Pour this simple mix down your drain — and watch the clog disappear

A plumber can cost a small fortune and harsh chemicals feel like overkill. There’s a quieter fix sitting in your cupboard — and it likes to fizz.

It was a Tuesday night in a small London kitchen, plates stacked, the washing-up water turning from cloudy to stubborn. The drain hummed like a flat note and refused to budge, leaving a faint onion-and-dish-soap odour in the air. I reached for the plunger, then remembered the old family trick: bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar, a kettle not quite at the boil. The fizz sang up the pipe, a soft, cheerful sound under the clink of glasses, and the water began to slip away as if it had remembered how. Then the drain sighed.

Why a simple kitchen mix can beat a stubborn clog

The drama in most household clogs is painfully ordinary: a slow braid of fats, soap scum and hair that narrows the pipe until water queues like commuters. Bicarbonate of soda is a gentle alkaline powder; white vinegar brings a bright, food-safe acid. When they meet, they foam and rattle through the gunk, loosening the film that lines the pipe walls. It’s not industrial power. It’s persistence, bubbles and timing.

Ask a plumber what’s inside a blockage and you’ll hear about the greatest hits: cooking oil, coffee grounds, eggy residue, beard trimmings. Across the UK, Water UK estimates around 300,000 sewer blockages each year, much of it down to fatbergs grown in quiet pipes. A Manchester renter told me he thought his flat’s sink was “cursed” until one Saturday he tried the fizz routine, twice, and watched the standing water vanish like a plug pulled in a bath. Small kit. Big relief.

Here’s the logic. The bicarbonate shifts the pH on the surface of the grime and acts like a mild scouring powder. Vinegar reacts with it in a fizzy burst of carbon dioxide, which gives you pocket-sized agitation along the pipe. The final flush of hot water softens oils just enough to send the loosened mess on its way. You’re not melting a fatberg. You’re ungluing the film that holds the little bits together, and you’re doing it without scratching the pipe or filling the kitchen with fumes.

The mix: exactly what to pour and how

First, clear any standing water with a jug so the mix reaches the trap. Warm a kettle until steaming, not rolling. Tip ½ cup (about 100g) of bicarbonate of soda straight into the drain. Follow with 1 cup (240ml) of warmed white vinegar, then pop a rubber sink stopper or a damp cloth over the hole to keep the fizz working downward. Wait 10–15 minutes. Pull the plug and flush with 1–2 litres of hot water from the kettle mixed with hot tap water. Never combine this method with bleach or chemical drain openers.

A pinch of table salt with the bicarbonate adds friendly grit if your sink sees a lot of oil. If the first round only speeds the drain a little, wait five minutes and repeat. We’ve all had that moment when a sink turns into a tiny crisis and dinner goes cold on the side. Be kind to yourself and go gently on the pipe: hot, not boiling, especially with plastic traps. Sometimes the smallest ritual resets a whole room. Let’s be honest: nobody actually does this every day.

Two places people stumble: mixing chemicals and impatience. If you used a caustic drain gel earlier, skip the vinegar method until the system is well flushed and aired. If the water rises dangerously fast, stop. If the water backs up immediately or you smell sewage, that’s a job for a pro.

“Treat the fizz like a first-aid kit,” says Jade Turner, a south London plumber who swears by the mix for everyday slowness. “If you’re repeating it weekly, something upstream is wrong — a sagging pipe, a misaligned trap, or a glob of grease further along.”

• Use: bicarbonate of soda + white vinegar + hot (not boiling) water
• Skip: bleach, caustic soda, or mixing products on the same day
• Timing: 10–15 minutes covered, then a strong hot flush
• Clues to stop: instant backup, foul odour, gurgling from other drains

A tiny habit that travels beyond the sink

There’s a quiet pleasure in fixing something with what you already have. The fizz is satisfying, yes, but the real reward is control: a small, repeatable ritual that turns a kitchen from stuck to flowing. Keep a jam jar of bicarbonate by the washing-up liquid, a bottle of white vinegar under the sink, and your kettle doing double duty. Small things within reach make better decisions the default.

Once the drain runs free, notice what goes down it. Wipe greasy pans with a bit of kitchen roll before washing; drop tea leaves and coffee grounds in the bin or compost; fit a little hair catcher in the bathroom sink and shower. These aren’t purity tests or chores to scold yourself with. They’re friction removers for future you, the version who wants a clean cup of tea without a plumbing plot twist.

There’s also a social spark here. Share the fizz trick with a neighbour and watch it travel down the street, saving Saturday mornings and call-out fees. I’ve seen housemates turn it into a tiny ceremony when they move into a new flat, like christening the pipes. Stories stick better than instructions, and a cheerful whoosh beats a lecture every time. If this becomes your kitchen’s folklore, you’ll know why: it works often enough to feel like luck you can pour.

FAQ :

• Will this work on a complete blockage?If the sink is full and nothing moves, the clog may be compacted or further along the line. Try removing the trap and clearing it, or call a plumber if the backup is instant.
• Is boiling water safe for all pipes?Use hot, not boiling, water on plastic (PVC) traps to avoid warping. Boiling is fine for metal, but most home sinks use plastic under the basin.
• Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white?Yes, though white vinegar is cheaper and odour-neutral. The acidity is what matters for the fizz, not the flavour.
• What about toilets or a dishwasher drain?Skip the vinegar fizz in toilets and appliance drains. Toilets need mechanical clearing; appliances have filters and cycles that need specific maintenance.
• How often should I do this?As needed. If you’re doing it weekly, look at habits: scrape plates, catch hair, and avoid pouring oils down the sink.