5 effective ways for removing gunk from your sinks and keeping your pipes clean
Nobody likes it when unpleasant gunk and residue clogs up your kitchen and bathrooms sinks. Between food, hair, and leftover soap residue, it's difficult to keep our pipes completely gunk-free. Overtime, they create all kinds of issues, including producing foul smells and stopping up our drains. Of course, there are already a plethora of store-brought products that guarantee to get rid of these issues, but those products are full of chemicals and are terrible for the environment. Below, we have provided a few natural remedies for taking care of gunk buildup with ingredients that you can find in your own home. They are friendlier for the environment, and also for your pocketbook.
Salt, vinegar, and baking soda
If your gunk buildup is particular bad, try using this "recipe" to solve the issue:
- 60 gr of baking soda
- 40 gr of salt
- 230 ml of vinegar
Mix the salt and baking soda together and pour them into the drain; heat the vinegar with a stove burner over low heat. Once brought to a boil, pour the vinegar down the drain. Cover the drain immediately with a pan lid (or something similar) to keep the foam from pouring out all over the sink. Leave the mixture to work its magic for at least 20 minutes. Then, run hot water through the drain. You should notice that it's easier for the water to pass through than before.
Water and salt
When your sink isn't clogged too badly, try using hot water and salt. Put 60 grams of salt in a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Then, pour the mixture directly into the drain. It's possible that you might have to repeat this method a couple more times before the clog comes completely loose.
Baking soda and vinegar
Bring a pot of water to a boil and pour it into the clogged drain. Then, add 60 to 120 grams of baking soda and leave it to react for a couple minutes. Next, mix together water and vinegar in equal parts and pour the mixture into the drain. Make sure you cover the drain with some kind of covering to keep the foam from going everywhere. Leave it for a few minutes and then rinse the sink/drain out with some hot water.
Caustic soda
If you have some caustic soda lying around the house, you can try using it to unclog your peskiest drains. To try this method out, you'll need a large bucket. Fill the bucket with 3 liters of water and add 750 ml of caustic soda (make sure you use gloves when handling this product and do not leave it in reach of children). After a couple minutes, pour the bucket of water and caustic soda directly into the drain and wait 20 minutes. Finally, rinse the sink out with some hot water.
Use a hanger to unclog your drain
Many people probably know this trick already. Sometimes, to remove gunk buildup in your drains, a clotheshanger will do the trick. Take a clotheshanger and unbend it so it's just a metal wire. Take one side of the wire and insert it into the drain. With a little bit of effort, you should be able to remove the gunk by hand.
Did you already know about these remedies? Let us know which ones you like to use and which ones work the best!
