Drain Cleaning Made Safe & Sustainable

Plumbing Services of Berkeley

In this day and age, it’s imperative to be environmentally conscious and aware. While widespread recycling strategies have been implemented throughout the country, there are a number of far smaller practices which will certainly help to preserve the delicate local eco-system.

For instance, have you ever thought about the awful chemicals that are dumped down the drain each time you attempt to unclog or clean the pipes in your bathroom? Traditional caustic drain cleaners contain a potent cocktail of harmful chemicals which pose a real threat to the environment. If you find yourself constantly reaching for that bottle of lye-based solution, it might be to reconsider your drain cleaning and maintenance techniques. Take a look at the following sections, and learn about a few eco-friendly methods to clear up your pipes and drains.

Use a Bit of Elbow Grease

If a plunger works to unclog your toilet, why wouldn’t it work to unclog a drain? At your local hardware store, there are many different shapes and sizes of plunger. You would purchase a smaller one for your drains. Sometimes using a plunger will allow you to dislodge the blockage without any chemicals – and a plunger lasts a long time.

Kitchen Sink Chemistry

Even if you were a poor science student back in high school, this tried and true method shouldn’t present too many problems. All you have to do is dump a handful of baking soda mixed with a half cup of vinegar down the clogged drain. After administering this concoction, quickly pour some boiling water down the tubes as well. If the water still hasn’t backed up in the sink, pour another cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by 3 more cups of boiling water. The hot water will actually alter the chemical composition of the baking soda, rendering the mixture more alkaline. Repeat this process as many times as it takes to reach the desired effect.

Buy the Right Products for Your Drain

There are currently a number of enzymatic biological drain cleaners that are readily available to purchase. For the layman, the phrase enzymatic biological basically signifies the fact that the product won’t have a negative effect on the environment. Search store shelves for items like Earth Friendly Products’ Enzyme Drain Cleaner or Bi-O-Kleen’s BacOut, and you won’t have to worry about killing the planet. Each of these brands incorporates natural bacterial and enzyme mixtures into their cleaners; these solutions do a great job of keeping pipes clear of residue and debris.

Lastly, proper drain maintenance begins with paying attention to what goes in your drains. Take a few days and observe what you let go down the drain. For a kitchen sink, do you let a lot of food filter down? For showers and baths, is there a lot of hair and gunk? Some of these can be fixed with a simple guard on the grain – one that allows you to filter out the larger causes of blockage before it reaches the drain. This way, you won’t have to clean your drains out that often. We also recommend monthly maintenance – using the baking soda and vinegar method – to prevent large blockages before they occur. Prevention can be an excellent way to guard against clogged drains and help you and your plumber achieve the best results with your plumbing system.