Unclog Your Sink, the Easy and Green Way

So, hubby and I have a chronic problem with our bathroom sink. Every few months the drain gets so sluggish that we have to take action.

I'm not entirely sure who or what to blame, but I imagine there is toothpaste and shaving cream residue mingling with the main culprit: hair.

I'm thrilled that there is a simple and inexpensive remedy to this. First, I unscrew the decorative part of the drain stopper, just so I can get a better look at what's happening. You may or may not be able to do this, depending on your sink. I use anything I can find that is long and skinny to fish out chunks. Sorry for the word picture, but I am sparing you and showing this on a clean sink! This last time, I just used q-tips to clean the opening. Hubby has a long wire that he sometimes uses (like a miniature pipe snake).

Once the visible buildup is cleared, I pour a small "mountain" of baking soda over the drain hole, maybe an inch high. Then, with exciting science class volcano action, I pour vinegar on top and watch the bubbles go to work. It sometimes takes four or five healthy pours of vinegar to fully rinse the baking soda down the drain. Once the foaming has stopped, follow with a full kettle of boiling water. By now, your sink should be draining rapidly.

A happy sink!

I love that this trick does virtually nothing to the water supply (the acid of the vinegar and the base of the baking soda cancel each other out) and is so stinking cheap! Neither can be said of the commercially available drain clearing products.