Drainage: Cleaning your drains the safer way
Conventional drain cleaners contain sodium hydroxide as their active ingredient which is otherwise known as caustic soda or lye.
It's a manmade chemical and can cause irritation and chemical burns and also facilitates combustion, so if you'd prefer to clean your drains without the necessary protection needed when using sodium hydroxide products, here are a few ways you can do so:
- Use a plunger or a mechanical drain snake - with a little elbow grease, this method can actually produce better results than chemical cleaners. If the drain's clogged up badly, be careful not to force the drain snake too much as it could damage your plumbing.
- A home remedy that has a proven track record is pouring a mixture of baking soda and vinegar down the drain, followed quickly by some boiling water.
- There are also some biological cleaners with active enzymes on the market which you can use to shift that blockage. These are natural cleaners made from non-caustic biological catalysts which break down materials over a relatively short period of time. They are also completely harmless, unless of course you're part of a blockage in a drain!
- Prevention is ultimately always better than the cure. In order to avoid blockages and keep your pipe-work healthy, regular maintenance is the key so flush your drain weekly with boiling water and add a plug-hole filter that will keep all the rubbish and clogging elements out of the pipeline.
