How To Naturally Unblock A Drain With Soda Crystals

Discover how to naturally unblock a drain with my handy, tried-and-tested, sustainable guide, which uses soda crystals to free up those blockages.

There are few things worse than when your kitchen or bathroom sink starts draining slowly. Or worse, is just a pool of standing water. The next time that happens, rather than reaching for the bottle of chemically dubious drain unblocker, try unblocking it with soda crystals instead.

I’ve been using these techniques for years and years after my mum taught me this method when I first left home and had to deal with a blocked sink. And now, to keep that knowledge going, I’m going to teach you too! Sharing is caring after all!

Here’s all you need to know to keep things flowing freely:

Why You Shouldn’t Use Bicarbonate of Soda & Vinegar To Unclog Your Drain

It seems logical that using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to unblock your drain naturally would be effective. All that fizzing and bubbling when you combine bicarbonate of soda and vinegar has to dislodge whatever is blocking your sink. Right?

Wrong! Cast your mind back to secondary school science lessons, when you learned about bases and acids. If you can remember that far back (it’s been a long time since I was in a school science lesson too!), then you might recall that when you combine a base and an acid, the acid is neutralised.

In the case of bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, bicarbonate of soda is a base while vinegar is an acid. Their chemical reaction produces water with a tiny bit of salt in it. Unblocking a drain with salty water is rarely effective. This is because salty water doesn’t destroy fats that may be blocking your drain.

You need something that will break down the fat, and tackle the oil and grease that is lodged in your drain.

Why You Should Use Soda Crystals To Naturally Unblock Your Drain

Instead, I would recommend using soda crystals to help unblock your drain naturally. I use soda crystals all around my home for a variety of natural cleaning purposes.

Soda crystals are a naturally occurring mineral salt that is soluble in water. Soda crystals are naturally bleach-free. What’s more, they do not contain any enzymes or phosphates, palm oil, or anything else, other than soda crystals, so it is kinder to the environment than conventional drain cleaners.

What makes soda crystals a great choice for this job is that soda crystals have detergent properties, which help tackle dirt and grease. It’s these grease-fighting properties that make it great at dealing with fat-clogged drains.

How To Unblock A Slow-Clearing Drain Using Soda Crystals

For sinks that are blocked by fats – for example, kitchen sinks that have been clogged by cooking fats, or bathroom sinks that have been clogged by soaps or oils – then soda crystals are a great option to naturally unblock your drain.

Here’s how to get that water flowing freely again:

1. First of all, boil a full kettle of water.
2. Once boiled, carefully and slowly pour the kettle of water down your drain. This will help dissolve any fat blockages.
3. Once the boiling water has finally drained away, pour a large cup of soda crystals down your drain.
4. Leave the soda crystals to sit for 5 to 10 minutes in your drain to help break up fat and grease deposits.
5. Next, boil another kettle full of water.
6. Once boiled, carefully and slowly pour the kettle of water down the drain to wash the soda crystals, and broken down fat and grease away. Take care, as you may get splashes of boiling water as the soda crystals get to work on the blockages.
7. Repeat steps 1 to 6 until your drain is clear. You should be able to see an improvement every time you repeat these steps.

Remember to take care when carrying kettles of boiling water. Check for any trip hazards, and try to do it when small children and pets aren’t underfoot.

What If Hair Is Blocking My Drain?

Bathtub or shower drains tend to be blocked by hair rather than fat, especially if people in your household have long hair.

Soda crystals aren’t effective at tackling hair blockages because they don’t break down the hair. You can buy bottles of drain cleaners that specifically tackle hair blockages, but they aren’t very environmentally friendly.

Instead, I have found that using a reusable drain-clearing brush that I picked up inexpensively (under £5) does the job brilliantly. That one is from Amazon – if you’d prefer to avoid Amazon then this drain cleaner from Dunelm (£2) is also great at removing hair.

I’ve found that these type of brushes naturally unblock your clogged drain without the use of expensive and harsh chemicals. And one brush can replace plastic bottle after plastic bottle of chemically dubious drain cleaner, making it a more eco-friendly option.

How to Unblock a Drain Blocked With Hair

It’s really easy to naturally unblock a drain blocked with hair. Just take your drain-clearing brush, stick it down the drain, and keep twisting it until you have removed all the hair that is causing the blockage.

I’m not going to lie, it is a pretty disgusting job. I was going to take a photo of what came out of my shower the last time I cleaned it, but it was too disgusting for words. You end with big blobs of black slime-encrusted hair on your brush, which does make you feel a bit sick. But I promise the effort and ick-factor is worth it when your drain starts running freely again.

If, after removing hair, the drain is still slow draining, then do try the soda crystals method, in case there are further soap blockages.

How To Prevent Hair Blockages

I would say that, as in the case of all things, prevention is better than cure.

It’s not a nice job, so as we are a household of four long-haired people, I use drain covers (again from Dunelm) in my showers that catch hair but allow the water to drain. These really help to minimise the need to bust out my drain brush.

More Natural Drain Clearing Tips

Any other drain-clearing tips? I’m all ears! You can also check out my natural cleaning products to DIY if you are after more natural cleaning inspiration.