Where is the Safest Place to Put Your Drain Cleaner

This post, sent to me by reader, Jack, has some good ideas about where to store drain cleaner, and safer homemade alternatives as well. I would add to this list that whereever you store drain cleaner, if you have little kids at home, use a child safety lock on the doors. Or, if you don't have those, keep them on a really high shelf. Personally I keep things like that above my stacked washing machine and dryer, far out of reach of any climbing kids.

If you don’t pay attention to what goes in your drains, they’ll eventually get clogged. The good news is that most of the clogged drains can be troubleshot easily without the need of a plumber. All you’ll need is the audacity to forage for the debris causing the clog and using some household chemicals. While most drain clogs are similar in reaction, the causes sometimes are different. A bathroom sink drain will have hair clogging it, while a kitchen sink would probably be filled with leftover food that didn’t go down, and that can pose a serious issue.

While the use of many cleaners with loads of chemicals may be toxic and dangerous, leaving them out in the open for kids and pets to spill them or mistakenly play with them should be your main concern. You will need to save these cleaning products in safe places where small children or any furry babies you have can’t reach them. In this guide, we’ve curated a list of the places you need to put your drain cleaner while mentioning the recommended cleaner. Read on!


Create a Closed Drawer In The Bathroom

These drains see a lot of debris, from toothpaste to hair. While these kinds of things may be small, they collectively can introduce a big problem for your drain. Since the sink and shower drains are both places where hot water is used, you don’t want to use artificial or toxic cleaners, such as bleach that can be toxic to inhale. You can create your own homemade drain cleaners that are safe to use, not to mention cheap. You can combine salt, vinegar, and borax to create a very powerful drain cleaner that can be poured right into the clogged drain for amazing effects. Afterward, pour some hot water down the drain after half an hour.

Under the Kitchen Sink

The kitchen sink’s drain is subject to a different versatile range of debris. The main culprits of a kitchen sink blockage would be food and grease. Dealing with food can be done by using a drain snake to fish for the blocking objects. Grease is easy to deal with if you put a few droplets of detergent into boiling water and then pour it down the drain. You may need to often repeat this as grease is persistent and may take more than one trial. If it’s still not budging, try the vinegar, borax, and salt combination.

Keeping Drains Unclogged

Unclogging your drain doesn’t mean that you forget about it until the next clog event. Doing some routine unclogging practices even when it’s not clogged will help you keep it unclogged for long periods of time. If it’s not maintained for well, it will get worse every time it’s clogged.

There is no shame in admitting that you have a clogged drain to your plumber, but it would be wise and more economical to see if you’re able to deal with it yourself. Natural drain cleaners are pretty easy to make and store while costing you almost nothing. If you decide to create a large quantity for the future, store it somewhere cool, dry, and away from children or pets.