Not a light sprinkle—half a cup. Leo dumped it straight down the drain hole. It hissed softly, like a tiny white sand dune settling into the darkness. Some of it stuck to the wet sides of the pipe. That’s fine.
Here’s what he did—and what you’d do too, if you found yourself in that same late-night standoff with stagnant water. how to unclog a drain with baking soda
He measured carefully, then poured. For one second, nothing happened. Then the drain coughed. A fizzy, foamy, angry science-project volcano exploded upward—white foam bubbling past the drain cover, smelling faintly of pickles and clean. Leo grinned. That fizzing isn’t just for show. Baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid) create carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles break apart gunk: old grease, soap scum, hair that’s been partying down there for months. Not a light sprinkle—half a cup
Three weeks later , his neighbor Claire knocked on his door. “My shower’s clogged,” she said. “Landlord’s not answering.” Some of it stuck to the wet sides of the pipe
Leo didn’t have a cup nearby, so he used a plastic takeout lid to scoop out the murky water into a bucket. You don’t need it bone-dry, but you want the drain opening clear so the baking soda doesn’t just dissolve into a puddle on top.