Why is it no longer possible to find crystal Drano and Sani-Flush in grocery stores? The liquid products offered now just don’t get the job done, particularly the toilet bowl cleaners. Store managers seem to be clueless. Who is behind this conspiracy and why?
Last time I checked, Red Devil Crystal Lye was still on the shelves. Pretty much the same thing.
Are you sure these products are discontinued by the manufacturer? Maybe your local grocer dropped them in favor of the faster moving products. I thought Vano liquid starch, 20 mule team borax and a few others were history, until I found them on the shelves next to the liquid bluing and naptha soap at a local drugstore.
Look around, and dont forget to check the import stores.
Sani-Flush crystals are available in St. Louis. Bought some last week. In with all the toilet drop in tablets and all.
What about Di-Gel?
I have recently found that Vanish has vanished as well. All that is available is their liquid based products which consist of half the amount of active ingredients cut with water and sold at the same price as the old product.
I have to wonder if all of these product dissapearances are due to the fact that some of them can be used for drug manufacturing or some other illicit purpose.
[twilight zone theme]
To get Red Devil Lye (sodium hydroxide) to heat up and dissolve easily like Drano, just add some cut up pieces of aluminum foil to the stuff before pouring it down the drain. The dissolving NaOH reacts vigorously with the aluminum, giving off heat and bring the water nearly to a boil, the heat makes the NaOH much more effective at dissolving whatever organic crud is blocking the pipes.
If you still happen to have some drano, look at it closely, and you can see the flakes of Aluminum mixed with the NaOH.
Mmmmm…[note: instructions on building an illegal device removed]
[Edited by manhattan on 11-14-2000 at 08:47 AM]
Some cautionary notes:
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Red Devil lye is deadly. Ingestion can easily be fatal–just ask Robert Johnson. Simply not washing one’s hands thoroughly after use and touching an eye can cause burning. If there are children about, this stuff should not even be in the same house.
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Red Devil also has a nasty habit of causing “blowback.” This is where the reaction proceeds too quickly and scalding, caustic water explodes out of the drain. The directions clearly demand the use of cold water in an effort to prevent this uncommon but tragic event.
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Red Devil also tends not to work when using cold water.
I had to clean out a drain last week, and the good old Devil just wasn’t doing the job with cold water. In fact it had only partially worked and had completely clogged the drain. So, carefree risk-taker that I am, I filled the drain with hot water, doubled the dosage, dumped it into the basin and literally ran out of the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I didn’t come back for half an hour, and when I did to discover a clear drain, I flushed it with cold water for ten minutes.
Hey, I couldn’t hack it as a chem major. I know all about disastrous mistakes.
Whatever happened to Grease Relief? It was a great spot remover for laundry.