[trekkiegirl]

I saw an item in First Magazine that said in lieu of using commercial drain cleaners which can be expensive and produce fumes, pour a 2 liter bottle of cola down the drain, let it sit for an hour and then flush with hot water. It said the phosphoric acid helps clean the gunk in the pipes. It said to do this monthly.

LOL...makes you wonder what the heck soda is doing inside the human body! I still drink diet soda but I've managed to cut down from 2-3 cans a day to 0-1 a day.

[KateRN]

wow! i wonder if that actually works!
i know coke can take rust off of cars....

[Charles]

Ellie and Kate,

The idea of using coke or any soda to clean your drains or take rust off cars is an urban legend. So I wouldn't worry too much about drinking the stuff.

[kaplods]

Mythbusters did a great show on soda myths. Basically, it didn't clean anything much better than water

[GreatBigMonsterMomma]

How do you let something "sit" in a drain, anyway? If your drain is working properly, it's going to, you know, drain.

Friendly little PSA, on a slight tangent: Most stuff that it says on the package you can flush, you can't. Well, I mean physically you can, but unless you've got a crush on the plumber it's probably not a good idea. Tampons/applicators, Kandoo wipes, some cleaning wipes, stuff like that. They'll clog the pipes fast. Good for my family, probably not so good for yours. Oh, and garbage disposals really don't like cabbage leaves. I don't know why. And, of course, don't pour oil/grease/cooking fat down your sink.

Roto-Rooter sells a product called Pipe Shield that's supposed to help keep your drains open. It's not caustic or filled with chemicals; it's bacteria that supposedly eat the gunk. I don't have a clue if it works or not.