When your bathroom is a mess due to a clogged drain, and the water is backing up with unpleasant odors circulating in the air, it’s time to call an emergency plumber. Do you remember what your plumber said about commercial drain cleaners? Drain cleaners on the market today have toxic ingredients that could damage your pipes as well as your lungs.
Residential plumbers have been encouraging homeowners to read the list of ingredients on the bottle of drain cleaner. The most common ingredients of most drain cleaners are highly corrosive sulfuric acid and lye. Although most labels state that these ingredients are non-corrosive, they are highly toxic chemicals. Toxic substances enter the body through your nose, causing symptoms such as swelling in the throat and an increase in blood pressure.
Natural drain cleaning solutions are very effective in reducing exposure to harmful substances and harsh chemical odors. In fact, here a few solutions that will help in cleaning your drain naturally:
- A great natural drain cleaning solution is the use of enzyme drain cleaners. This drain cleaning method makes use of enzymes to eradicate oil, grease and other residues from your pipes safely and effectively.
- You can also make a natural drain cleaner from some ingredients found in your kitchen cabinet: simply pour one-half cup of baking soda and one-half cup of vinegar down the drain. This is an inexpensive natural solution to prevent clogged drains. These two ingredients combine easily dissolve clumps of hair, solid food and other debris obstructing the drain.
- Another natural solution is to add 1/4 cup salt to 2 liters of water and heat, but do not boil. Next, pour the heated solution down the drain and let it remain for the next 3 to 6 hours. This is not recommended for PVC pipes.
- Keep in mind that residential plumbers advise that commercial cleaners should NEVER be combined with any other cleaners, natural or otherwise.
Residential plumbers maintain that drain clogs do not happen overnight; they take time to build up. Be wary of caustic cleaners because they not only create chemicals and toxins in your water supply but will put a dent in your budget. Natural drain cleaners are environmentally friendly and can easily be made from items found in your pantry.
If any of the above natural drain cleaning methods fails, then it’s time to call a plumbing repair professional. No matter what your location, you can always call on a New Orleans emergency plumber to provide safe, natural drain cleaning solutions.