Keeping your drains clean

I love the house we are renting right now. Though being built in 1911 there are some things I wish I could change. Like the fact that there is no insulation and it was 48 degrees this winter inside or the very small old pipes that are in parts of the house.

There is nothing worse than showering in a shower with a slow drain - water destined for the drain held up around your ankles. It is terribly frustrating to me. I had this happen lately and knew I needed to fix the situation but forgot every day until I got back in the shower. I finally made myself a note and remembered to take care of it. 

My new year's resolution was to finish removing all the products in our home that are made by people who test on animals. This has been a big undertaking over the past couple of years. One of the things I started with was removing products with dangerous ingredients. This meant a lot of baking soda, lemon and vinegar in our house which I think is awesome.

When talking about drains most people would reach for their handy dandy Drano. For slow drains that need a good clean out I have a natural remedy.

You will need - 

1 cup baking soda

1 liter of white vinegar

1 kettle or stock pot of water just off boil

Take the plug out of the drain if needed and spoon into the drain the baking soda. Slowly trickle the vinegar down a little at a time. The combination will bubble and foam then slide into the drain. Finish pouring the vinegar down and let soak for 20 minutes. 

To finish it off, pour the hot water slowly down the drain. This should rinse down the baking soda vinegar mix and any residue they loosened. 

If the problem continues or your drain is clogged and not just slow you may want to call a plumber. I like to do this on a quarterly basis in my most used drains. This keeps them moving and fresh smelling.