Is baking soda and vinegar safe for shower drains?

With time, baking soda and vinegar may work as a natural drain cleaner on weaker drain clogs, and the benefits of regular drain cleaning can help keep your drains free of clogs. But for tough drain clogs that need to be dissolved right away, you may want to use a stronger drain cleaner, like Liquid-Plumr.
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Can baking soda and vinegar damage plumbing?

The Dangers of the Baking Soda and Vinegar DIY

For one, if done excessively, you may be left with permanent plumbing fixture damage as a result of this DIY. Additionally, it's been proven that this method is unable to destroy fats (e.g., butter, oils, grease) that's clogging your drain.
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How long do you leave baking soda and vinegar in shower drain?

Drop in 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Pour in 1 cup of vinegar, cover the drain with a plug and let sit for 10 minutes – you will hear fizzing. Rinse with more hot water.
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Can you pour vinegar down the shower drain?

If you're unable to reach into the drain to remove the clog by pulling it out, baking soda, vinegar, and hot water may do the trick. Simply pour one cup of baking soda followed by one cup of vinegar down the drain. Give it a few minutes to fizz (at least five, preferably longer), then rinse the drain with hot water.
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Can baking soda go down the shower drain?

The Recipe for Cleaning the Drain with Baking Soda and Vinegar. It's a simple recipe using basic kitchen staples you probably have on hand. If your drain is clogged, clean it by pouring a pan of boiling water down the drain. Follow the water with 1 cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar.
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Baking Soda And Vinegar Drain Cleaner: Sewer Myth or Fact?



What should I use to unclog a shower drain?

First, if you have metal pipes, pour boiling water down the drain. Then remove hair from the drain. If that doesn't work, use a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. If the clog persists, use a plunger, plumber's snake or chemical drain opener.
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Does white vinegar hurt pipes?

The answer is that vinegar will not harm your pipes if used in small doses as recommended in many of the recipes that you find online. No matter what your pipes are made of, pex, pvc, copper, etc. Vinegar will not harm your water pipes.
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How do you clear a slow shower drain?

Slow Shower Drain? Here's How to Fix It
  1. Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain. Right out of the gate, you'll want to boil some water to pour down the drain. ...
  2. Use a plunger. ...
  3. Try Baking Soda and Vinegar. ...
  4. Unclog the Drain By Hand. ...
  5. Use a Plumber's Snake. ...
  6. Try Chemical Cleaners. ...
  7. Call an Expert.
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Can I leave vinegar in my drain overnight?

If it's still clogged, pour one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar down the drain, followed by two cups of boiling water. Let it work overnight to clear the drain.
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Can too much baking soda clog a drain?

Baking soda powder will turn into a cement like mass and completely clog everything it settles in.
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Will vinegar damage cast iron pipes?

On the other hand, metal-based pipes such as galvanized steel and cast iron can corrode. So be careful which product you use. If you want to try a home-based chemical remedy, try vinegar and baking soda. They pose no danger whatsoever to your pipes.
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Can I leave baking soda and vinegar in drain overnight?

It will fizz like seltzer and foam up a bit. Leave it in the drain for an hour or two or overnight, and then flush the drain with hot tap water. For larger drains, such as tubs and kitchen sinks, use about a quarter-cup of baking soda, a half-cup of water to move the powder down, and 2 cups of vinegar.
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Can I leave baking soda in drain overnight?

Follow the baking soda with 1/2 cup of salt poured into the drain. Let this mixture sit in the drain for several hours—overnight is best.
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Does baking soda and apple cider vinegar unclog drains?

Baking soda and apple cider vinegar make an effective combination for cleaning out drains. When the two substances come together, it creates a bubbling foam that scrubs away dirt and grime. For this method, take a cup of baking soda and pour it down the drain.
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Why is my shower taking forever to drain?

Partial clogs limit water flow and are likely to get worse with time. Vent issue: This may surprise you, but plumbing systems have vents. They need vents to release the air pressure generated by water as it drains out. If your show drain vent becomes clogged or partly clogged, your shower will drain much slower.
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How do I make my shower drain drain faster?

Mix together 1 cup of vinegar (distilled white vinegar works best) and 1 cup of baking soda. First, pour boiling water down the drain to loosen; then follow with the baking soda-vinegar mixture and wait 15 minutes. Rinse with more boiling water.
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Is it normal to have standing water in shower drain?

Yes it's normal and what you want. It's called a P-trap and the water sitting in there seals out the sewer gasses.
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Can I use baking soda and vinegar on PVC pipes?

Vinegar won't hurt PVC pipes. Even though it's acidic, it won't generate heat inside the PVC, unlike certain chemical cleaners that potentially melt the pipes. The best way to use vinegar to unclog PVC pipes is to pour it on baking soda down the pipes.
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Why is there black stuff coming out of my shower drain?

The "creepy black stuff" in your drain is made up of a combination of things, mostly decomposing hair, soap scum, toothpaste grit, shaving cream residue, skin cells, etc.
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How long can you leave vinegar in the drain?

This can help prevent clog-causing buildup on the interior surface of pipes. Or, pour one cup of vinegar down the drain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse with two quarts of very hot water.
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What is the best homemade drain cleaner?

Baking Soda and Vinegar

This combination of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar may be one of the best homemade drain cleaners around. First, if you want to unclog a tub or sink drain, pull out the stopper so that you can access the drain. Then, slowly pour a pot of boiling water down the drain.
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How do you unclog a shower with standing water?

What you will need to do
  1. Pour 1 cup of water down your drain.
  2. Put the half cup of baking soda down the drain.
  3. Mix in the vinegar with your second prepared cup of water.
  4. Pour in the vinegar/water mixture down the drain with the added baking soda – Things will begin to bubble/fizz, this is good, it means things are working!
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How do you unclog a shower with baking soda without vinegar?

Mix 1/2 cup table salt and 1/2 cup baking soda together, and pour down drain. Let sit for about 30 minutes (or overnight if it's a tough clog), and follow with a pot of boiling water.
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What is the black stuff in the bathroom sink drain?

That black substance that keeps seeping into your sink or toilet is usually bacteria that's clinging to waste in your drain lines. This bacteria tends to grow and spread over time, particularly because the matter that goes down these drains is organic in nature, providing a food source for the bacteria to live on.
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Is it a good idea to pour bleach down the drain?

You may permanently damage your septic system. Bleach and cleaning fluids create toxic gasses when mixed together. If you pour bleach and other cleaning agents down your sink drains, and they mix in your pipes, you can contaminate the air in your home with the resulting gas created.
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