Clear Plugged Drains Without Nasty Chemicals

A plugged kitchen or bathroom drain is a real pain. Daily doses of grease and food debris for the kitchen and hair, soap scum and other oddities for the bathroom drains take their toll, and soon you're looking at all that gunk real up close and personal. Here's a recipe I've used for many years, and always works: put a half-cup of baking soda in the drain, followed by 2 cups of white vinegar. Close the drain until the fizzing stops, then follow with a kettleful of just-boiled water. It may take 2 or 3 applications, with plunging in between, but it will work. Obviously, it won't work if there is standing water, so don't wait until the problem is that bad. A kettleful of boiling water dumped down each drain once a month will also help prevent this problem in the first place.