Sunday, July 21, 2013

Clearning Pipes (Don't Critique My Extremely Old Bathroom)


In our home, we try to use natural items to clean our home whenever possible.  Naturally, every home has a bathroom sink and tub, when a person showers, they lose hair, when men shave, their hair drops in the sink, when people brush, comb, and dry their hair, it generally ends up in the sink.  You can clean up the hair but there’s always a piece or two (or 3, 4, etc…) that ends up going down the drain.  Over time, the drain doesn’t drain as well as expected; that’s when you know it’s time to physically clean out the pipes of your bathroom sink and tub. 

Bulldog man removed the stopper on the sink and the drain guard on the tub to clean out the pipes. 

First off, he places a wire or screwdriver down to pullout any hair or scum, which makes it easily accessible by using his forceps.

 Second he pours baking soda (1 to 2 cups) down into the pipes, and then pours apple cider vinegar (1 gallon), we used this because it was the only vinegar I have stashed in the house right now. You can use any type of vinegar stored at your home. 

Stir the baking soda and vinegar concoction with hands, spoon, or screwdriver (whatever you have on hand) until it all goes down your drain pipes. 

Next, boil a tea pot of water, pour it down your pipes, and there you have it; your pipes should be cleaned out and the water will drain properly.

Continue this process another time if your pipes are really blocked. 

If this process doesn’t help you, then you really have a problem and need to contact a plumber.









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25 comments

  1. It works, and won't eat the skin off your hands if you get in it. Good advice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rev Paul,

      Yes it works well and your hands are protected.
      Another good one is mix 1 cup baking soda, 2 cups vinegar, 1/4 cup dawn and place all over your oven, leave sit for 1 hour. Go in and wipe out, then rinse off. The oven comes out really clean. Now if you have all kinds of baked stuff on the oven, repeat process a couple of times. My oven is really old from back in the 60's and it comes out like it's brand new.

      Delete
  2. I do the same thing but apple cider vinegar would make me want fish and chips like my English Grandpa used to use:) B

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bah just use muratic acid and flush really well :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PP,

      Hubby and I didn't even think about that. If it gets clogged up badly we will use it. Thanks!

      Delete
  4. I totally agree. This works every time. Although husband, keeps bringing home Clorox Kleenup to do the job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DFW,

      Clorox Kleenup will work but it's a bit strong and when cleaning in a small space you don't want to be breathing that stuff.

      Delete
  5. Thanks for the tip, especially a natural one that won't hurt the 2 kiddos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. K,

      You're welcome!!! I love finding natural items that help and don't hurt the kids or the animals.

      Delete
  6. Yup, that's how I clean all my drains. My son likes doing it now because he likes the chemical reaction. Saves me time from doing it. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heather,

      It's good to get the kids involved with the house work :-) it sure makes work easier for Mom!

      Delete
  7. Just what we do! I generally wait about 15 minutes to put the boiling water down and it flushes right through

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's great. Do you know we tried that once but we only poured a few TBSP down the drain and a cup or so of vinegar. I was actually afraid to use too much, ha. Thank you so much for the clarity. I'm thinking we could do this just to sort of be preventative, or perhaps clean out a blockage that might be coming? Can't hurt, right?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1st Man,

      That is true, preventative maintenance can't hurt.

      Delete
  9. I'm gonna have to try this! Thanks Sandy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I gag when I pull out the hair, and it is all mine. However, a friend is going to do it for me. I will hold a bag where he can drop it, gagging all the way. Then, the vinegar and baking soda. I do have a jug of the strong stuff, but I have not used it in years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda,

      I know what you mean about gagging, lol.....

      Vinegar never really spoils, so old bottles should be just fine.

      Delete
  11. I'm going to try this on a bathroom sink.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mrs. Mac,

      It worked for us! If it doesn't work the first time, try it again. Sometimes it takes more than one try.

      Delete
  12. You can get a plastic plumbers snake with spurs on it for a couple of bucks. It's a long, thin length of flat plastic. You stick it down the drain, pull it out, and the spurs bring up the hair. That usually gets it unplugged. I'll give your process a shot next time I have a stopped up drain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harry,

      We have one of them and it really doesn't does us any good when our pipe goes down 1 inch and then does a dramatic turn.

      My husband pulled the hair out that was just inside the stopper and then went ahead and used the baking soda, vinegar, and water.

      Delete

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