Cleaning plugholes

Apodemus

Old fashioned washing soda crystals, then the bicarb and vinegar volcano.  Leave it a while, then flush it through with hot water.  If you put the plug in and weight it down, after pouring in the vinegar, it will foam up into the overflow, cleaning that as well.

Mistral001

omendata said:

Pour some petrol down and set it on fire - burns everything off mind you it could set the house on fire!
>;o)
Seriously i am expert at it now some baking soda, mixed with white vinegar and asda dilute bleach give it a good shoogle first then pour it down cleans everything even the black gunge off the sides!

Bleach mixed with white vinear will produce chlorine gas.  I found this out for myself and I was nearly knocked out.   As far as I know, they used chlorine gas as a chemical weapon in the First World War.   

Jonesya

Drain cleaner granules, cheap enough from Homebargains, mix it up carefully, pour it down, leave it for several hours or most of the day. Generally works, if not then follow up with the plunger. Washing soda is also freshens things up as it's a moderately strong alkali.

Don't understand why people suggest bicarbonate and vinegar because these are both very mild and when you mix them they neutralise each other, giving off some CO2 and froth and not much else. I'm sure it looks good frothing away but it can't actually do much to clean the drains.

andrewwelsh1958

Drain cleaner from HOME Bargains, 79p a bottle, pour a cup down sink & leave for 30 mins then fill sink with HOT water to flush thru 

Apodemus

Jonesya said:

Drain cleaner granules, cheap enough from Homebargains, mix it up carefully, pour it down, leave it for several hours or most of the day. Generally works, if not then follow up with the plunger. Washing soda is also freshens things up as it's a moderately strong alkali.

Don't understand why people suggest bicarbonate and vinegar because these are both very mild and when you mix them they neutralise each other, giving off some CO2 and froth and not much else. I'm sure it looks good frothing away but it can't actually do much to clean the drains.

In the form that I mentioned above, the washing soda does the bulk of the cleaning, the bicarb and vinegar gives a foaming action that seems to help dislodge/agitate or perhaps just circulate the washing soda.  Of course, the chemical reaction between vinegar and either washing soda and bicarbonate of soda will neutralise, but there is an excess of soda.  The rate of reaction is faster with bicarb than with washing soda alone mainly due to smaller sized crystals and greater surface area, which is what achieves the foaming action.

roddydogs

I wouldn't risk boiling water with plastic fitments, just in case.