People are using dish soap to break down drain blockages — I asked a plumber if it's a good idea

There's a whole swathe of reasons why it's handy to have a plumber for a husband, but it became incredibly helpful recently when I was ambitiously looking into how households are being urged not to pour boiling water down drains this winter, and he gave his expert opinion.

But, this sparked another conversation in the comments. One user pointed out a hack they'd recently read about online that suggested it could be the solution to a blocked drain.

Seemingly, an alternative to boiling water (which you shouldn't do) is to pour half a cup of dish soap down the drain and let it sit for 10 minutes before washing away with two sinks' worth of hot tap water.

So, it felt only right that I went back to my at-home expert to ask what he thought of this option as a way to tackle blocked drains. And here's what he had to say.

Can dish soap break down drain buildup?

So, if boiling water down your drain won't fix a drain blockage, will dish soap? Well, according to my plumber husband, it's not very likely. He said: "I'm not sure what dish soap would do. While it's good at tackling small amounts of grease, it's certainly not a fix for bigger blockages."

A preventative measure, maybe, but not one that will solve the problem by any means. Instead, he said: "If the waste pipe is installed with the correct fall initially, it shouldn't collect any debris, unless you're putting fatty deposits down.

Over time, these fatty deposits are what can cause a blockage and by that point, it's too late to solve the problem with a bit of dish soap."

What to do instead

Kitchen sink smell bad? Simple household ingredients like baking soda, vinegar and dish soap are a great hack for keeping it clean and fresh-smelling, but they're not the cure for blockages.

Instead, as my plumber husband previously suggested when discussing how you shouldn't use boiling water, you'll want to enforce preventative steps like avoiding pouring any fat or oil down the drain in the first place.

He says: "You should put any fat or oil into a pot to let it cool down and harden before throwing it away in the trash. Don't pour it down the sink to let it harden in your drain."

Amazon Basics 2-Pack Plunger: $15.19 at Amazon

A plunger is a bit of a home essential that you might not think about getting until you really need it. These multipurpose plungers are great for unclogging sinks, bathtubs and showers. So, if you find that you've got a blockage, reaching for a study plunger might be just what you need.

View Deal

The same goes for food waste that should be scooped up out of the trap in your sink and then placed in your trash can or compost pile. If you let large food fall down into your drain, you're going to create a problem over time.

So, if you find that you've got a blockage, the best solution is to call a plumber, try a plunger, or give it a go with a snake drain unblocker.

While it would be great if it was as simple as a bit of dish soap, the best way to tackle drain buildup is to avoid it with simple steps in the first place.

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.

More from Tom's Guide

• Experts are advising homeowners to pour vinegar down their drains this October — here's why
• Kitchen sink smell bad? Try this 3-step hack to fix it instantly
• I used to literally pull my hair out when cleaning my shower drain — but this 3-step routine has saved me from the worst bathroom cleaning job