Drano is a household drain cleaner manufactured by S. C. Johnson & Son. It is one of the famous drain cleaning chemicals worldwide. It’s a powerful cleaner used to remove clogs from the kitchen sink, bathtub, and bath basin. But it is not recommended to use in toilets and dishwashers.
You cannot use Drano in a dishwasher due to its corrosive nature. Drano is a mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium metasilicate. These chemicals are strong enough to damage the inner parts of your dishwasher. A dishwasher usually has plastic and rubber fittings. These fittings are susceptible to the powerful active ingredients of Drano. Thus, it is better to avoid using Drano in the dishwasher.
The disadvantages of putting Drano in the dishwasher
If you put Drano in a dishwasher, it damages your dishwasher. It will harm your dishwasher in the following ways.
- Corroding of dishwasher
- Rusting and damaging of dishwasher’s metal
- Tarnishes the rubber seals
- Cause water leakage
Unclogging of dishwasher without Drano
Drano will not unclog your dishwasher’s filter effectively. Instead, it will dissolve rubber seals and plastic that will ultimately cause leakage in the dishwasher.
People unaware of Drano’s disadvantages for dishwasher, often use them to unclog its filter. To clear the dishwasher’s filter, you can follow the below-mentioned effective and safest method.
- The first thing you will have to do is turn off the water tap and power supply to the dishwasher.
- Take out the dishes from the dishwasher and remove the baskets and racks.
- Access the dishwasher filter that is present inside the dishwasher’s tub at the bottom.
- Remove the spray arms and then remove the filter.
- Use a towel to untwist or move the filter to pull it out.
- Rinse the filter thoroughly under tap water.
- You can also use a scrub brush to remove any debris accumulation.
- Besides this, you can also use a mixture of vinegar, baking soda warm water.
- Put this mixture in the dishwasher’s drain to unclog it.
- Reassemble the filter to its previous place after cleaning.
- Run a vinegar cycle by placing a cup of vinegar on the uppermost rack of the dishwasher.
- This cycle will help thoroughly clean the dishwasher’s drain and unclog its filters.
Also know this question’s answer below:
Manual unclogging of the drain hose
You can unclog the dishwasher’s drain hose manually without using Drano. This is quite a simple and easy technique to perform.
- Disconnect the drain hose from the garbage disposal.
- Lower the drain hose into the bucket.
- Use a piece of wire or any pointed object to unclog the drain.
- You can also use a clean cloth damped with vinegar and baking soda to clean the drain hose properly.
- Connect the drain hose again to the garbage disposal after cleaning.
Bottom Line…
Drano is a corrosive and robust drain cleaner that shouldn’t be used for unclogging the dishwasher. It will ruin the dishwasher’s rubber and plastic fittings. You should use natural ingredients as an alternative to Drano to unclog your dishwasher.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is Drano not recommended to unclog the dishwasher?
Drano is a corrosive and caustic drain cleaner. It can damage your dishwasher’s plastic and rubber fittings due to its strong active ingredients. That’s why it is not recommended to use in dishwashers.
2. What can you use for unclogging the dishwasher instead of Drano?
To unclog your dishwasher, you can use natural ingredients as an alternative to Drano. Take an equal quantity of baking soda and vinegar. Mix them and pour this mixture into the bottom of your dishwasher. Wait for at least 15 minutes, and then run a rinsing cycle with the highest temperature to unclog your dishwasher.
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3. For which purpose is Drano used?
Drano is used to unclog drains, kitchen sinks, bathtubs, and bath basins. It’s a highly corrosive chemical that unclogs the drains faster than any other drainer.
