Take The Quiz. Pouring bleach down the drain is dangerous since it reacts with substances in your pipes, release toxic fumes when mixed with other household cleaners, clog or damage your drains and pipes, and kill the good bacteria of your septic system. One way to do this is to close the drain and pour 1/2 cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water in the tub or sink. Well, it is time to talk about toxic relationships (lol). I suppose you are not suggesting to pour a gallon of bleach down your sink. Yet, this is where things get tricky. Discover Plumbing and Rooter is a plumbing company that has served over the last 15 years the City of San Francisco and San Mateo County CA. Wait for the smell of the bleach to dissipate. A plumber told me (separate occasion) to pour about 1/2c straight bleach down pipe as monthly dissolver of hair, set 15min, then follow with kettle of boiling water down drain. The bleach could react with other chemicals, creating dangerous fumes, and if the reaction is violent, it can even burst your drain pipes. The only drawback of this method is that it doesn’t scour the pipes like the baking soda and vinegar. We did use it as disinfectant in the (cell culture) lab and it was certainly used in hospitals for the same reason. And man, we learned our lesson: Don’t. Bleach is a useful cleaner and disinfectant (although there are safer eco-friendly alternatives to bleach you should use instead), but pouring it down the drain will not do anything to help keep the drains clear. You will need to dilute it by pouring down abundant water. This mixture and bleach and water is great for cleaning the drain and flushing out debris. Even used alone, fumes from chlorine bleach can irritate the lungs, so it should not be used by people with asthma or lung or heart problems, says the group. You can find acids also in conventional household products that are used to clean and disinfect like toilet bowl cleaners, glass and window cleaners, drain cleaners, and rust removers. We are not saying that you should pour that humongous amount of water down the sink to dilute the ounce of chlorine-based bleach. Bleach isn’t going to unclog your drain any more than pouring a glass of water down the sink. With small amounts, particularly if somewhat diluted, no problem at all. I will let you know. If you have some bottles of chlorine bleach that you won’t use, you can ask local organizations such as churches, homeless shelters, nursing homes, etc. To pour the mixture into the drain remove the stopper first, then pour the solution directly down the drain. A dilution of bleach in water is effective as a disinfectant, and can be scrubbed onto non-porous food-contact surfaces like plastic cutting boards or refrigerator shelves and left to air dry. House hold gnats pour bleach in clear a clogged drain with vinegar the purpose of a bathroom sink overflow unclog blocked drains does pouring bleach down the drain stop Materials To Never Pour Down Drains Rapid Rooter Plumbing3 Ways To Clean A Sink Drain WikihowCan You Pour Bleach Down The Kitchen Sink Amarco PlumbingPouring Bleach… Read More » Step 3 Pour another cup of bleach down the drain if the odor persists. Need I say more? Food Waste. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; [email protected]. First, let the tap run for a while then pour hot water to clean out the pipes. The combination creates chloramine gas, which is highly irritating to the lungs. Second, if you do by accident, you can flush bleach away with abundant water. I use it as if it does, but now I wonder, if anyone knows. He did suggest using only liquid or foamy cleansers on tubs, sinks but nothing with any form of bleach. (Must be made of iron or other metal.) Bleach is a lung and eye irritant, warns the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC), a Seattle non-profit that advocates for green friendly household products. All Rights Reserved. WTC recommends carefully pouring a kettleful of boiling water down the drain to free up a slow drain, or using mechanical methods such as a plumber’s snake, plunger or hose-end bladder to clean a clogged drain. If you pour one ounce of pure bleach down the sink, it’ll take as much as 9,928 liters of water to be safe for fish. What about all the household cleaners we use daily? It fixes the problem. On the other hand, if you try to pour bleach down the drain in big amounts, then yes, your drain pipes will definitely be damaged and you can just throw them. The two most popular methods are pouring white vinegar or bleach down the line to clear clogs. Once a month, pour 12 ounces of chlorine bleach straight down the drain at … Allow the mixture to sit for a couple of hours before flushing the pipes with cold water. Like: Is it dangerous? Nonetheless, I believe it is essential also to take care of what we are sending to the landfill through the drain. But maybe a cupful which was mixed with a couple of gallons of water, for mopping your floor. The effervescence action should flush out any cockroaches living in the pipes. Is this safe to do? From any perspective, pouring chlorine-based bleach is a BAD IDEA. According to the Household Products Database at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), chlorine bleach is corrosive to the eyes; injures skin and mucous membranes on contact; and is harmful if swallowed. Since many cleaning products contain ammonia, the inadvertent mixing must be avoided. What Happens After I Poured Bleach Down my Drain? What about the the Mr. Clean and .Scrub free cleaners i use? Learn how your comment data is processed. But a plumber told me about it when I had a drain fly infestation. And when you pour a bleach solution into the sink, some of it will remain trapped in the P-traps. Wait for the smell to dissipate. Instead of using bleach, pour a mix of baking soda and vinegar into the pipes and wait for a few minutes before pouring boiling water. Bleach is a useful cleaner and disinfectant (although there are safer eco-friendly alternatives to bleach you should use instead), but pouring it down the drain will not do anything to help keep the drains clear. And these uses won’t present any risk. When use as directed, it will break down mostly into salt water in wastewater treatment or septic systems, says WTC. So, think twice before pouring bleach down the drain and then adding acids to the mixture. What To Pour Down The Drain To Kill Roaches. Bleach is a powerful, toxic substance that should used carefully and properly, and pouring it down a drain is not a proper use. Dear EarthTalk: My neighbor told me to pour bleach down my drains every week to keep them clear. An “incompatibility chart” listing many chemicals that will react with bleach is available at the Chlorine Institute’s cl2.com website. Or a little bit from a spray bottle, used for cleaning your counter or toilet or bathtub. Quick Green Reads For The Weekend Volume 176. When I have published my previous article about clogged shower drain, I have received a question asking whether it is okay to pour bleach down the drain to remove clogs and disinfect the plumbing.. Irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and the respiratory system. Just like cooking oil, bleach is one of those things you shouldn’t pour into your sink. Clegg’s Pest Control does NOT recommend pouring bleach down a drain to kill roaches or … pour full kettle boiling water down drain it’ll really help keep it clear. Simply put: Bleach should never be mixed with acids. Using bleach to clear clogged drains When unclogging a bathtub with bleach, first get all of the water out of the tub by either waiting until it has drained or by removing the water with a cup or bowl. Bleach Will Clean Your Drain, Not Unclog It . If you poured a considerable amount of bleach into your sink or toilet, the solution is quite simple. Do not add bleach in this case. if they would take some bleach. Oxygen bleach like hydrogen peroxide? The worst thing will be if the next person using the sink pours something like acids, alcohol, or ammonia. The idea that pouring bleach down the drain gets rid of drain flies is actually a common misconception since doing so rarely helps get rid of these insects. It cannot dissolve things like food waste, breadcrumbs, grease, and hair. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. It’s time to say goodbye. Depending on how long someone is exposed or the amount of gas released, chloramine gas can make that person sick and even cause his/her death. So, how can you dispose of bleach? So, someone else might make good use of it. And bleach reacts aggressively to these substances. Is Bleach Safe To Pour Down the Sink? It is also reactive with ammonia and acids, forming more harmful fumes. My neighbor told me to pour bleach down my drains every week to keep them clear. She says bleach will destroy her pipes and desteoy her bathroom sink. Wear eye protection and masks to avoid small amounts splashed into your eyes and breathing it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We live in a chemical world. Enter your contact details here to help us serve you better & faster. But seriously, bleach is a very reactive and unstable compound. Time after time, bleach has proved how volatile and troublesome it’s when mixed with other chemicals, substances, and acids. I hope you learned that bleach is one of the chemicals you should never put into your household drains. Bleach is a powerful chemical agent and very toxic. How to Clean Your AC Drain Line With Vinegar or Bleach. The resulting poisonous chloramine gas will scape the pipelines and circulate throughout the kitchen and house air. Person one pours bleach down the drain and then goes out of the house while person two comes along, cleans the counters with ammonia and pours the cleaning water down the drain. You might think: I don’t think anything bad will happen after I poured bleach down my drain. How to dispose of bleach? But my landlord doesnt want me using ANY chemicals for anything. Are You A Corporate Watchdog? And there are other people that put bleach into the drains because they have heard bleach can bust clogs. You should also never use bleach to unclog your drains. Stay safe, be happy, and see you the next time we bring more valuable tips and advice. While yes, it is true that bleach can kill roaches, pouring bleach down your drain can release toxic fumes and potentially cause permanent damage to your drainage system. Home drains in the kitchen and bath generally get clogged by grease, food waste and hair, none of which will be effectively dispersed by bleach. Mixing bleach with any of these household cleaners will create toxic gases that can contaminate the air in your house, and it will make you sick. Well, for the umpteenth, we’ll say it: POURING BLEACH DOWN YOUR DRAIN IS QUITE DANGEROUS. In the end, bleach is very useful, so it won’t be hard to find someone to donate it. Thanks for this article and links! Is it ok to pour bleach down kitchen sink to get rid of gnats? Bleach will not damage your drain pipes. I do, in the bathroom. We are Serving San Francisco and Surrounding Areas, “I poured bleach down my drain by accident.” And you now probably have many questions. Bleach alone is not necessarily hard on the environment. 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