What is the Ratio of Baking Soda to Vinegar to Clean a Drain?

The simplest yet one of the most influential and cheap hacks to clean a drain is pouring Baking Soda and Vinegar together, followed by boiling water.

If your drain is clogged and you’re looking for a magical solution that won’t cost much and won’t be much of a hassle but still will work well against the clog, this is the solution you’re looking for.

But now, the question that might strike your mind right after is what is the proper ratio of Baking Soda and Vinegar required to apply for cleaning the drain?

That’s what I’m about to reveal in this article. So, keep on reading!

Any ratio of Baking Soda and Vinegar that forms a foam mixing is enough to clean the drain—no need to maintain a fixed percentage. Just a bit of idea and common sense is enough.

But to give you an idea about the right proportion for creating the right consistency in forming a foam, I would like to share that Baking soda is a dense powder, and Vinegar is a thick liquid.

Hence, the proportion of Baking soda better is lesser than the Vinegar to form a foam after mixing. Or else, with more Baking Soda, the consistency might turn into a paste.

An ideal ratio can be about a cup of Baking soda with 2 cups of Vinegar.

How Long Do You Leave Baking Soda and Vinegar in Drain?

There are two ways to use Baking Soda and Vinegar for cleaning a drain. One is for regular and weekly cleaning of pipes and drains, and the other is to clean drain clogs.

The two methods require two different proportions of the ingredients and times for resting after pouring into the drain.

You’ll also need boiling water for both techniques, Vinegar and Baking Soda.

Now let’s come to the process. The first method is for cleaning a clogged drain. For that, boil some water and pour half a cup of Baking soda into a separate bowl.

After that, prepare a solution of a cup of Vinegar with hot tap water. Pour the boiling water on the clogged drain first. And then, followed by that, drop the half-cup of Baking soda.

After dropping the Baking Soda, pour the vinegar solution into the drain, close the drain plug, and wait for the vinegar and Baking soda to work for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Then, after a while, pour some more boiling water into the drain, removing the drain plug. You should notice your drain unclog after that.

The second method is generally used for cleaning the drain and the pipe weekly or regularly so that further clogs don’t occur within the drainage system.

Drop half a cup of Baking soda through the drain, followed by half a cup of Vinegar. And then, wait for about an hour or half an hour plugging the drain hole.

After about an hour, unplug the drain hole, and pour some boiling water. With that, your job is done. If you do this process more often, you’ll have fewer to zero issues of drain clogs.

How Do Baking Soda and Vinegar Clean the Drain?

Baking Soda and Vinegar are the most straightforward and handy hacks for cleaning a drain. But the question might intrigue you how do Baking Soda and Vinegar work so effectively in cleaning the drain?

Well, the Baking Soda and Vinegar, when mixed, form a powerful solution that isn’t much different from the commercial foaming cleaners.

Let me tell you how. When Baking Soda and Vinegar mix together inside the drain, they react with each other and form water and carbon dioxide.

Actually, there are two stages when the reaction happens. In the first step, Sodium Bicarbonate in Baking soda reacts with the acetic acid in the Vinegar to form sodium acetate NaC₂H₃O₂ and carbonic acid H₂CO₃.

Since Carbonate acid is unstable in the natural air, its decomposition into water H₂O and carbon dioxide CO₂.

The carbon dioxide formed by the reaction causes bubbles to form inside the draining pipe. The force created by these bubbles helps to loosen a lot of stubborn grease and debris that clogs the drain.

After that, the addition of boiling water cleans away the loosened clogs from the drain. Moreover, the acidic properties of Vinegar also play a vital role in breaking up some kinds of stubborn clogs.

Final Words

I hope you don’t have any questions left on your mind regarding the ratio of Baking Soda and Vinegar that is required to clean the drain.

It entirely depends on the purpose behind your cleaning the drain. So, try out the ratios suggested in this article for each purpose.

Hopefully, you’ll get your desired result through it. Good luck!

James Miller

James is an organic fertilizer professional who owns a successful organic fertilizer company in new jersey. He is an expert in waste management in both houses and community cases. In his free time, he loves to write about his experiences in the field.