Granny’s Formula Rocks!

In my last post I wrote about trying to unclog a drain with a natural, enzyme-based drain cleaner. Unfortunately, although the formula was all-natural and one could feel wonderfully guilt-free using it, it didn’t have any effect on the slow sink.

The following day I tried a new tactic on the stubborn drain, one that you often see in old housekeeping books and “Hints from Heloise.” I poured 1/4 cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 1/2 cup of plain white vinegar. The mixture foamed up spectacularly for a couple of seconds and then settled down, at which point I covered the drain with a small saucepan lid. After a few minutes I removed the lid and poured a gallon of boiling water down the drain. Within the next 90 seconds there were some wonderful gurgling noises followed by a “whoosh” and the drain was clear.

This method was natural and inexpensive, and it had the added thrill of feeling like a high school science experiment!

Liquid Plumber Be Damned!

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!