Baking Soda and Vinegar Aren’t What You Need to Save the Sink
While it is best to choose natural home cleaning products whenever possible, they are not always the most effective. Take baking soda and vinegar, for example. These pantry staples are the two most common ingredients in natural cleaning products, and if you’ve ever seen a volcano at a science fair, you can see why.
Separately, baking soda and vinegar are great for home cleaning: baking soda is a detergent, and vinegar is used to disinfect and remove odors. And you often see that they are offered in tandem for the treatment of slow drains.
It seems to make sense – submerge a sizzling papier-mâché volcano in a sink and let the bubbles burst from the pipes. And that’s so nice too. You pour some baking soda down the drain, then pour some white vinegar and whistle , all those bubbles make it look like something is happening.
And something happens. But not deep in your pipes where debris gets clogged.
Basically, all or most of the reaction takes place right where the baking soda and vinegar meet. And even if the reaction does get down to rubbish, this experiment shows that it is not going to do.
What to use instead
If you’d rather avoid Drano, try boiled water with a little dish soap (oily deposits can form in kitchen sinks … or bathroom sinks for people who use oil to cleanse their face) or boiling water and salt. This post from Apartment Therapy has more on why these methods work and how to avoid blockages altogether.
If you’re dealing with a blockage in the tub, it probably means hair, and baking soda and vinegar won’t help with squats either. If you are not squeamish, it is best to fill the drain . And if you are squeamish, find someone who will do it for you.
This story was originally published on 10/21/17 and updated on 6/06/19.