How to Make Homemade Drain Cleaner

The next time your sink or tub drain is clogged, forget those caustic commercial products and try this homemade drain-cleaning recipe instead.
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By Bob Vila

Updated on Aug 22, 2024

Woman wearing cleaning gloves pours salt through a funnel into a mason jar.
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

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When your sink or shower drain gets clogged, it’s pretty easy to figure out the cause. The perp is usually a disgusting mixture of hair and soap scum that’s built up over time. The quick fix often involves shelling out cash for a caustic, potentially toxic drain cleaner, but even that provides only temporary relief.

The next time you’re stuck with a clog, don’t race out to the hardware store. Instead, scour your kitchen cabinets for a few basic materials and mix up your own cheaper, chemical-free homemade drain cleaner that’s guaranteed to break up even the worst drain buildup.

Materials needed for making and using drain cleaner, including paper towels, salt, and cream of tartar.
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

Tools & Materials

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Step 1: Remove excess water from the sink or tub.

First, use a small bucket to scoop out any accumulated water in the sink or tub (you can transfer to the toilet). Then take off the drain cover and clean around the inside edges of the top of the drain using any old bathroom cleaner. If you notice any hair or soap scum close to the surface, take a paper towel to reach in and pull it out.

Step 2: Mix a drain-cleaning powder.

Woman wearing purple rubber gloves pours homemade drain cleaner from a mason jar into a bathroom sink.
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

In a mason jar, combine 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup salt, and 1/8 cup cream of tartar.

The salt and baking soda will help break up the clog, while the cream of tartar—which is probably hanging out on your spice rack or with your baking supplies—cleans metals. Put the lid on the mason jar and give the homemade drain cleaner mixture a good shake before pouring half of it down the drain. Save the other half for your next drain cleaning.

Step 3: Pour hot water down the drain.

Woman uses red tea kettle to pour hot water down a bathroom sink.
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands, pour 2 cups of hot water down the drain (this is easiest to do if you heat the water in a teakettle), and leave the drain cleaner and hot water to sit for at least an hour.

Step 4: Flush the drain with water.

After an hour has passed, run the sink or tub tap for a few minutes to clear the homemade drain cleaner from your drain and make sure the clog is gone. Use paper towels to wipe up any residual powder. And now that you have such a quick, low-cost solution at the ready, keep future clogs at bay by making cleaning your drain part of your regular routine.