It can be alarming when the water begins taking longer to drain from the sink and it begins to make a strange bubbling sound, but there is a simple way to clear a blocked drain. 

The biggest reason drains become clogged is that food scraps, soap and other greasy products are going into pipes every day and will eventually clog up. 

Luckily Bren Did, a green cleaning expert, has shared there is a quick and natural way to unclog any blockages in your pipes, but has urged people to not pour vinegar or baking soda down their sinks. 

She said: “The fizzy combination of baking soda and vinegar is ineffective when fighting grease-clogged drains.

“Why? Baking soda is a base while vinegar is an acid, their chemical reaction produces water with a tiny amount of salt in it, not a fat-destroying drain cleaner.”

Vinegar and baking soda are very popular ingredients when it comes to cleaning without chemicals, but while they are great stain removers they cannot break down the fat, oil or grease that causes blocked drains 

They can both clean a drain but neither vinegar nor baking soda can dissolve a clog, and too much baking soda in a pipe can make the situation worse. 

Unblocking a drain without using vinegar and baking soda

Instead, Bren tried an experiment where she tried breaking down fat in one bowl with vinegar and baking soda, then in a separate bowl broke down fat using boiling hot water and washing up liquid. 

Bren said: “After five minutes, the greasy clog in the bowl of hot water and [washing up] detergent was completely melted and would have easily drained away. 

“The greasy clog in the bowl of vinegar and baking soda was unchanged (although it was coated in vinegar and baking soda)."

Washing up liquid has been designed to break down grease and oil so it will quickly be able to break down any fat in pipes while the heat from the boiling water will help loosen any build-up in the pipes. 

Grease can also solidify in pipes so the boiling water will also help melt and soften the grease to make it easier to clear away. 

How to properly unblock a drain 

To begin, boil a kettle and pour a generous amount of washing-up liquid into the drain. 

You will need around 120ml of washing-up liquid and between 480ml to 960ml of boiling water depending on the size of your drain. 

Allow the dish soap to sit for a few minutes to lubricate the pips and begin to break down any grease causing the blockage. 

Carefully pour the boiling water down the drain in one go and then leave it a few minutes to allow it to work its way down the pipe. 

Once the time is up, the water should begin draining quickly again and your sink should be clear. 

If the water is still slowly draining or clogged, then you may need to repeat this a few times for particularly stubborn clogs.