Can you get rid of the dirt with just a spray? Are the drain cleaners in the ads just a waste of money?

Bubbling, smoking, changing color...with just a bottle of pipe cleaner, you can instantly transform into Harry Potter in the Potions class.

"Potions Class" has begun丨QVCtv/Youtube

Pipes full of dirt, toilets clogged by poop... When you pour in the unclogging agent, all the dirt will be sucked into the sewer. Some people use "physical magic" to directly "squeeze" the dirt out with bubbles.

Vomited in the sink | Annette Davis/Youtube

But when you buy them and use them, you may find that these drain cleaners are not as effective as shown in the video...

Useful, but not entirely useful

Advertising videos for this type of pipe cleaner are everywhere, including on Taobao’s homepage, certain audio and video platforms, and even on WeChat Moments.

These cheesy videos look really exaggerated, and you’ll find that the actual effects are not as dramatic as in the videos. Most of these products work, but the effects in the videos are over-hyped. There’s nothing special about these “magic” pipe cleaners; the magic comes from sodium hydroxide.

The ingredients of various brands of pipe cleaning agents

As a strong alkali, sodium hydroxide can react with common sewer dirt such as grease and hair (mainly composed of protein), thereby dissolving these solid blockages. Solid sodium hydroxide releases heat when dissolved in water, which can promote the removal of dirt. Some unclogging agents also add aluminum powder, which reacts with sodium hydroxide in the presence of water to produce hydrogen, loosening dirt and acting as an "air cannon".

Sodium hydroxide reacts with aluminum丨H2V/Youtube

In addition, pipe dredging agents generally contain surfactants and hypochlorites. Surfactants are good helpers for dissolving stains. They have both hydrophilic and lipophilic groups, which can significantly reduce the surface tension of the solution. Simply put, oil usually floats on the surface of water and cannot "blend" with water. Surfactants can turn grease into small droplets and wrap them up, making the grease attached to the pipe more soluble in water, thereby achieving the purpose of cleaning the pipe.

Hypochlorite is the source of the disinfection and sterilization function. It is also one of the main ingredients of 84 disinfectant.

But when you buy them and use them, you will find that the effects of these unblockers are not as exaggerated as in the video: Why is there no reaction after pouring them? The video advertisement uses a key magic: accelerated playback.

The reaction between sodium hydroxide and oil, protein, etc. is not completed in an instant. You need to give them some time! The instructions for use of pipe dredging agents will tell you that you need to let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes after adding the dredging agent. If the blockage is serious, you can let it sit overnight before flushing.

Bubble Attack is better than nothing

In addition to this chemical magic, there is also a cleaning agent that seems to have full "physical damage" skill points: cleaning foam. The manufacturer claims that if you press the can directly on the drain, the foam will quickly fill the pipe and remove the dirt.

The main ingredients of this cleaning foam are surfactants, solvents (ethanol) and disinfectants, just as the manufacturer positions this product: sink drain cleaner. The dense bubbles can deliver the cleaner to every corner of the pipe, remove some less stubborn stains, and sterilize at the same time. But its dissolving effect cannot be compared with sodium hydroxide. If you want to use it to clean the kitchen sewer full of heavy oil, then wait for disappointment.

Stop wasting vinegar and baking soda

If you don't have a special pipe dredging agent and are in a hurry to clean the pipes, you can find the "Internet celebrity cleaning combination" by just searching on the Internet: white vinegar + baking soda. From small scale to large kitchen grease, this combination seems to be able to easily deal with it, and it can be called a universal homemade cleaner.

HD Online Time Waste

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and white vinegar (4% to 5% acetic acid solution) are both common items in the kitchen, one is alkaline and the other is acidic. At this time, the chemistry teacher will ask: What reaction will occur when you put them together?

That's right, the answer to this easy-to-get-points question is the acid-base neutralization reaction. The reaction between the two will produce carbon dioxide gas and sodium acetate: bubbles appear, but there is no cleaning effect at all.

Next, it’s time to witness the useless moment丨StatUpBox/Youtube

In fact, when they appear separately, they have some uses. Baking soda water solution is alkaline, and hot baking soda solution can promote lipid decomposition and dissolve oil stains. You can use it to wipe the stove and boil the rag.

White vinegar is like a weaker version of toilet cleaner, which can dissolve carbonate scale. But if you want to deal with old stains, citric acid is better! Not only is it effective, but it also has no pungent smell. Isn't it good to keep white vinegar for cooking?

⚠️Notes⚠️

Not all pipes can handle this.

We visited several pipe cleaner stores, and almost all of them used the phrase "suitable for all types of pipes" on the product introduction pages 🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️Only when you scroll to the bottom of the product page will you see the small print in the precautions: It cannot be used for aluminum pipes, corkscrew pipes, coated pipes, hoses and other pipes that are not alkali-resistant. It also cannot come into contact with clothing, wood products, carpets, etc.

When I see this kind of propaganda slogan, I really want to report it, block it, and send it away... Sodium hydroxide will corrode aluminum tubes, and its strong alkalinity and large amount of heat release will destroy plastic hoses and coated pipes.

Don't think about being universal

Different stains have different properties. Don't think of using toilet cleaner to clean the kitchen drain. The main ingredients of toilet cleaner are hydrochloric acid and other acidic substances, which are completely useless for grease... Different cleaning agents have their own special ingredients for specific stains. Just look for the corresponding variety when purchasing.

Most cleaning products also have a certain reaction time, so you need to be patient when using them. You can take the time to read the relevant instructions carefully to avoid the situation where you just poured the detergent on and then washed it away with water. After all, the real world cannot be fast-forwarded.

Don't mix

The Detective Conan bathroom secret room incident tells us that mixing cleaning agents can produce toxic gas that can cause death. The deadly gas in the animation is chlorine, and this is also the gas that is most likely to appear when we mix cleaning agents ourselves. It will be produced as long as acidic cleaning agents and chlorine-containing cleaning agents are mixed, such as toilet cleaners and 84 disinfectants. Chlorine gas is very dangerous, so everyone must be careful.

However, it is still a bit troublesome to write down the ingredients of each cleaning agent, so it is better to just remember one thing: don’t mix them!

Generally speaking, there is no need to mix different types of detergents to clean various stains at home. At the same time, for the sake of safety, it is recommended to ensure ventilation during use and clean up in time after use.

Be careful with your skin

Most cleaning agents are somewhat irritating/corrosive, so be sure to avoid direct contact with the skin when using them. It is best to wear rubber gloves.

Different cleaning agents have different requirements for usage scenarios. You should read the precautions carefully before use to avoid danger.

References

[1] Zhu Zhenglin. Experiment on the effectiveness of pipeline blockage dredging agent[J]. Chemical Cleaning, 1998(05):40-42.

[2] Liu Shujun, Yang Li, Ping Qingjie. Research status of toxic substances migration in melamine tableware[J]. Plastics Science and Technology, 2012, 40(09):75-79.

[3] Li Qundi, Yang Xuejiao, Huang Wei. Study on the migration behavior of formaldehyde in urea-formaldehyde resin tableware and melamine resin tableware[J]. Engineering Plastics Application, 2015, 43(04): 87-91.

[4] Is it true that baking soda combined with white vinegar can effectively remove stains? http://jysh.people.cn/n1/2019/1029/c404390-31425774.html

Author: Yun Dongjun

Editor: Window Knocking Rain, Owl, Luna

This article comes from Guokr