On 7/9/2012 9:38 AM, Ray wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which
stands overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that
carbonated soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when
you get them on sale.

Is this correct?

Like most all generalities/home remedies "yes and no"

There are any number of drain cleaners on the market that are more or
less effective depending on just how badly and what a clogged drain may
be clogged with. One problem w/ many of the more aggressive cleaners is
the conditions of the pipes themselves; particularly if metal. The
cleaner can be the final straw that eats through a thin point...

Carbonated drinks are dilute acids so indeed do have some of the same
properties. Whether they're strong enough to do any good for any given
case depends on the above conditions. Being much less aggressive than
the stronger commercial products they are safer in the sense of being
unlikely to cause a failure--otoh, being weaker they're less likely to
be successful in a hard case or at least not w/o either a very long time
to work (which means can't use the sink for anything else for that same
long time) or many applications (which tends to wipe out any cost
differential)

So, "all depends"

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