Surprising TikTok hack: Clean your drain with ice cubes

TikTok is a rich source of tricks from a wide variety of fields. Basic makeup or fashion hacks, cheap travel tips, as well as everyday homemaking chores like cleaning, are among its most popular content. One particular trick is astounding.

While cleaning the kitchen may not be a favored task, it's mandatory if we wish to maintain hygiene, prevent foul smells, and ward off disease-causing microbes. Regularly unclogging and cleaning drains is crucial - blocked pipes obstruct the free flow of water.

What's an effective way to cleanse a drain? Most of us are familiar with commercial, chemically loaded products designed for the task. However, these tend to be not only expensive but also unsustainable. Homemade, natural solutions are a far better choice. Surprisingly, ice cubes are all you require to utilize one such method.

This innovative method of deep-cleaning a sink and drain was introduced by a TikToker named @stephyroc99. Her trick erupted into a viral sensation with over 11.5 million views of her video. The approach is quite simple: just toss numerous ice cubes into your sink and let the faucet flood the basin with water. The recording demonstrates that, within a few seconds, the ice cubes clog the drain, and the receding water sweeps any pipe dirt along with it.

Cleaning with ice is just one way to unclog a drain. Another trick involves pouring a teaspoon of dish soap into the drain, followed by half a cup of baking soda and, ultimately, two cups of vinegar. Cover everything with a cloth, leave it for 10 minutes, then rinse everything off with hot water.

An equally effective method involves using only baking soda and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio; for example, pouring half a cup of vinegar over half a cup of baking soda. Similar to earlier, cover the drain, leave the mixture for 15 minutes, then rinse with hot water. Aspirin can also be effective for unclogging pipes - simply drop two tablets into the drain and pour a cup of vinegar over them.