Plumbing with Baking Soda

Over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that the drain in my bathroom has been draining very slowly. It was not totally clogged, so I have to assume that it is some sort of toothpaste build up. I had this happen about a year ago and I tried some holistic measures, so I ended up pouring a giant bottle of Drain-O down that sucker. This time I was able to get in there before a big blockage, so I wanted to do it a more natural and safe way- with Baking Soda!

My friend Sarah let me in on this secret. This stuff is a miracle. It can make me cookies and clean my drain.

So if you have a drain that looks like this when you run water, but will still drain:

Then here is what you need to do.

1. Boil at least 3 cups of water and measure out one cup of baking soda

Pour as much of the baking soda down the drain as you can. If you can take out the drain catcher thing, this will be much easier. Mine doesn't seem to ever want to come out.

Then, take your boiling water and pour it over the baking soda until it stops going down.

Wait for the water to work all the way down. You can enjoy watching zee bubbles while this is going on.

Once all is drained, you can try running the water again to see if it is flowing. Mine actually worked perfectly after one attempt and I only used about a quarter cup of baking soda!

If yours doesn't drain well at this point, just keep repeating pouring your baking soda and hot water down. If you want a bit more fire power, use a cup vinegar instead of hot water. It will be a volcano in your sink!

Baking soda is an amazing product. You can use it to brush your teeth, as an exfoliant, relieve heartburn, cut grease on dishes, clean, deodorize your fridge, and put out fires! For a full list of things your can do with baking soda, go here:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/51-fantastic-uses-for-baking-soda.html

This is a great way to help the environment and it is something you will almost always have on hand. It won't do the job on a tough blockage, but for small things like this slow drain, it is a great alternative!

What do you use baking soda for?