White Vinegar. To unclog a drain, drop three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain, add one cup Heinz White Vinegar, and wait fifteen minutes to allow the reaction to fizz. The bubbling action can unclog your drain by breaking down grease and allowing the clog to wash down the pipe. Then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to flush it. Do not put Alka-Seltzer or vinegar down the drain if you have poured any commercial drain cleaner down the drain or into any standing water.

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and Morton Salt. Pour ½ cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and ½ cup Morton Salt down the clogged drain, followed by six cups boiling water. Let sit overnight. In the morning, flush with water. The boiling hot water should dissolve the clog, allowing the abrasive baking soda and salt to burst through the stoppage.

Cascade Gel. Drain as much water as possible from the clogged sink, pour Cascade Gel dishwasher detergent into the drain, then carefully and slowly pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain. The boiling hot water softens the clog while the phosphates in the Cascade Gel devour the debris.

Clean Shower. Pour Clean Shower down the clogged drain of a shower or sink, let it sit for one hour, then flush with hot water. Clean Shower contains a natural enzyme that devours grease and food debris.

Clorox Bleach. If your home's plumbing drains to a municipal sewage plant, pour two cups Clorox Bleach down the drain of your sinks, bathtub, and shower once a month. Let sit overnight. The bleach sitting in the trap saturates any par-tial clogs, softening biofilm and debris. The next day run the water for three min-utes to flush the debris to the sewer. (When pouring bleach down the drain of a stainless steel kitchen sink, do not let bleach drip or puddle on the stainless steel. Otherwise permanent stains in the stainless steel may result.).

Coca-Cola. Once a week pour a bottle of Coca-Cola down the kitchen drain and let sit overnight to dissolve grease build-up and prevent clogs.

Conair Blow Dryer. To clear grease clogging the drain, use a Conair Blow Dryer hair dryer set on high with the nozzle directed at the trap. The heat from the blow dryer will warm the pipe and melt the grease. Then run the hot water to flush the grease through the system.

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. To clear a clogged drain, boil three to four ta-blespoons Dawn Dishwashing Liquid in a pan full of water and carefully pour the heated mixture down the drain of the kitchen sink. The solution will dissolve most kitchen sink clogs because Dawn breaks down grease.

Efferdent. Drop several Efferdent tablets into the clogged drain, fill with water, and let it sit overnight. The denture cleansing tablets loosen caked grease and debris.

Jell-O and Heinz White Vinegar. Vinegar dissolves most clogs, but, unfortunately, if you pour vinegar down a clogged drain, the acetic acid will seep down your pipes before it gets a chance to eat away the clog. Instead, dissolve one small package of Jell-O in one cup boiling water. Let cool. In a measuring cup, mix 1½ ounces Heinz White Vinegar with 6½ ounces water. Add the vinegar mixture to the Jell-O mixture. Let gel in the refrigerator until almost set, but liquid enough to flow slowly. Pour the mixture down the drain. Let sit overnight. The Jell-O will clog up the pipes, giving the acetic acid in the vinegar a chance to eat away the clog. Then flush the drain with water to wash away the Jell-O.

Nair. Remove hair clogged in bathtub, shower, and sink drains by squeezing as much Nair lotion as you think necessary into the drain. Let sit for fifteen minutes, then flush with water. Nair, a depilatory that breaks down hair, contains a high pH substance (usually sodium thioglycolate or calcium thioglycolate) that reacts with the protein structure of hair.

Super Soaker. To unclog a drain clogged with food debris, fill a Super Soaker with water, pump the handle to increase the air pressure, then point the nozzle into the drain and fire. The high-pressure jet spray can break up the clog, sending the debris down the drain.