Urban Homesteader

A few months ago I wrote an article about natural ways to unclog drains for Natural Home magazine. I didn’t happen to have a clogged drain at the time, but I could hardly wait for a sink to back up so I could try the weird, enzyme-eating drain cleaner I’d researched!

Voila! On New Year’s Day 2007, the universe cooperated by providing me with — not a totally clogged drain — but a nicely sluggish one in the bathroom. I first took my own advice and removed the pop-up sink stopper to make sure there wasn’t something disgusting (a hairball?) stuck in there. But no such luck — just your average bit of grime – so I dutifully cleaned the stopper and latched it back.

Boy oh boy, it was time to try the freaky-sounding sludge-eating-bacteria drain cleaner! I’d bought a 2-pound container of Earth Friendly Products’ Natural Earth Enzymes Drain Opener for just such a momentous occasion. The directions called for two cups of the powder to be dissolved in two quarts of warm water, then poured down the drain and left to, presumably, nibble away on the nasty scum for 24 hours. 

I could hardly wait to try the drain after the waiting period! After the mixture went down the drain it left a strange and unattractive residue in the sink, and since I was following the instructions exactly I left it alone. Needless to say, I was anxious to be rid of this:

I excitedly ran the warm water into the sink and…

Nothing. 

It was still sluggish. Exactly as languorous as before. Not even a tiny bit less snail-like. (Talk about a disappointing way to ring in a new year!!)  

But an Urban Homesteader doesn’t give up, no sirree. If anything, a failure makes an Urban Homesteader’s resolve stronger than ever! So tomorrow we will attempt another all-natural solution. Stay tuned for the exciting outcome of the Sluggish Bathroom Sink of 2007!