I’ve been enjoying sharing cleaning tips and hacks here on the blog. I’ve noticed a lot of different queries pop up for the blog and one of them was how to clean the sink drain with baking soda, so I though it would be great to do a tutorial on cleaning the sink drain. The sink drain is just one of those things that needs to be maintained whether you like it or not. In this post we’ll take a look at several different ways to clean your sink drains.

Is it safe to use baking soda and vinegar to clean a drain?

Let’s start out with a basic question. Is it safe to use baking soda with vinegar in your sink drain? The short answer is yes. Baking soda and vinegar are both fairly natural and can work to unclog and clean a drain.

You will need to remember that baking soda and vinegar alone aren’t always enough to unclog a nasty drainpipe. Sometimes you have to bring in bigger guns, which we’ll talk about later.

How To Clean the Sink Drain with Baking Soda and Vinegar

So, if you want to give the baking soda and vinegar trick a try to clean your sink drain, this is how you do it.

Step 1: Carefully pour a pot of boiling water down your sink drain.

Step 2: Pour 1 cup of baking soda and a mixture of 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water down the sink drain.

Step 3: Cover the drain with a plug and wait 10 minutes.

Step 4: Pour another pot of boiling water down the drain.

Ratio of Baking Soda to Vinegar to Clean Drains

You’ll want to use a 1:1:1 ration of baking soda, vinegar, and water to clean your sink drains.

Does Baking Soda and Vinegar Work to Clean a Sink Drain?

So, here’s the big question. Does the baking soda/vinegar method work to unclog and clean your sink?

I’ve been told numerous times that baking soda and vinegar do not actually clean anything. When baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid) are mixed you get a chemical reaction that creates lots of bubbles and carbon dioxide. This bubbling reaction can break up organic material.

You need to use the boiling water and the gravity from the pipes to help create some pressure to push the clog out of the way. The baking soda and vinegar may work to break up a small clog, or clean your pipes a bit, but don’t expect it to work miracles, especially on a grease clog, which may be what you have in your kitchen sink.

I found this article on why you should never use baking soda and vinegar to clean clogged drain pipes fascinating. I think both are worth the try, though. I do think the dish detergent/hot water combo may be the best homemade drain cleaner option out there.

Of course, for the big guns you may need to break out the Liquid Plumr if there is no actual way to remove the clog.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Bathtub Drain

Should you try to use baking soda and vinegar down your bathtub drain? Chances are, if your bathtub drain is clogged it’s probably hair. Before you try shoving anything down the drain to clear the clog, remove the drain cover and take out any hair clogs you can see. I know, it’s a nasty job but it might just solve your problem right there. This tutorial for cleaning your bathtub drain would be beneficial.

So, there you have it. You can always give the old baking soda and vinegar method a try to unclog your sink drain, but remember it may not work very well. The best thing you can do first is to physically remove any clogs you can reach, and then try some other methods.