Disclosure: I was provided samples of products to facilitate this post and am being compensated for sharing this information. Opinions remain my own. Thank you.
We all know the warning signs. The sink takes a little longer to drain. You notice water pooling around your feet in the shower. And the odors. The strange, unpleasant earthy odors. They’re all signs that you may soon be facing a clogged drain in your home. And then one day you find your drain completely blocked. A situation that needs to be dealt with quickly or you’ll be faced with the wrath of a burst pipe or a nonfunctioning bathroom.
Naturally, as a homeowner, your first line of defense is to check your drains for visible obstructions like debris or hair. Which is generally followed by dragging out your trusty plunger. But what happens when you can’t flush your clog-inducing problems down the drain? You seek new DIY ways to get the job done!
Here are 5 ways to deal with the blockages before resorting to that expensive emergency plumber at-home this coming fall season:
1. DIY Drain Snake:
One of the best ways to unclog drains at home is by creating a DIY drain snake from a bent wire clothes hanger. Simple but surprisingly effective. To make this, you just take a regular wire coat hanger and straighten it out as best you can. Then, bend one end over to create a small hook. Push that past the drain cover and start fishing. You should be able to get all sorts of hair and nasty stuff out of the drain. As a rule of thumbs, you’ll always want to be pulling gunk out, not pushing it further down the drain. When you’ve got as much out as you can, run hot water down the drain for 1-3 minutes to finish clearing your drain.
2. A Wet & Dry Vacuum:
A wet & dry shop vacuum can become a power clog-sucking tool to quickly unclog drains at home. To use your shop vac on drains start by setting the unit to vacuum liquids. Then cover up the vent to prevent a back-filling mess. Then, create the tightest seal you can over the drain. An old plunger head can do this quickly. Lastly, with the vacuum turned on its highest setting, draw the clog up the pipe and into the vacuum bag. While this may not pull deeper clogs, this trick can help for more superficial clogs at home.
3. Boiling Water:
Just put the kettle on and boil up as much water as it will hold. Now pour it slowly down the drain allowing the hot water to work for several seconds between each pour of the kettle. This is usually the quickest way to unclog my drains at home. If there’s any water left, congratulate yourself with a cup of tea!
4. Cleaning the Pipe:
Sometimes cleaning your drains at home requires a little deep pipe cleaning! To do this start by placing an empty bucket underneath the U-shaped pipe, or the trap, beneath the sink. The bucket will collect the water that will spill. Using a plumber’s wrench, loosen the slip nuts at both ends of the pipe. When the trap is free, remove it and turn it upside down to empty the contents into the bucket. An old toothbrush is good for getting the tough gunk out. To finish up, just rinse the trap with water and then put it all back together. Easy peasy!
5. Stock-up on quality drain cleaners:
If after using the above steps you still your bath and sink drains are still clogged, opt to clear your drains with my go-to drain de-clogger, the at-home line of Roto-Rooter drain treatments. Products that are an easy, affordable, effective choice for all types of clogs at home. 
The Roto-Rooter Gel Clog Remover®does a great job of clearing drains in my home bathrooms that it’s helped me to not have to replace several lines of corroded copper piping at home. A step that saved us thousands of dollars in unnecessary plumbing repair bills.
Which is why we rely on Roto-Rooter Gel Clog Remover®. We all know Roto-Rooter has been a trusted name in plumbing for 80 years. The Roto-Rooter line of products includes their Gel Clog Remover, Hair Clog Remover, and Septic Treatment.
The Roto-Rooter Gel Clog Remover contains 25% more active ingredients than the national leading brand and it works by powering through standing water to remove stubborn hair clogs and soap scum from bathroom sinks, tub, and shower drains on all types of pipes 50% faster than other brands. I used the product just the other day in our bathroom sink, and I was very pleased with the results!
Roto-Rooter products are available at a number of retailers, including Walmart, Lowes, Kroger, Tractor Supply, Dollar General, Shoprite, Meijer, and more! Making it convenient to pick-up on your next trip to the market or grocery store.
Friends, those are my 5 quick and easy tips that should help you deal with the most stubborn blockages at home. I also encourage you to consider stocking up on the Roto-Rooter line of products including their Gel Clog Remover, Hair Clog Remover, and Septic Treatment. Now I have to ask, do you have any great tips? Let me know below.
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