1

Someone told me that the plastic jugs used for cat litter can be reused to store drinking water for emergencies. So I took three empty jugs and rinsed them out in a bathtub before filling them.

Oops. Cat litter + water = hard clumps. My bathtub now drains very slowly.

What can I do, other than snaking? Given that cat urine is presumably acidic, might it help to make the water more alkaline?

Anton Sherwood
  • 113
  • 4
  • 1
    The fact that cat urine is slightly acidic does not mean that cat litter clumps will soften at alkaline pH. It may in fact soften or it may not. Get some litter in a bowl and make a clump with water. Then try adding warm or hot water with detergent. If this loosens the clump, try draining a 1/3 full tub of warm or hot water with a generous amount of dish washing or laundry detergent. – Jim Stewart Jan 02 '17 at 11:13
  • 1
    @JimStewart if your experiment works, why not have OP put undiluted dish detergent into drain, let it slowly flow downward to ensure it has flowed below the stopper, and then fill tub 1/3 full? This puts the concentrated detergent where it needs to be before being washed away. – James Olson Jan 02 '17 at 13:41
  • 1
    Why is there a no snaking limitation? Do you have access to the trap? If so, does it have a cleanout? – Tester101 Jan 02 '17 at 15:11
  • I'd rather not have to go buy a snake, that's all. No, I can't get at the trap. – Anton Sherwood Jan 04 '17 at 05:04
  • 1
    Most kitty litter is made from Bentonite clay. Once the granulates become wet and combine you will have a hard time washing them away with normal water flow. Have you thought about trying to use a plunger to push the clump through? – Preston S Jan 05 '17 at 20:39
  • The plunger helped, thanks. I don't think it's fully clear but it's a start! – Anton Sherwood Jan 13 '17 at 19:45

0 Answers0