A blocked sink or shower drain is not a particularly pleasant experience and, in that moment where we find ourselves elbow deep in dirty dishwater, we need a trustworthy product that will get deep into the misbehaving drain and clear out that blockage.
So which product can we rely on to do the best job? We’ve made a list of the seven best products out there to make your choice a little bit easier. There is something on this list for everyone!
Best Drain Unblockers in the UK
1. Mr. Muscle Drain Unblocker
Mr. Muscle’s Drain Unblocker is known for swiftly dissolving even the toughest of drain blockages. According to the manufacturer, it can the worst clogs in just five minutes, and is three times more effective than bleach at removing stuck hairs in laboratory tests.
Most people find that Mr Muscle works well at fixing blocked sink and shower drains, though many users find they need to leave it longer than the five minutes stated on the packaging. There are also cases where Mr Muscle will fail to unblock a sink, even if you use the whole bottle and leave it for an hour or longer.
For best practice, use this product on a weekly basis on the drains throughout your house, not just in your kitchen. When there is a specific blockage, pour the entire bottle down the drain and leave for a full five minutes before flushing it with piping hot water.
2. Buster Kitchen Plughole Unblocker
Buster Kitchen Plughole Unblocker is known for targeting fat and food that may have built up in your kitchen drains. Instead of liquid, the bottle is full of crystals, all of which will need to be poured down the drain and left for 20 minutes before flushing with hot water.
This product is made in the UK and is also safe for use on septic systems.
Some users find that an unpleasant kind of gas comes out of the drain as the product dissolved, that has and unpleasant smell. Make sure you open your windows before using it, and stand away from the sink while it does its work!
Some users have also mentioned melting damage to the areas around the drains, although this could potentially be caused be leaving the product longer than advised before flushing out with hot water.
3. HG Kitchen Drain Unblocker
HG Kitchen Drain Unblocker is unique in that it is fully biodegradable and uses natural enzymes and microbes to offer a safer alternative to this type of product. It is also safe for all drains, as well as septic tanks.
In addition, it increases your septic tank’s bacterial culture and helps to prevent any blockages from occurring in your drains.
For best results, pour 300 ml of the unblocker into your drain along with an equal amount of lukewarm water. Leave the product for six to eight hours before flushing the drain with hot water.
Some users have said that this product may be somewhat less effective than similar products and that it can sometimes require up to two bottles before real results can be seen.
4. Cillit Bang 3-in-1 Drain Unblocker
Cillit Bang’s 3-in-1 Drain Unblocker is a versatile solution for kitchen and bathroom drains. Users appreciate its ease of use and value for money.
The product effectively tackles tough clogs, eliminates unpleasant drain odours, and is deemed safe for all pipes. It comes with a handy unblocker tool that you can poke down the plughole to help dislodge stubborn blockages.
Most people find that Cillit Bang Drain Unblocker can unblock severely clogged sinks if left overnight. However, sometimes you might need to use more than one bottle. It’s also a bit more expensive than some of the alternatives.
5. Duzzit Drain Away
Duzzit Drain Away comes in sachets rather than bottles and is designed to work on most drains, including showers and baths, in addition to your kitchen sink.
It creates a cleaning foam that will eat through any pesky blockages in your pipes. It’s also safe for non-metal pipes, so if there is plastic in your shower or sink drains then you can use this product without a second thought.
This is one of the more affordable products on the list, is highly effective, and requires only one sachet to have visible results.
6. Spear & Jackson Heavy Duty Sink and Drain Unblocker
Spear & Jackson Heavy Duty Sink and Drain Unblocker is quick to act when getting into those particularly fatty kitchen sink blockages. It’s also effective in working through both soap and hair buildup in bathroom drains, as well as unblocking exterior drains.
It is advised to use this product as regularly as possible in order to ensure that no food, fat, hair, or grease can build up in those drains and cause a bad blockage. This may be hard to do when this product is in the slightly pricier bracket for drain openers.
Some users have mentioned that despite using an entire bottle of this product, their drains are not cleared as effectively as they would be after using other similar products.
7. Ecozone Kitchen Drain Unblocker
If you’re looking for a more eco-friendly drain unblocker, this one from Ecozone could be a good choice. The vegan, cruelty-free formula uses non-toxic enzymes to break down blockages.
Ecozone recommend flushing the drain with a litre of hot water and adding a quarter of the bottle before leaving it overnight for at least eight hours and then flushing with another litre of hot water.
While this product is kinder to the environment than the more powerful chemical alternatives, some people find it isn’t particularly effective at dealing with serious blockages.
It might be better uses as a preventative measure to keep drains clear rather than dealing with drains that are already severely blocked.
How to Choose the Right Drain Unblocker for You
The best way to narrow down the best option for you would be to consider a handful of key things. Hopefully this handy breakdown of key features to keep an eye out for may help you to narrow down your choice.
Do you want speedy results?
If the quickest results are what you are looking for then the Domestos and Mr. Muscle Products would be the best options for you. Both products are fast-acting and should show excellent results within 5 to 15 minutes.
Both are also relatively affordable options considering how swiftly and effectively they clear the blockage in your drain. Both do require the use of the entire bottle though.
Are you environmentally conscious?
If you are looking for the option that will be the most environmentally friendly, then the HG Kitchen Drain Unblocker is the best option for you. It is biodegradable and improves the bacterial culture of your septic tank as a preventative measure to stop future blockages.
Are you looking for the most affordable option?
If you are more price-conscious, then the Duzzit Drain Away sachets may be your best option.
Many of the products on the list are relatively affordable, especially if only used when your sink is actually blocked, but Duzzit Drain Away is both affordable and efficient while only requiring small amounts of their product for each use.
Another affordable option includes Buster Kitchen Plughole Unblocker, which also takes only 20 minutes to work through those tough blockages.
Buster also uses crystals instead of liquid, which is much safer when it comes to avoiding any potential accidents that could take place when handling the harsh chemicals that make up the liquid products.
Blocked Drain FAQs
Is a blocked drain an emergency?
It is safe to say that a properly blocked drain can be viewed as a plumbing emergency. This situation could leave you without a usable sink for an extended period of time, which could have detrimental effects on your physical and food-based hygiene.
What happens if you leave a blocked drain clogged?
If you leave your drain for too long with a proper blockage, it can cause pressure to build up inside your pipes, which could lead to the pipes eventually cracking or bursting.
This could create a much more significant and expensive problem that may be considerably harder to fix than simply unblocking your drain. It may also leave a smelly and unpleasant mess and could be very unhygienic and swarming with germs.
What do I do if I’ve tried one of these products and my drain is still clogged?
Your best option if you find that the at-home drain unblockers are not effectively clearing the blockage would be to call in the professionals! A plumber will know exactly what to do and should have the blockage sorted in no time at all.
Conclusion
If we had to take all of this information into account before choosing just one product from our list, we would choose to recommend Mr Muscle Drain Unblocker as our number one choice. It’s one of the most popular drain unblocker products on the market thanks to its powerful and effective formula, as attested by thousands of positive reviews.
An adventurous book lover with an animal obsession and a proclivity for travel and spontaneity. Used to passionately despise cleaning but has grown to enjoy it thanks to learning all the best tricks and shortcuts to guaranteeing a stress-free routine and a spotless home.
