alternative to Drano?

Anonymous
I have a clogged sink and dont want to use Drano b/c it's not eco-friendly. Are there any alternatives?
Anonymous
Baking soda and vinegar.
Anonymous
Get a snake from the hardware store. That chemical crap doesn't work and it ruins your pipes. I'm all for eco-friendly but IME baking soda and vinegar don't work.
Anonymous
Agree with snake.
Anonymous
Whole Foods carries an Earthworm Brand drain cleaner. It worked on a slow draining sink.
Anonymous
OP, dump some baking soda in the drain. Let it sit for a bit. Boil some hot water and pour down drain. Repeat a few times. I do this periodically with my kids' shower.
Anonymous
Not OP but Im interested in hearing too- I just had this conversation with my coworker bc our shower gets super clogged all the time. I'll try the baking soda trick.

Our shower has a drain cover that pops up but I don't know how I would remove it to get a snake in...
Anonymous
16:30, try the baking soda and hot water first.
Anonymous
I do baking soda and salt. Followed by vinegar. Followed by boiling water.
Anonymous
I had success clearing my clogged bathtub drain with my bathroom plunger. My mom told me to try it before I went out and bought some Drano. Now, I just plunge my clogged sinks.
Anonymous
Baking soda, followed by vinegar, boiling water and plunging absolutely does work. Maybe if your pipes are 60 plus years old galvanized steel though you just need to replace them.
Anonymous
Bleach works better than Drano. Not eco "friendly," but better than Drano.
Anonymous
If you have old pipes, you actually have to be careful of using a snake, as you can poke a hole through them.

Regular rinsing with baking soda and vinegar can help, but yes, the secret is using boiling water and flushing well.

But when it is bad, we do use Drano. I resisted at first, but our tubs became a mess, we called a plumber, and they told us to use Drano (aka - we have old pipes and snaking it could poke a hole).
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Not OP but Im interested in hearing too- I just had this conversation with my coworker bc our shower gets super clogged all the time. I'll try the baking soda trick.

Our shower has a drain cover that pops up but I don't know how I would remove it to get a snake in...


Your problem could be easy to fix. With those types of drains, sometimes hair and gunk can get caught up right under them. Most either need to be unscrewed (does it have a small round thing that looks like it could turn? ) or sort of popped off a hook (if it is similar to a sink). If you can't get it out, try something small like a wire hanger and poke around just a few inches. You may have a wad of gunk trapped in there. I warn you, it will be gross. Just pull it all out.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Bleach works better than Drano. Not eco "friendly," but better than Drano.


+1. There was a thread awhile back from a plumber's wife. She also suggested bleach over Drano.
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