Let it Flow: Tips to Unclogging a Drain

When your water stops going down due to a clogged drain in your bathroom or kitchen, it can be both annoying and disgusting. There are a number of easy fixes, however, and we’ve compiled our favorite tips to unclogging a drain in your Portland-area home:

Unclog Your Drain with a Wire Hanger

Sometimes, the tried-and-true methods still work. If you have a wire coat hanger around your home that you don’t mind seeing mangled, bend it into a small hook and use it to pull out the hair and grime in your sink or shower drain.

Dissolve Drain Obstructions with Baking Soda & Vinegar

Here’s a nice little concoction you can make yourself. Take 1/3 cup baking soda and 1/3 cup vinegar, mix them together, and immediately pour the mixture down the drain. Allow it to sit for at least an hour and then flush with hot water.

Hydrogen Peroxide Drain Cleaner

This can be quite effective in clearing out clogs, but you must take precautions as highly concentrations of hydrogen peroxide can cause burns. Add 3 cups of the chemical into 3/4 gallon of cold water, stir it with a wooden spoon that you don’t mind discarding later, and pour it down the drain. After 20-30 minutes, flush it with boiling water. Additional applications may be necessary in some cases.

Use a Drain Snake

This simple gadget will often do a great job at cleaning out your drain and you can pick one up for just a few bucks at many places. You use it by “snaking” it down the drain, then twisting it while you move it up and down. The metal rope will grip hair and gunk that’s accumulated in the drain, which allows you to pull it out with ease.

Call a Professional

If the clog is too serious for you to handle, there’s no shame in calling a professional drain cleaning technician who will have the know-how and tools to clear out the toughest of problems.

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• Drain Problems Backing up Your System? Here’s What You Need to Know