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Drain Cleaner Gone Greener
Drain cleaners contain corrosive chemicals like lye that can irritate your lungs or burn your eyes if you're too close to them when you dump them down the drain.
A safer, healthier option is one that will save you a lot of money on commercial drain cleaners or plumbers' bills. All you need is a drain snake, available online or from the hardware store, and a couple items from your kitchen cupboard.
First, push the snake down and plunge it until you feel the clog loosen.
Pour 1 kettle full of boiling water down the drain.
Follow with 1/2 cup baking soda.
Pour in 1 cup white vinegar. Immediately cover the drain and wait 5 minutes while the baking soda and vinegar fizz.
Once the bubbles die down, pour a second kettle of boiling water down the drain.
Another pass with the drain snake should clear any remaining debris.
NOTE: I use a simple wire snake like the one pictured above. For a tougher clog or one that is lodged deep in your pipes, you can attach this snake to a power drill for farther reach.
One More Thing: A variety of "eco-friendly" drain cleaners claim to work by using harmless enzymes to dissolve drains. I personally have not had any luck with any of the enzymatic drain cleaners I've tried. If you've tried one and it has worked, could you let me know? | 
Can kids save the world? The kids who founded 
This time of year, you'll find me in my yard - weeding, digging in my compost, transplanting, and cleaning out the fountains so the birds can take a bath and the bees have some place to get a drink. I've planted a lot of natives and put in a drip irrigation system, too. I'm proud of the fact that my yard has been 
