Subject: EcoTips - Drain Cleaners

From: [email-masked] (Steen Hansen)
Date: 20 Sep 1995 21:34:58 GMT

EcoTips - Drain cleaners

A clogged drain is always a nuisance, but before you pull
out the caustic chemicals, consider a couple of
alternatives: 

  - A pot of boiling water can often clean up a minor
blockage. It has to be boiling to dissolve grease.

  - Pour a quarter cup of baking soda in the drain, and then
half a cup of vinegar. Cover the drain for the odors and
wait ten minutes before flushing.

  - For yet tougher drains, enlist help from enzymes. You can
buy a container with a brown powder, called "Enforcer -
Drain Care." Mix two spoons with a cup of warm water and
pour it down the drain. Then leave it undisturbed overnight.
Instead of harsh chemicals, enzymes slowly eat the gunk
(some washing detergents use other types of enzymes). This
method only works if there is some drainage, and not in
standing water. The procedure must usually be repeated three
times, sometimes more, before the drain is clean again. I
have used it twice with success, though more patience is
needed. A $10 can will last years and can be bought at Rouch
Hardware, and by mail order. Meijer's and Kmart sells
another brand of enzyme, called "Ultra Green enzyme
cleaner."

  - Some hardware stores sell a special hose to connect to a
faucet. The other end of the hose has nozzles that produce
high pressure water sprays. The nozzle end is pushed into
the drain where it can sluice its way through the gunk. This
hose is about 1/4 inch thick and will not fit into all
drains, some drains have fixed strainers the hose cannot
pass.

  An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, as
Benjamin Franklin said. Before you notice any slow drainage,
pour boiling water down the drain, or do a single treatment
with the enzymes. This will keep the drains in good shape.

-- 
Steen Hansen (Hviid)    
Computer Specialist,    The Ohio State University
There is something fundamentally wrong in treating the earth as if it was
a business in liquidation.  -- Herman Daly, quoted in "Earth in the Balance"