Have you encountered a situation where the water in your sink or bathtub has stopped draining and you don’t have a plunger at hand?
Don't rush to disassemble the siphon or spend money on expensive gels - there is a method that will solve the problem for pennies.
Reader's Digest magazine called this life hack "brilliant in its simplicity," and Ivan P., a plumber with 20 years of experience, said: "90% of calls can be prevented if you know about aspirin."
The secret lies in the reaction of acetylsalicylic acid and hot water.
As Olga Smirnova, professor of chemistry at Moscow State University, explains, when the tablet dissolves, carbon dioxide is released, which creates pressure, “pushing through” the blockage.
A Plumbing Engineering study found the method to be effective against hair, grease and soap scum.
The recipe is suitable not only for "treatment" but also for "disease prevention". To prevent clogs, you need to throw one tablet into the drain once a month. This approach will dissolve the growths before they become a problem.
How to use? Reddit user PipeMaster shares instructions.
"Crush 2 aspirin tablets, pour them into the drain, pour a glass of boiling water. After 5 minutes, turn on the hot water - the pipe will be cleared with a "gurgling" sound."
For difficult blockages, add half a glass of soda: the reaction will be more powerful.
Real stories are surprising. Alla from Odessa writes in the group "Clean House" : "After the holiday, the drain in the kitchen did not work at all. The neighbor gave me aspirin - in 10 minutes the water went away like new!"
The main danger is using the method on old plastic pipes.
As This Old House magazine warns, boiling water can warp them. Instead, heat the water to 70°C.
Author: Elena Shimanovskaya