You are trying to wash dishes in your sink, but the water is piling up and you can’t get it to go down the drain. No matter whether your drain is clogged by food, hair, or grease, it can be quite an inconvenience. What you really need is the best solution for clogged drains.

There are lots of products on the market that claim to be the best at removing a potential blockage in your pipes. How do you know which ones you can trust and which ones are a waste of time and money? Fortunately, you don’t have to try them all out yourself. We’ve done the hard work and sorted through all the options to come up with these tried and true remedies for a blocked drain.

The Best Store-Bought Items for a Clogged Drain – Top 6

While you can solve a blocked drain with a home remedy, some store-bought cleaners are bound to be more effective at disintegrating your clog altogether. If you want to keep things easy and keep a clog remover on hand, here are the top six choices for items you can purchase to dislodge a block.

1. Green Gobbler Dissolve Liquid Hair and Grease Clog Remover

Green Gobbler Drain Clog Dissolver

Picking the best solution for clogged drains often entails knowing what is actually causing the clog in the first place. The Green Gobbler Dissolve Liquid Hair and Grease Clog remover (on Amazon) is a great option if the clog is caused by something organic. Their formula is capable of tackling a stubborn clog stemming from hair, soap scum, paper, and grease.

The thick formula works like a gel, coating the inside of your pipes to get them as clean as possible and keep water moving freely. Also, the formula is much safer than the commonly used sodium hydroxide. It is completely non-caustic. Your pipes will be safe with this simple formula that works in just minutes to open your pipes up again.

The bottle comes with two chambers. For most kitchen sink clogs, you will only need to measure and use one chamber. Toilets will require the use of both chambers.

One of the many perks of going with this Green Gobbler solution is the price. It is an extremely affordable and highly effective option.

2. Drano Max Gel Clog Remover

Drano Max Gel Drain Clog Remover and Cleaner for Shower or Sink Drains

Drano has become a household name when it comes to the best solution for clogged drains for a good reason! It uses a revolutionary formula that can cut down on clogs quickly and easily. Homeowners don’t have to worry about whether it is safe to use on their pipes. Drano Max Gel Clog Remover is approved for use with:

  • PVC
  • Metal pipes
  • Garbage disposals
  • Septic systems

This particular variety is excellent because of the thick gel. It can sink faster than water, getting to the heart of the clog much sooner due to its density. It coats the clog with the gel until it can officially break through the mess. Once it does, all you have to do is rinse the sink and drain it out with fresh clean water.

Worried that your clog is taking too long to undo? Sometimes, you may have to leave the Drano to soak overnight. This is still perfectly safe for your pipes.

This is only sold in a two-pack, but the price is more than affordable. It is worth the minimal investment to have a couple of bottles of this handy gel on hand.

3. Liquid-Plumr Pro Strength Full Clog Destroyer

Liquid-Plumr Pro-Strength Full Clog Destroyer Plus PipeGuard

The best solution for blocked drains might be to maintain your sinks regularly. While you do want something to turn to when things go wrong, what if you could both maintain and clear drains with the same formula? The Liquid-Plumr Pro Strength Full Clog Destroyer is ideal for unclogging drains, preventing clogs with regular monthly use, and protecting your pipes.

They are so confident in their ability to deliver that they offer your money back guaranteed.

This specific formula easily cuts through standing water to clear any major blockages in your sink, shower, or tub. Even if the water happens to be moving slowly through the drains, Liquid-Plumr can help. Simply pour it in and let it do the magic while the Pipe Guard protects your pipes from harm.

This cleaner is a bit more expensive than some of the others, but it is still an affordable option. Keep in mind that it does come in a two-pack so you are getting twice the cleaner for your money.

4. Professor Amos’ Super Fast Drain Cleaner

Professor Amos' Drain Cleaner & Drain Opener Liquid

If none of the other methods work for you, then you may want to consider buying a bottle of Professor Amos’ Super Fast Drain Cleaner. This is a slightly more caustic way to unclog your drains, but it is effective nonetheless. Despite its harsh chemical makeup, it is still suitable to be used in all types of plumbing including PVC and copper pipes. It is also safe for use in:

  • Public water systems
  • Septic tanks
  • Cesspools

Much like the others, no external forces like drain snakes or plungers are necessary for this liquid to work its magic. Simply pour it over a clogged drain or a slow-moving drain to clear away any type of clog from hair to grease to major food blockages. Every drain in the house can benefit from this type of cleaner.

Unfortunately, you can only purchase this cleaner in a two-pack. This raises the price a little bit higher than some of the other products on our ranking. You may find that the price makes this cleaner unrealistic for your home.

5. Vastar 3-Pack 19.6 Inch Drain Snake

Drain Snake Hair Drain Clog Remover Cleaning Tool

Sometimes, the best solution for a clogged drain is actually not a cleaning solution at all. The answer to your problem might be in the form of a drain snake or a drain auger. Both of these types of products use manual agitation to loosen up the contents causing the clog and help you to remove them through the drain.

This Vastar 19.6-inch drain snake is flexible with a barbed wand that quickly and easily grabs hair, food, and garbage from your pipes. Because it is flexible, it can bend more easily at P-traps where the majority of clogs tend to occur. It is soft enough to bend through many strainers and pipes in almost every room of the house.

Of course, this may take more time and effort on your part compared to simply pouring a cleaner down the drain and waiting for it to work its magic. However, you are protecting your pipes from caustic chemicals. It is more environmentally friendly to opt for these mechanical means of removing the clog.

This particular model has a loop on one end that makes it easy for you to maneuver and manipulate the snake portion into the drain. It should be easy for you to work your way into the clog and dislodge it so your sink can run freely again.

This is the most affordable solution for clearing a blocked drain, costing just a few dollars. It is cheaper than many of the solutions listed here and it can be used over and over again.  Remember that you need to straighten the snake portion before use!

6. 25-Foot Drain Auger

Plumbing Snake Drain Auger Sink Auger Hair Clog Remover, Heavy Duty Pipe Snake for Bathtub Drain, Bathroom Sink, Kitchen and Shower, Snake Drain Cleaner

Do you have a bunch of heavy-duty clogs that require more attention than a simple drain snake or a bottle of cleaner? You might need the flexible steel wire that is associated with this 25-foot drain auger. You will fall in love with it in the first 120 days or the company will offer you your money back guaranteed.

Unlike the drain snake which had a simple loop for a handle, this drain auger has an ergonomic pistol grip that makes handling it easier and more comfortable. The spring itself can be bent over ninety degrees without breaking it, allowing you to really apply pressure to the clog and sink the auger deep into the sink.

When it is not in use, you can store it in the high-impact ABS drum housing for more long-lasting durability. This is ideal for keeping the carbon steel in pristine condition for the future.

You might find that the drain auger is a more expensive option compared to some of these, but bear in mind that you will never have to purchase another one. This should last you for the lifetime of your home when well taken care of and used according to the instructions.  It is worthwhile to make this one-time investment.

DIY Home Remedies for Clogged Drains

DIY Home Remedies for Clogged Drains

If you have standing water in your kitchen sink and can’t wait for one of these products to arrive, you might want to try a home remedy first. Many common household ingredients can be used to potentially loosen your block and get the water flowing again. Here are just a few of the many ways you might choose to tackle a clogged drain at home.

7. Unclog a Drain with Salt

The first thing that you are going to need to do for this home remedy is to remove all of the standing water. If the water refuses to go down the drain at all then you will need to remove it cup by cup. Place it in a bucket or down the other side of your sink. It may take you a little while to remove all of the water, but it is a necessary step before you can move on to unclogging your drain with common table salt.

Once the standing water is gone, measure approximately ½ cup of table salt and pour it down the drain. Follow it with a pot full of boiling water and allow the solution to sit and soak for a few moments before you do anything else.

Finally, flush the entire sink with hot water for several minutes to rinse down any salt and get rid of the last remnants of the clog. At this point, you should have the water moving freely around the sink and down the drain. If not, then you may want to try approach number two.

8. Unclog a Drain with Vinegar and Baking Soda

Just like you did with the last method, you will want to remove all standing water from the sink first. However you need to do that, you cannot overlook this important first step. If you do not drain the sink first, you will not get the results that you desire.

When you are finished, pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain followed by ½ cup of vinegar. You can use either apple cider or distilled white vinegar but most people prefer distilled white vinegar when cleaning.

Immediately, the solution will begin to bubble and foam. This is a good sign that it is doing the important work to unclog your drain. Put the stopper in the sink and wait for fifteen to twenty minutes while the solution soaks. When the timer rings, flush the sink with hot water to determine whether the clog disappeared. Repeat the process as necessary.

One of the benefits of using baking soda and vinegar is that it cleans and deodorizes at the same time. Many people are already taking advantage of the many ways that distilled white vinegar can help them clean their kitchen. This is a great way to clean out the inside of your pipes where you can’t scrub regularly. It should also help neutralize any odors emanating from these areas.

The Best Solution for Clogged Drains

There is no simple one-size-fits-all answer for what the best solution is for clogged drains. Each sink, pipe, and clog type is going to be a little bit different. You may have to try several different things before you stumble upon what works best for you and your home.

No matter which products or methods you decide to use, these solutions and tools should give you a great starting point.

FAQ

What ingredients will unclog a sink drain?

Apart from purchasing a store-bought cleaner, hot water and table salt may be able to unclog your sink drain. If this does not work, baking soda and vinegar is often an effective solution.

What ingredients do plumbers use to unclog drains?

Many plumbers use specially-formulated cleaners that contain sodium hydroxide to flush out a clogged drain.

Do you have to use liquid to unclog a drain?

No, many people have success unclogging their drains with a drain snake or a drain auger. This protects the pipes from damage that can come with exposure to certain types of chemicals.

What is the best product to use to unclog a drain?

There are several different products you can use to unclog a drain. Drano and Liquid-Plumr are two well-known brands that many people use.

Last update on 2024-03-23 at 22:53 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API