The Three Things You Should Never Mix with Vinegar

In the plant experiment, the independent variable could be fertilizer—some plants will get fertilizer, others will not. The scientists change the amount of the independent variable (the fertilizer) to observe the effects on the dependent variable (plant growth).

Light directly influences plant growth and flowering by inducing photosynthesis and feeding plants energy. Plants are dependent on light to generate food, induce the growing cycle and allow for healthy development.

• Hydrogen peroxide + vinegar. You may assume that combining these two ingredients in the same bottle will boost their cleaning power, but it’s more likely to increase your risk of going to the emergency room.
• Bleach + vinegar.
• Baking soda + vinegar.

The combination of dish soap and vinegar is highly effective for a few different reasons. However, vinegar alone will simply run off of most surfaces, while dish soap is too thick to use as a spray. But when you mix them together, you get an effective, sprayable cleaner that sticks to any surface!

Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/4 cup table salt and pour down the drain giving you trouble. Follow by pouring 1 cup of heated vinegar down the drain (it will foam and bubble). Cover the drain with a plug or duct tape to prevent the mixture from escaping. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Here’s how to unclog a slow-moving drain without calling a plumber:

1. Step 1: Boil a kettle of water.
2. Step 2: Grab the baking soda.
3. Step 3: Add 1 cup of vinegar to 1 cup of very hot water.
4. Step 4: Cover the drain with a plug and let it sit for 10 minutes.
5. Boil one more kettle of water.

Combining baking soda and vinegar is a natural way to dissolve hair clogs, without resorting to harsh chemicals. Pour a cup of baking soda down the clogged drain first, and then after a few minutes add a cup of vinegar.

Coke. Coke is a lesser-known fix you can find in your refrigerator. Pour a 2-liter bottle of cola — Pepsi, Coke, or generic brand substitutes — down the clogged drain. Coke is actually quite caustic and effective at clearing away buildup in your drains, but it’s far milder than commercial drain cleaners.

You see a lot of discoloration around the drain and the overflow hole. Just apply the concentrate solution to both areas, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub it with a cleaning toothbrush. You’ll see all sorts of nastiness come out of there! Finally, give it a really good rinse and polish with a microfiber cloth.

One of the best products to use in clearing drain clogs is hydrogen peroxide. The product works as an oxidizer. It’s colourless and a bit denser than water. It’s also ideal for clearing drain clogs as it eats away the clogged matter.

If inserting a plumber’s snake seems like a risky option, and your problem is more than what a plunger can solve, adding a cleaning agent like WD-40 is always a good idea. The good part about using WD-40 is that it gets right under the build-up and muck, and breaks it down, which helps clear the drain.

Fortunately, if caught early you can clear a clogged drain using common household items. Vinegar, baking soda, borax, and lots of hot water are simple, yet effective tools in clearing slow-draining sinks.

The Easy First Approach: Boiling Water Pouring a pot of boiling water directly down the drain into the trap may dissolve the clog, especially if it consists of soap scum or grease. And do not use boiling water if you have plastic (PVC) pipes since water hotter than 175 F can soften some types of PVC pipe.

The salt will help break down grease and emulsified fats so that they can be flushed through the pipes more easily by the vinegar and hot water.

For minor clogs, we suggest using a homemade baking soda and vinegar mix or a store-bought enzyme treatment on all your sinks and showers about once a month. Afterward, rinse thoroughly with hot water. This will keep your pipes relatively clean and help prevent buildup.

Do NOT pour boiling water down your sink or toilet. While it’s probably okay to dump boiling water in the sink when your pipes are clear, a clog will trap the water in the pipe. This can melt PVC piping and pipe seals, causing serious damage.

Water & Salt Pour a few cups of boiling water down your drain, then follow it with a two tablespoons of Epsom salt. Let it sit for a minute, and follow with another few cups of boiling water. The water and salt mixture should help break up the clog.