Today’s tip comes from Delilah Snell, owner of the green retail store The Road Less Traveled in Santa Ana

At some point, we have the dreaded problem of a clogged drain. Not only is it annoy to unclog, but probably what is even worse are the number of foul-smelling products that seem to be the only option besides tearing your plumbing apart.

Drainbo, a natural-based drain cleaner.

Most of these “conventional” products are toxic and not only stink, but they end up in our oceans, and if you read the label, these products are so toxic you can’t even have skin contact with them.

Fortunately there are a number of great alternatives:

Drainbo: A wonderful, all natural solution of bacteria that works to decompose what is in your sink. There is no smell. I use this at least once a month to make sure my drains are clean.

 Zip-It: This simple tool is a must have in every home — we constantly sell out of it here in the store. It is basically a long plastic rod with hooks, great for bathroom sinks. Warning: what it brings up is not pretty!

Old-fashioned: Simply pour a 1/2-1 c. baking soda down the drain and chase it with 1 c. vinegar. Plug the drain and wait about 30 minutes. Chase that with really hot water.

Doing any of these options regularly along with a screen and simply watching what goes down the drain will save you and the planet in the long run!

Delilah Snell lectures on green living and food preservation throughout Southern California. To learn more about green products, you can visit Delilah at the The Road Less Traveled in Santa Ana or her blog, Project Small.

Click here for more green tips.

Got a green tip? Have a green question? E-mail green guru Pat Brennan or William Diepenbrock at the Orange County Register. We’ll review your tip or get an answer to your question, and get the details published in our new Green Tip of the Day feature.

Latest posts:

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.