Just in time?

[cozietoesie]

Yesterday, after doing the umptieth washing up, (we don't use a dishwasher) I decided - on a whim - to do a quick soda flush of the kitchen sinks. The soda crystals took a long time to go down, much longer than usual, but to be fair I have no real thought about what's gone down the sink over the past week what with Xmas cooking and the place heaving with people. I have just a feeling that I may have put the soda down in the nick of time so it's something people may want to think about? ( Particularly if they might have been cooking with any fatty things.)

[MadauntofA]

Good idea -how much do you put down, and then I presume hot or boiling water??

[cozietoesie]

I tend to use a fair bit. First I put some hot water down, then - maybe - a cup or two of soda, and then a bit more hot water to allow it to sog into the pipe hole. Then leave it for half an hour, say, and flush out with more hot water.

I'm afraid that my 'recipes' are rather like my granny's. She was a famed pastry cook and once I tried to pick up some tips from her. I asked her how much flour she used and she said 'Enough'. Then I asked her how much shortening she put in and she said ' What seems right'. Then I asked her how long she took to work them together and she said 'Long enough'. It was at that point that I gave up.

Sorry.

[cozietoesie]

PS - I don't actually measure the stuff, I'm just judging. I keep the soda in its packet, nip off a corner with scissors, and then temporarily re-seal with one of those freezer bag-clips. It's the easiest way to go about it for me.

[MadauntofA]

Thanks, will have a go later - my mum is a fab cook, but is the same "just a bit" or "keep adding until it seems enough!"

[cozietoesie]

Good luck. The trouble with soda is that there's no great drama to let you feel you've achieved something but it really does work if used regularly. (And it's cheap.) We have a very shallow run-off pipe under the bath and continuing use of soda means that the water gurgles away quite happily year on year.

For the avoidance of doubt, I'm referring to ordinary household soda that you can buy in supermarkets and not caustic soda which is not something I'd have around/use without significant safety precautions.

[90sforever]

I love stuff that clears drains- soda (caustic for actual blockages!) Mr muscle, even bleach. It's so satisfying
We have bad drains and need to do that 10 shot every few months which is amazing

[cozietoesie]

If you have bad drains, then it might be a good idea to do a Xmas/New year flush then, even if it's out of synch. An amazing amount of fat is flushed away around this time of year.

[Fluffycloudland77]

But why no Dw? You're usually so practical about stuff.

[cozietoesie]

What's 'Dw', Fluffy?

[amarmai]

you are clearing your drain after putting fat down it, but you are creating fatbergs in the sewers.

[cozietoesie]

Not entirely so - I try my darnedest not to put fat down eg from food preparation in the first place. There's not too much you can do about bathing etc, though.

[Fluffycloudland77]

A dishwasher.

I scrape plates etc but some fats going to get down there even so.

[cozietoesie]

Ah. We don't have one. I thought about it once but the kitchen is so tight that, realistically, it would mean a re-modelling job, probably incorporating the room next door after breaking through the wall. That's too much for my purse and my sanity.

I would still have to flush the other drain holes as well - a dishwasher wouldn't help those. (And a goodly proportion of the items we use are not dishwasher proof, so the kitchen sink would still have to be used anyway.)