It is common to have clogged drains. This shows you are using the drains. But a clogged drain can be tiring so that you will try everything you know to try to unclog it and if none works, you’ll have to contact a plumber.
This is why you have to be careful of things you pour down the drains ( whether in the kitchen, toilet, or bathroom).
Also to prevent usually clogged drains, it is advisable to clean the drains once a month to loosen the grime building up in drains.
There are different things that have been recommended by people to use to either clean the drains or unclog them. Salt has been recommended as a drain cleaner. Some people even suggest that the salt should be left overnight for better effects.
Should I Pour Salt down my Drain at Night?
There is the belief that pouring salt down the drain and allowing it to settle overnight will unclog drains. Many plumbers have advised that.
If you also want to get rid of drain flies, you can make use of salt, but you have to pour baking soda and vinegar down the drain afterward.
Pour boiling water down the drain the next morning and use flypaper to catch the flies while they fly out.
Salt itself doesn’t do anything to your drain no matter how it is presented to you. It is always added to other home ingredients to make it effective. It is not advisable to pour a large amount of salt down the drain just because you think the coarseness would break down the clog.
Why Should I Pour Salt down the Drain at Night?
One DIY method of dissolving clogs in the drain is to pour salt, baking soda, and vinegar down the drain. Allow it to stay overnight once the clog is tougher, then pour hot water the next day.
You shouldn’t pour salt alone down the drain because it wouldn’t do anything unless it is added to other ingredients. And this only works for bathroom and kitchen sinks.
Pros of Putting Salt down the Drain at Night
It Can be Used as Cleaning Agent
Pouring salt down the drain at night once a month will help to clean the drain. It kills microbes and bacteria in the drains. It is also used with baking soda to remove drain flies.
It Unclogs Drains
Pouring salt alone down the drain won’t unclog drains but it will only break down the grease before you add the vinegar and boiling water.
For tougher clog, this should stay overnight. It is an easy DIY method you can try instead of contacting a plumber.
Prevents Water from Turning to Ice
In very cold places during winter, water in the drains can turn to ice because of the drop in temperature. This will cause a clog as well.
Pouring salt down the drain will reduce this as it is not likely for the water to become iced. The freezing point of salt is lesser.
Cons of Putting Salt down the Drain at Night
It doesn’t Remove Clogs
Salt doesn’t remove clogs alone. It has to be mixed with baking soda, vinegar, or other home ingredients to unclog drains. Hot or boiling water must also be used.
Salt doesn’t even remove tough clogs. It is just better to be used to clean the drains once a month.
The PVC Pipes will be Damaged
Salt is often used with hot water to unclog drains and this will damage the PVC pipes. But if your pipe isn’t PVC, you can use hot water along with salt to unclog drains.
It Causes Waste Water Pollution
The salt you pour down the drain will pollute the wastewater and cause unnecessary work for the water purification plant when purifying the water. We ought to be careful of the things we pour down the drain including salt.
Wasting of Home Ingredients
Pouring salt down the drain doesn’t do much so there’s no reason why you should waste your ingredient on something that would not work alone. Try other methods or better still contact a plumber.
Can Table Salt Clean a Block Drain When Put Overnight?
Table salt can’t clean a blocked drain even when put overnight. You actually don’t know the cause of the clog. Certain clogs aren’t made up of grime or hair scum.
Although adding hot water to it can break the clog but it is only effective with kitchen and bathroom drains and not toilet clogs (that’s wasting of salt). Table salt will only scour the pipes.
Does Salt and Boiling Water Unclog Drain?
Boiling water is what really washes the grime down. The salt breaks down the grime and emulsified fats then the heat from the boiling water puts pressure on the grime, washing them down the drain. Boiling water can only be dangerous to the PVC pipes or it can cause your porcelain to crack.
Is it Safe to Pour Salt down the Toilet?
Plumbers have recommended that pouring salt down the toilet will unclog drains by clearing the debris. Rock salt is highly effective in unclogging toilet drains.
The most common reason for toilet clogs is the growth of tree roots in the pipes. Tree roots are attracted to water.
Once they find a way into the pipes, they will keep growing. Rock salts kill those roots. But the issue is that the salt pellets will add to the clog.
The best way is to dissolve the rock salt in water. This won’t just be as effective as just pouring the salt down the drain.
It is better to contact a plumber because the cause of the clog might not be a tree root. It might be something more. When you try to use a plunger and the water still doesn’t flow, contact a plumber.
What Does Pouring Salt down Do to Your Drains?
Pouring salt and boiling water down the drain can unclog drains but not tough clogs. And if you are pouring rock salt, then you might be causing more clog to your drain. Salt would only scour the pipes in itself. It can’t remove clogs.
Final Thoughts
To unclog drains, there are many methods. Though they all are not that fully effective because the cause of the clog might be above them. So rather than wasting your kitchen ingredients or worsening the case, contact a plumber. If you like, you can also use Epsom salt to clear the drains.
