Bathroom and kitchen drains are often clogged with hair, small items such as jewelry and chunks of food. These are the most common items that can clog a drain. You can buy a store-brand drain cleaner to help you correct the problem or you can learn to make an effective and affordable home made drain cleaner. The suggested homemade drain cleaner recipe will clear your drain very well for only a portion of the cost of going out to buy a brand-name drain cleaner.

All you're going to need is about a half a box of baking soda and some vinegar. Here are steps for making homemade drain cleaner. It is easy and inexpensive.

How to do it:

The first step is to pour half a box of baking soda down your drain.
Then pour vinegar in your drain to create the foaming action, allowing the mix to break down and eat through the grime in your drain.
Let the foam settle down and repeat the previous step, pouring more vinegar to create the foaming action until there's no baking soda left to foam.
Let the drain sit untouched for about 30 minutes. This will make the process more effective.
Flush the drain with hot water to clear any remaining debris.

This method is perfect for clearing out a drain if you notice that it is draining slowly however, what can you do if the homemade drain cleaner didn't work as well as you hoped? Start by cleaning the pipe by placing an empty bucket underneath the U-shaped pipe (the trap) directly beneath your sink. Loosen the slip nuts at both sides of the pipe and remove the trap by hand. Pour the contents of the trap into your bucket.

As an alternative to your homemade drain cleaner, sodium hydroxide (known as caustic soda) is effective at cleaning drains. It can be found in most any hardware store. Put on rubber gloves and eye protection because sodium hydroxide can cause chemical burns if handled improperly. Fill a mop bucket with 3/4 gallon of cold water, and add 3 cups of the sodium hydroxide. Mix it together with a wooden spoon until it begins to fizz and heat up. Pour the mixture into the drain, and leave it there for 30 minutes then flush the drain with boiling water.

These methods are known to be very effective in resolving clogged drains.

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