apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've used it and it worked wonders. Our shower was clogged (and the clog was quite gnarly to be honest) and we had tried all the DIY methods that usually work, the boiling water, vinegar, baking soda and nothing would get it out. So we were skeptical but desperate and picked up some drainbo and it powered right through. Our shower has been draining like a champion for months now!

I've used a similar product called Earthworm Family-Safe Drain Cleaner and have also tried DIY methods. I wanted so badly for them to work - but when neither did, I was very very close having a relapse to Draino *shudder*... But thankfully the disgust in the thought of pouring all that strong chemical down the drain overrode the temptation, and I tried one last solution I found on plumbing websites - the plunger!

And it worked beautifully. You just need to use a little elbow grease and remember to cover up any air holes (usually the overflow plate) with a wet rag (I used wet paper towels, though :P). The only negative was the bad rubber smell but I've been keeping it in my balcony so no problem there.

I think the plunger is a pretty environmentally friendly solution to clogged drains, in that it can be used over and over again and does not require plastic packaging. I'm not sure what type of rubber is used to make plungers (by the smell of it, I'd say it's synthetic, but then again, I'm no rubber expert...), but the handles are always (and by "always" I mean usually ;)) made of wood, and in total, the environmental impacts of their production seems less than any drain cleaners and will pay out over time. I've already used it several times for my bathtub and kitchen sink.

What I've figured out in my drain-unclogging adventures (lol, I can't believe I've already written so much about clogs) is that the DIY solutions and the environmentally friendly drain cleaners will probably work only if your clog is composed of organic wastes, which is not always the case. But I will say that the Earthworm Drain Cleaner has this fresh, citrus-y scent which I love! I keep the little leftover I have in my bathroom cabinet so my cabinet smells really great nowadays. And I'm not even kidding.

Anyway, I really hope this method gets mentioned more often in green blogs, so that people who have been struggling with clogged drains can find hope and does not relapse into the destructive ways of chemical drain cleaners. (I was aiming for the "motivational speaker at an addiction counseling center" tone there, haha.)

I would give this a try. Our shower and sinks periodically back up at the same time and I can't figure out why. I don't know if they are tied to other condos at some point and the back up is so bad it clogs all our drains? Anyway, we have tried baking soda/vinegar/hot water, the plunger, and even bought a snake to try to get out anything in the drain. Nothing works. We have resorted to a once or twice a year use of Draino and I absolutely hate it.

Isn't there some kind of drain cleaner that uses air pressure to push out the clog? I think the guy who shouts about Oxyclean shills for this product as well.

Personally I like a combo of baking soda, vinegar, and hot water for most of my drain clogging problems which, come to think of it, rarely happen.