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Green Alternatives to Draino?
Good Questions

drain.jpgQ: Do you know of any green alternatives to Draino? I've tried vinegar and baking soda with a boiling water chaser to no avail.

Help!

- Posted by Erin

 
 

Editor: Full disclosure: Our drains are relatively healthy, so we don't have first hand knowledge of a safe, effective alternative to Draino. (Although, if we remember our one experience with Draino correctly, it didn't work all that effectively either.)

With nothing much to go on, we did what most people would do: w googled "environmentally friendly alternative to Draino." And what came up first? This AT:NY post from 2004.

There are a few suggestion in the post, but we're curious if any readers have found a good green Draino alternative.

Got a good question you'd like answered? Send your queries and a photo or two illustrating your question, and we'll see if the Re-nest editors or our readers can help answer your question.

Image via Master Tech Plumbing

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Comments (16)

Given what's already failed, you need to go to the hardware store and get a "snake."

Your problem is most likely a mass of hair or some other fiber, and non-toxic cleaners won't have the slightest effect on that.

posted by wende in the twin cities on October 10th 2007 at 7:20am
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I agree with Wende, you probably have a clog, so go get a snake and clear the drain. Then do the vinegar and baking soda thing once a month to keep the drains clear.

posted by angry.kitty on October 10th 2007 at 7:26am
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I've used some enzyme stuff when bs/vinegar/boiling water didn't work:
http://store.greenfeet.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5501-04018-0000

That seemed to clear it up.

Also, at times I've had to do 2-3 runs with bs/vin/boiling water, with a giant pot of water instead of a teapot full so that might also solve your problem if you haven't tried repeat/more quantity yet.

posted by jesse@humanerecipe on October 10th 2007 at 7:38am
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we tried the vinegar and baking soda a couple more times, followed by 4 kettles full of boiling water down the drain. it still didn't work and i gave up and got ready to make a trip to the hardware store. then my boyfriend grabbed an empty plastic bottle and filled it with hot water and squirted it down the drain, then used the bottle to plunger-suck everything back up. after doing this for a couple minutes all this black junk came back up into the sink and the drain was cleared! it was really gross.

that got me to thinking about an infomercial i saw about an air compressor that shoots air down the drain to clear it. has anyone used one of those? after this experience i'd think it would work like a charm!

posted by erin n on October 10th 2007 at 8:11am
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I have long hair so no matter how careful I am, I always have hair clogs in the shower and bathroom sink. When regular plunging doesn't work I also use Earth Enzymes. I find that this keeps my drains running clear most of the time. Earth Enzymes breaks down organic debris that can clog drains (like hair). It will also break down grease and soap build up which narrows drain openings and increases the likelihood of a clog. I'm totally sold on this stuff!

posted by The Green Cat on October 10th 2007 at 8:18am
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I forgot about the plunger - I've gone that route also with (disgusting) success! (Although once it was because I think I'd blocked it up with *BS* because I put too much in the drain.)

posted by jesse@humanerecipe on October 10th 2007 at 9:12am
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Go buy a Zip-It drain cleaner from hardware store. It costs less that $2.50 and it's the only thing that works on long hair. It's a little less gross than the plunger.

posted by MC on October 10th 2007 at 12:22pm
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My boyfriend and I have been using DrainBo for nearly a year for the same kind of clogs and are quite happy with its results.

http://drainbo.com/

posted by Victoria E on October 10th 2007 at 1:08pm
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Erin -- We tried the air compressor method on what turned out to be fibrous food debris. Don't bother. The only thing that worked on that clog was snaking it, and I know this because we tried everything else first.

posted by wende in the twin cities on October 10th 2007 at 4:32pm
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my dad actually bought a professional grade air cannon drain thing that is awesome -- i've used it a number of times and it always works like a charm. he had a cheapie one that was so so and eventually broke, but this one hasn't failed my parents or me yet.

posted by nattles on October 12th 2007 at 7:27am
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My friend swears by the air gun route. I usually go with a plunger because it seems to work much the same way.

posted by nadnuk on January 2nd 2008 at 9:00am
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Using air pressure to clean pipes can be risky. Depending on the condition or type of pipe you run the risk of blowing apart connections.

Roto-rooter will take care of it. They will also recommend enzymes which can be applied at the end of the night which will ooze their way through the pipes eating away organic debris.

posted by art on January 2nd 2008 at 12:17pm
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I lived with five girls for a year, in college. We all had LOTS of long hair. One girl swore up and down that doing monthly enzyme treatments would keep the drains happy, so we all went along with it. We absolutely NEVER had a problem.

Now, almost ten years later, I'm kicking myself for not maintaining the habit; my fiance and I both have long hair, and our shower drain HATES US. I used Draino to get it clear, but I'll be using the enzymes to keep it that way.

posted by deliriumsama on July 24th 2009 at 1:30pm
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The solutions here look intriguing:

http://www.greenhome.com/products/housekeeping/drain_treatments/


The Earth Friendly products version has never worked for me.

posted by lisbet on July 24th 2009 at 2:47pm
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I have long thick hair and I love the Zip-It! It is perfect for pulling out hair clogs. When that isn't the problem, Earth Enzymes always do the trick for me!

posted by The Green Cat on July 24th 2009 at 10:52pm
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Sometimes you just have to suck it up and run a snake down your drain, it will pull up tons of your hair and be totally gross. BUT your drain will be fine for a very long time and you won't need enzymes or draino.

posted by labchick on July 27th 2009 at 9:48am
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