How to unclog drains without toxic chemicals

Trying to unclog drains without resorting to Drano or another heavy-duty product can be really tricky. Clogged drains by nature are stubborn to more natural gentle techniques.

What's wrong with good old-fashioned Drano, you ask? My simple response to this question is, do you really want to pour a product that is strong enough to melt your hair away into the water system or risk getting some on yourself? I still have an unused bottle of Drano from before I knew of better methods. The bottle warns, "Keep out of reach of children, harmful if swallowed. May burn eyes, skin, and mucous membranes on contact." The warning label also mentions that if it is mixed with other cleaning products it could "release hazardous gases or cause violent eruption from drain." Yikes. Interestingly, the bottle does not seem to include a full ingredient list. It mentions that it contains sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite. A few highlights from Wikipedia on these substances:

* "Sodium hypochlorite is a strong oxidizer. Oxidation reactions are corrosive, solutions burn skins and cause eye damage, particularly when used in concentrated forms."

*Solutions containing more than 40% sodium hypochlorite are considered hazardous by the NFPA (NFPA 430, 2000).

*"Chlorination of drinking water can oxidize organic contaminants producing trihalomethanes, which are carcinogenic."

*The slippery feel of bleach on your skin is due to caustic irritation or burns due to "defatting and saponification of skin oils and destruction of tissue."

*"Mixing bleach with other household cleaners can be hazardous."

*"It is estimated that there are about 3300 accidents needing hospital treatment caused by sodium hypochlorite solutions each year in British homes" (RoSPA, 2002).

*A recent European study indicated the sodium hypochlorite could react to generate chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted during cleaning and are toxic and probably human carcinogens. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hypochlorite)

Now that you know to avoid Drano and similar products at all costs, how can you unclog drains in a safe way? There are some natural methods that I've read about online and tried. One method calls for pouring 3/4 cup baking soda down the drain followed by 1/2 cup of vinegar. Then you plug the drain with a rag or something to keep the erupting concoction in the drain, wait 30 minutes, then pour boiling water slowly down after it. I didn't have much success with this technique even after trying it about three times in a row. I'm guessing that with big clogs, this won't be effective. However, I do think that it would be a good thing to do on a regular basis to keep stubborn clogs from forming.

If it's too late for that, though, and the stubborn clog is already upon you, I recommend using a wire hanger technique. This takes a little time and muscle but it really is satisfying to yank the clog right out of the drain. All you have to do is untwist a wire hanger. You probably need a pliers or some such tool to do this. Then form the end of into a little hook. Some drains have a stopper that you can unscrew- see if yours does, otherwise you'll have to snake the wire down around it. Once you've got the wire in the drain, twist it around and pull it up periodically to see what treasures you find. I know this is probably really gross to most people, but I found it strangely satisfying to pull a giant ball of rotting hair out of my drain. I just stared at it with wonderment and repulsion for a few minutes. I didn't have the where-with-all to take a picture so the following photos come from a more recent unclogging experience and don't even come close to the atrocities I pulled out of the drain at my old apartment. However, they should give you the idea.

Sorry- I know that's really gross but I think it's good to have an understanding of what really is down in your drain- it's just your hair! It's not some strange scary thing mysteriously clogging your drain that you need to combat with chemicals strong enough to melt your face off! You can just pull out the hair-clog yourself! Another thing to keep in mind is the use of hair-catchers over your drains, especially in the shower, to avoid clogs from ever forming. By the way, this technique is very similar to that "drain snake" product you may have seen advertised on TV (should have patented this idea I guess), but why waste your money on that when you can make your own!

Paint

Sorry for the delay in posting! I just moved and I haven’t had internet access for a few weeks! In the spirit of issues related to moving, I wanted to talk about paint. One of the things I wanted for my new place was to paint a few rooms so that the whole apartment wouldn't be white. I had heard that paint contains something called VOCs that are harmful but I didn't know much more than that. I found the Environmental Protection Agency's website quite helpful for learning more about VOCs (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html). Here are some of the highlights:

*VOCs= Volatile organic compounds which are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. This can include a variety of chemicals which may have adverse health effects.

*Concentrations of VOCs are higher indoors (one study estimates that levels are 2 to 5 times higher indoors than out!) and levels can be 1,000 times those outdoors during certain activities such as paint stripping.

*Examples of products that emit VOCs (just a few as there are thousands!): paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticies, building materials and furnishings, office equipment, and on and on.

*Symptoms of exposure: eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, nausea, damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system.

*What evidence is there that VOCs are harmful? Some organic chemicals are known to be highly toxic while others have no known health effects. The EPA points out that toxicity depends on level and length of exposure and that at this point little is known about what health effects results from the levels of VOCs usually found in homes. However, many organic compounds cause cancer in animals and some are suspected, or known, to cause cancer in humans (gulp).

*How to reduce exposure: always use lots of ventilation when dealing with any of the products mentioned or any you think might be harmful (it's usually not hard to tell- most have an unpleasant odor!). If you think something in your house such as paneling contains formaldehyde, the EPA recommends removing the source. The EPA also mentions that cans of unfinished products can still emit harmful compounds (inconvenient but true), so they recommend trying to only buy quantities you will use-up or removing what's left over. Most of these types of products (or all) cannot be thrown away in the typical fashion- you will have to contact your local government or organization in your community that collects toxic household wastes. I would also add buying plants that are known to reduc household toxins to this list. Also, buy paints with low or no VOCs.

*Two compounds to avoid: methylene chloride and benzene. Methylene chloride is know to cause cancer in animals. This compound is found in products such as paint strippers, adhesive removers, and aerosol spray paints. It is converted to carbon monoxide in the body and can cause symptoms similar to carbon monoxide exposure. Benzene is a known human carcinogen. Main sources are tobacco smoke, stored fuels and paint supplies (EPA doesn't specify what this includes), and automobile emissions in attached garages.

*When dealing with paint, VOCs are found both in the base and the colorant, so even if a base is low or no VOC, adding color can raise the VOCs a lot. Another important distinction is emission versus VOC content. A paint can be low VOC and still emit VOCs; this is why it is important to measure emissions. GreenGuard, a company that says it is an industry-independent tester, certifies paint companies that meet its standards. You can look for this certification when shopping for paint.

Well, that was certainly enough to scare me. Wanting to avoid VOC's or at least use low VOC paint, I headed to Home Depot to check out the selection. There were two brands at Home Depot that I found that were either no VOC or low VOC: FreshAire (no VOC) and Martha Stewart (low VOC).

The Freshaire brand seems to be the real deal. They provide more information in their brochure and state that there are no VOCs in the paint or the colorant. They also say that the paint does not have a chemical odor and they are certified by GreenGuard. Finally, the packaging (including the can), brochures, and samples are all recyclable and printed with soy ink. My landlord did the painting for me so I can’t attest to whether or not the paint smelled but I’m pretty happy with the result:

I used a Martha Stewart color in the living room:

If you are interested in looking for no VOC paint, this website lists a whole bunch of brands to look for: http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_paints.htm

If you’re wondering how performance of VOC paint compares to no VOC, you can read these consumer reports articles:
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2008/04/vocs-in-paint.html

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/home-garden/interior-paints/overview/interior-paints-ov.htm

Unfortunately you can’t see their actual results unless you subscribe but I still found the articles helpful. They suggest that lower VOCs can mean lower quality or different performance so that may be something to keep in mind.