| How to Clean Drains Feb 7th 2013, 03:00 A stubborn stain, odor or even a clog can quickly turn any sink into a nuisance. Clean drains regularly to prevent odors. If you find water no longer drains properly, you can use a quick do-it-yourself fix to have your sink working properly in no time. Get Rid of Stains and Odors - Pour 1 cup of white vinegar down the drain. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse your sink with hot water to remove the stain.
- Boil 3 cups of water to remove drain odors and partial blockage. Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain first and follow it with the boiling water. If it still drains slowly, repeat until any odor and clog is gone.
- Squeeze a few lemons over the drain and let the juice sit without running water for at least 1 hour. If you don't have fresh lemons, a 1/2 cup of lemon juice concentrate will work.
- Fill a white porcelain sink with bleach directly from the bottle. Allow the bleach to sit in the sink for 10 minutes before draining and rinsing it to get your sink white again. Use a bleach pen for stubborn small stains.
Clean a Clog - Use a plunger. Fill the sink with enough water to cover the drain and bottom. Press the plunger firmly down over the drain to create a tight seal and give it several quick plunges.
- Blast a stubborn clog out of a drain using a wet/dry shop vacuum. Most shop vacs have an output blower mode that should be powerful enough to clean the drain clog.
- Hold the end of the vacuum tube firmly over the drain and create a seal around the tube using a towel. Make sure any other drain openings are closed or tightly plugged.
- Turn the shop vac to blower mode. Quickly turn the power on and off repeatedly until you dislodge the clog from the drain. Leaving the blower to run continuously for a long period of time can damage your pipes.
- Wrap a heating pad around the trap pipe under the sink if you know your drain is clogged with grease from cooking. Turn the heating pad on to warm up the pipe, then run hot water through the drain until the grease clears.
- Buy an inexpensive cable auger, or plumber's snake. You may also be able to rent one from a hardware store. While the cables coiled on a spool come in many lengths, a 25-foot (7.5 m) cable should be plenty for most household needs.
- Remove the sink trap under the sink using a pipe wrench. Have a bucket close by to catch any water that drains from the pipe after you remove it.
- Slowly push the auger cable or snake into the pipe opening until you feel resistance.
- Crank the handle on the auger while pushing the coil firmly into the pipe. The auger will slowly drive deeper into the pipe and through the obstruction.
- Continue the process until the clog is cleared and you are able to push the coil through the pipe with no resistance.
Edit Warnings - Too much pressure from a plunger or the shop vac can damage your drain or pipes. If you've tried repeatedly to clear an obstruction with no results, call a plumber who can remove the clog without damaging the pipes.
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