10 Eco-friendly Tips for Homeowners Cleaning Blocked Drains

We have talked about a lot of eco-friendly home improvement tips in the past. However, we wanted to focus on a specific topic that comes up frequently – finding environmentally friendly ways to deal with blocked drains.

10 Eco-Friendly Tips for Dealing with Blocked Drains

Every year, around 15% of people have blocked drains. Eco-friendly homeowners need to find ways to deal with them without harming the planet.

Blocked drains are a pain, but they happen quite frequently. They also have several causes, so you will have to pinpoint what’s wrong before you find the ideal solution. To help you figure it out, here are ten eco-friendly tips to help you clear blocked drains once and for all.

1. Try baking soda and vinegar first. While chemical clog clearers are out there for when they’re necessary, baking soda and vinegar might be a simpler and more effective solution. Also, vinegar and baking soda are natural cleaning products that are not going to have nearly as bad of an impact on the environment. We talked about the hidden environmental risks of traditional cleaning chemicals in the past, which will help you appreciate the benefits of using natural cleaning agents.
2. Get a small drain snake. This can help you get out hair and other clogs without having to call a plumber. A plumber will have to drive to your house, which is going to leave a larger carbon footprint. You will be able to buy a drain snake when doing other errands, which means you won’t leave as much of a carbon footprint. Of course, it is also cheaper as well as better for the planet!
3. Get drain protectors so that hair, foods, and other objects don’t go down the drain. These preventive measures will keep you from needing harsh cleaning chemicals that will harm the planet.
4. Don’t flush anything but toilet paper (and the obvious, of course). Clogs can happen from feminine hygiene products, dental floss, toilet paper balls or clumps that are too large, and more. These products can cause the pipes to rupture and ruin your house, as well as leech unsanitary cleaning agents into the environment.
5. Flush the drains with hot water. It may create standing water in the sink or toilet for a bit, but it might be just what you need to clear food or get a little clog to start moving along. Hot water is one of the eco-friendliest cleaning products available! It is also one of the cheapest.
6. Once you get the blockage out, use a baking soda mixture to clean the pipes and ensure that there aren’t future clogs. This is another very eco-friendly approach to preventing clogged drains in the first place.
7. Try Alka-Seltzer. Put two or three tablets down the drain, turn on the hot water, and then wait about 15 minutes and flush the drain. This should free the clog. If not, wait another 15 or 20 minutes and then flush more hot water down the drain.
8. Don’t plunge sinks or tub drains. Plungers are made for toilets. They can cause serious issues with pipes and clogs if you attempt to use them on sinks or other fixtures.
9. If you don’t have a snake, try a wire hanger that you bend at the end to grab the clog out of the drain. This spares you from needing to use environmentally harmful chemicals.
10. Call a blocked drains specialist if the blockage is too severe and you can’t get it loose on your own. You don’t want to cause any real damage.

There are a lot of environmental hazards associated with poorly maintained pipes. If your pipes are blocked, you want to find an eco-friendly and affordable way to fix them. If you keep these tips in mind, it should be much easier for you to deal with blocked drains anywhere in your home without using harsh cleaning agents that are toxic for the environment.

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