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Read moreSo, you have a blocked drain but arenât sure if you need to fork out for a drainage engineer to come and repair the situation. You know you donât have a drain unblocker in your cupboards, but you do have bleach. Will it work? Bleach is fantastic at destroying bacteria, cleaning, and sanitising; but can you use it to unblock a drain? Below, this article answers one of the most common household questions in the drainage industry.
Does Bleach Unblock Drains?
Firstly, though bleach is a typical product most houses have in their kitchen cleaning cupboards or stored away somewhere safe, it is not an effective method of clearing blocked drains.
All drains, kitchen, shower, and bathroom will require some form of maintenance in order to keep things moving smoothly, and to prevent any unwanted blockages from forming. It is an unfortunate fact that drains donât clean themselves, and this maintenance in the form of preventative measures can help you avoid clogs and blockages from occurring.
Even if youâre extra careful about not putting the wrong things down your drains, like grease or non-degradable items, it is still a matter of âwhenâ a drain blockage will occur; even if it is prevented by a substantial amount of time. So, what can you do when you end up suffering from a blocked drain? There are multiple remedies that can unblock drains, such as:
- Using a plunger
- A Zip-It tool
- Drain Cleaner
- Environmentally-friendly solutions
- Contacting a drainage expert
Does Bleach Unblock Shower Drains?
Though bleach is a great tool for killing bacteria, bringing about whiter whites in your clothes, and sanitising surfaces, using bleach to unclog a shower drain or unclog a bathtub drain is not one of the uses of bleach.
However, you can use â to ž of a cup of thick bleach to clean and deodorise your kitchen and bathroom sinks, following this by a good flush of hot water, a blockage or a clock will not clear from this. Eating through soap, scum, and hair causing a clog within your pipes is not one of the capabilities of thick bleach.
If youâd prefer to avoid all of the hassle of resolving blocked and clogged drains yourself, why not contact the professionals? Coastal Drains can be with you the same day to quickly resolve all blockages on your property with high-pressure drain jetting services.
Attempting to unblock a sink, shower, or bathtub drain with bleach can also prove to be highly dangerous, as bleach can cause chemical reactions which create deadly fumes when mixed with other chemicals, such as ammonia, which could be leftover from previous cleaning solutions within your pipes.
So, does bleach unblock drains? The direct answer is: no. So what can you do to unblock a drain?
Water and Vinegar
Vinegar is one of the safest and more eco-friendly choices to unclog a drain, and when combined with baking soda; it can work to cause smaller blockages to budge.
If you are suffering from a blocked drain or sink, simply pour a kettle full of boiling water down the drain to see if the blockage dislodges itself naturally. If not, using rubber gloves try placing ½ cup of baking soda into the drain followed by 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of warm water and waiting 15 minutes. Do you remember doing a volcano experiment at school? This same reaction will occur within your drain, and the bubbling action will help clean the entire pipe and clear your clogged shower drain.
This eco-friendly method is best used against sink blockages caused by toothpaste and soap scum residue, however, these chemical reactions may not be effective enough against tough blockages caused by hair and other substances.
Use a Sink Plunger
Similarly to toilet blockages, using the right plunger can just as effectively move a clog in a bathroom or kitchen sink or shower.
To plunge a clogged sink, first put on your rubber gloves and remove the stopper from the drain and block any overflow openings with a cloth or paper towel. This will help create a tighter suction and prevent anything from spraying everywhere. Then, to create an even tighter seal spread some petroleum jelly around the lip of the plunger. Run a small amount of water down the drain opening and plunge the drain opening three or four times – repeating until the clog is removed.
Call in the Professionals
If youâre experienced with DIY, you can try cleaning the drain trap and snaking the drain if youâre willing to put in the extra effort, however, these methods require you to remove the p-trap, and subsequently properly reseal and re-install the p-trap to prevent any leaks from occurring.
If you find that you canât remove the clog with a plunger, we highly recommend leaving this job to the professionals here at Coastal Drains.
Rather than risking the creation of a leak or causing other problems, our experts can effectively deal with all manner of blockages and clogs with a wide range of methods such as drain jetting services, which involves the use of high-pressure water jets effectively and efficiently destroying any blockages within the drains and forcing it down the pipe in smaller pieces.
Contact Coastal Drains Today
Would you rather get a professional to unblock your drains? We know that a stubborn blockage can cause a lot of aggravation and inconvenience in your daily life, and remedying this yourself can require a lot of elbow grease. So why not get in touch with Coastal Drains to fix the problem for you?
