Imagine this scenario: you come home after a long day of work. You start chopping vegetables and cooking your dinner. You go to dump the cooking byproducts down the drain and… your kitchen sink is backed up.
So, you reach for that bottle of store-bought liquid drain cleaner you keep under the sink, clear the clog, and call it a night. But what if we told you this is exactly what you shouldn’t do? Chemical drain cleaners of this nature are not the answer—in fact, they can actually do more harm than good. Read on as we uncover the problems with store-bought drain cleaners and the power of professional drain cleaning.
Why Store-Bought Drain Cleaners Aren’t the Right Answer
We understand why you’d think that drain cleaning chemicals would be the simplest way to unclog your backed-up drains. Most of the time, though, they don’t truly work. This is because the chemicals in these liquid drain cleaners might be formulated to dissolve some clogs, like hair, but not other common clogs. These other blockages can include mineral buildup from hard water, grease, soap scum, and food particles.
At the end of the day, all these store-bought solutions might do is push the clog further down the pipe without actually resolving anything. But this isn’t the only reason you should avoid these “solutions.” Chemical, store-bought drain cleaners are caustic and highly toxic. This means not only can they be harmful to you and your family’s health, but also harmful to your plumbing pipes. They slowly and surely eat away at the lining of your pipes until you find yourself dealing with leaks or corrosion.
So, How Should You Clean Your Drains Out?
In many cases, you can clean out your own drains without the use of chemical drain cleaners. This is especially true if it’s a superficial clog we’re talking about, near the surface of your drain. If you have a plunger, then this can be the go-to solution, especially if it is your kitchen sink that is blocked up or your toilet. A plunger helps you create suction, and this enables the blockage to loosen up and make its way down the drain. You’ll just need a little bit of “elbow grease” to help it along!
What if, however, it’s not necessarily that your drains are clogged up but they smell bad? There’s a DIY solution for that as well! All you’ll need is a little bit of vinegar and baking soda. First, add ½ cup of baking soda to the drain, then follow that up with a cup of vinegar. Let it since for 5-10 minutes, then wash it all down with hot water.
The Professional Solution
Our plumbers have professional tools we can access to truly relieve drain clogs. These tools include motorized drain augers and hydro-jet systems, which are powerful and used to scour the inside of the pipes. First, we start with a video pipe inspection to ensure that we know where the clog is located. This also helps us spot other problems, like leaks, etc.
If you have a clog or any plumbing problem you can’t solve on your own, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Contact DeHart Plumbing, heating, and Air Inc. today for professional drain cleaning service in Modesto, CA.