A natural method for cleaning drains and fighting odours
Bad smells in your home or business can be off-putting, not just for yourself but for guests or customers too. Humans have great memories when it comes to bad smells and having smelly drains is a great way of creating a long-lasting negative impression. People don’t notice when something doesn’t smell, but they certainly notice when they do!
At Grate Seal, we often have the public and customers asking us how they can clean their drains and get rid of that foul sewer or musty odour that come come with them. These questions can either be about preparing a drain for installation of the Grate Seal, or as a more general question on drain maintenance and odour removal. We’ve put this blog together as a quick reference you can share or come back to whenever you need it.
There are of course a lot of chemical drain cleaners on the market, but some of them can be quite harsh or not very good for the environment. A lot of the queries we get are from people asking how they can clean drains using a natural method. Just like us here at Grate Seal, they generally don’t like the idea of pouring strong chemicals down drains and in to the wider environment.
The good news is there is a great natural method for cleaning drains that is cheap, effective, very easy to do and won’t adversely affect the environment. It involves the use of simple household items you may already have in your kitchen pantry and hot water.
Ingredients for cleaning your drain:
1. A couple litres of very hot, but not boiling, water.
2. About half a cup of everyday baking soda
3. 2 cups of warm, white vinegar
How to clean your drains naturally:
1. Remove the cover from the drain
2. Pour a liberal amount of hot water down the drain. Don’t use boiling water as it could possible damage pipes or seals.
3. Wait a few minutes for the drain to cool back down
4. Pour the baking soda into the drain
5. Allow it to sit for a minute or two
6. Warm up the vinegar on the stove in a pan with a cup of water and pour this mixture into the drain, on to the baking soda
7. The soda/vinegar mixture will fizz up quite vigorously, cleaning the drain
8. Wait for about 20 minutes for the chemical reaction to fully run its course
9. Flush the drain with more hot water
10 Replace the drain cover and you’re done!
There is an extra step if you are installing a Grate Seal for the first time or performing maintenance. Give the top of the drain pipe a quick wipe with a clean cloth, place your Grate Seal in to the drain opening (click here for a video of the installation).
If you don’t have a Great Seal installed and after you have completed this method you still experience unpleasant drain odours, you could have an issue with poor venting or damage to your plumbing system. You can read about these problems in our blog series on causes of drain smells.
Installing a Grate seal will definitely help eliminate these odours. The Grate Seal is a simple, environmentally friendly, cost-effective and long-lasting solution to drain odours. It is also a quality 100% Australian made product. If you’re looking for a way to get rid of drain odours in your home or business, the Grate Seal makes a lot of sense. You can purchase a Grate Seal here and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.