What Happens If You Mix Drano, Vinegar, And Baking Soda?

What happens if you mix Drano, vinegar, and baking soda? Is it dangerous or safe to deal with a clogged sink pipe? We explain here whether you can mix them and use them for this purpose.

If you happen to live in the United States, there is a high chance that a bottle of Drano is lying somewhere near your sink. It’s quite a popular chemical drain cleaner, as it does it job very well because of its highly caustic and alkali nature, making it quite hazardous as well.

It works by breaking down grease, hair, and any other organic matter that may have clogged your sink pipe. It's so strong that it can be corrosive to those drain pipes too. It contains sodium hydroxide NaOH, a.k.a. lye, along with aluminum and other compounds, which give it this corrosive power.

Vinegar CH₃COOH, on the other hand, is slightly acidic and can break down mineral deposits, grease, and grime on surfaces. And lastly, sodium bicarbonate NaHCO₃, a.k.a. baking soda, is a slightly alkaline and gentle abrasive; it is also used to deal with greasy surfaces and even clogs. It can react with vinegar to make that typical fizzing effect that acid-base reactions are known to create.

Now, getting back to the topic, some folks try to use Drano and mix it with household cleaning agents, the vinegar and the baking soda. Well, that’s not a good idea, as doing so can lead to dangerous pressure buildup in your clogged pipe and also lead to other unintentional reactions.

So,What happens if you mix Drano, vinegar, and baking soda?

When you mix them, the sodium hydroxide breaks into its own sodium and hydroxide ions, making the solution caustic and capable of breaking down organic matter.

NaOH + H₂O → Na⁺ + OH⁻

The vinegar reacts with sodium bicarbonate as shown below in the following reaction:

CH₃COOH + NaHCO_3 → CH₃COONa + H₂O + CO₂

The NaOH of Drano also reacts with vinegar in the following equation:

NaOH + CH₃COOH  → CH₃COONa + H₂O

This is an exothermic reaction that releases 57 kJ/mol of heat in your sink pipe, although the actual amount of heat can vary depending on the concentration and other agents present in the sink.

Since these pipes are confined spaces, such heat release can build up a strong pressure as gases like carbon dioxide gas are being released during these reactions we mentioned above. All this can actually burst your sink pipe instead of unclogging it while causing splattering or explosion.

This is one of the reasons why you should not consider mixing Drano with baking soda or any other chemical, as it can result in dangerous reactions, and the outcome can actually harm you and your sink pipes. In fact, this is quite clearly mentioned on the sink openers like Drano that you should not mix it with other cleaning chemical agents.

Having said that, before being adventurous with chemicals, it's always a good idea to first try using a plunger, which will create proper suction to dislodge clogs in your sink pipe. Other DIY techniques include pouring loads of boiling water in the pipe or using a manual drain snake, which can often unclog the sink pipe.

If these DIY tricks don’t work, then we recommend using non-corrosive, enzyme-based drain cleaners, which are safe to use, can give good results, and work by breaking down organic matter naturally and safely. Your absolute last way to deal with this problem should be corrosive drain cleaners like Drano. If you must use such chemicals, always avoid mixing them with other cleaning chemicals. This sentence was repeated intentionally!

So, the conclusion is:

It's absolutely not a good idea to mix Drano with vinegar and baking soda, as it can lead to dangerous chemical reactions, high temperatures, and pressure buildup in your sink pipes. Instead, one should go with safer options like enzyme-based drain cleaners; a manual drain snake or a simple pour of boiling water can sometimes do the job.