DIY: Drano

First of all, Drano is harsh stuff.  I am very sensitive to strong chemical odors. Many chemicals cause me to have trouble breathing. Not fun at all. Drano is one of them. I also don’t like those harsh chemicals eventually going back into the ground. They are some seriously crazy toxins. However, sometimes you just have to use it. Or do you?

We were having problems with a pipe in the basement. Of course it was the pipe the utility sink drains into, and of course, the washer drains into the utility sink. Talk about a mess!!!

We had a little Drano left from several years ago and tried it. It didn’t work. We figured we just didn’t have enough and 3 days later (yeah, no laundry being done!!!) my husband finally got another bottle of Drano. He dumped half in the over flow pipe and half down the drain. IT STILL DIDN’T WORK. AT ALL!! We tried periodically for the next day, hoping it just needed some time. Nope. Nothing.

He was going to get more Drano but I didn’t feel like spending more money on something I didn’t like, didn’t like me AND costs money. That junk isn’t cheap.

I started searching online and found a recipe I wanted to try. All it took was products I already have.

Supplies:

Mix the dry ingredients together really well.
Pour 1/4 cup mix down clogged drain.
Pour 2 cups boiling water down drain.
Leave sit 1 hour.
Flush through with fresh water.
You have (hopefully) a cleared drain.

We used 1/2 cup down the drain and 1/2 cup down the overflow pipe since we knew the clog was a distance down the pipe. We then poured 4 cups boiling water down the drain and the pipe.

It didn’t completely clear out immediately but the water was going down MUCH quicker and not coming out the overflow pipe. We used the plunger (you can also get small drain plungers) on the drain. The force flushed whatever remnants of the clog were left and cleared the pipe right away.

Forget Drano. Now I have a product that is: right in my kitchen cabinets and doesn’t take extra space, safe for the kids, safe for me, and costs so much less.

I think I am going to pour some down every drain just to make sure they are all clear. After all, the product is safe so I don’t have to worry about passing out from the odors or overloading the septic with unnecessary toxins.