The "creepy black stuff" in your drain is made up of a combination of things, mostly decomposing hair, soap scum, toothpaste grit, shaving cream residue, skin cells, etc.
This can happen from a partial clog or a buildup of toilet paper. Mineral Deposits - If you have hard water, over time, mineral deposits are going to form in your drain. Some of these deposits are going to harden and turn into a black sludge that can be just as difficult to get rid of like hair.
Biofilms contain bacteria and fungi that have grown and multiplied on a surface. To grow, bacteria and fungi require water and a source of food. If both are present on the surface then the organisms will grow and multiply to produce a grey/black jelly-like (slime) growth or produce a pink/red staining.
It is biofilm. It's a jelly-like mold (biofilm) that grows inside moist pipes ...
Common Causes of Black Slime: Black residue on faucets and fixtures is often caused by bacteria that feed on oxidized iron and manganese in the water supply. Safety of Black Slime: Black slime on fixtures is not associated with health effects, but it can be a nuisance due to taste, odor, and appearance.
When you are using a baking soda and vinegar solution to clean out your drain, you are actually causing the rubber and plastic that are used for the drain's pipes to be eaten away by the mixture. Over time, this rubber and plastic will break down, causing the drain to become even more blocked.
Pour a cup of baking soda down the drain. Rinse the sink and drain thoroughly with hot water from the sink. For extra odor-fighting, pour lemon juice or distilled white vinegar down the drain. After 30 minutes, rinse the sink and drain.
Using baking soda
Baking soda makes an excellent cleaning agent when you need to get rid of the biofilm. This is on account of the fact that it works by both chemical and physical means.
Use a Natural Cleaner
Begin by pouring up to a whole box of baking soda down the drain, depending on the severity of the slime. Then pour in the vinegar, up to half a bottle. You should hear or see the fizzing. Let it react for about five minutes, then slowly pour the boiling water down the drain.
Vinegar is both safe and beneficial to pour down your drain. It acts as a natural cleaning solution and can remove blockages and harmful bacteria that cause foul odors.
The biofilm can be invisible or it can appear as a yellow slimy film on the wound surface. Even when invisible, the lack of healing response to standard care can be evidence of the biofilm presence.
With time, baking soda and vinegar may work as a natural drain cleaner on weaker drain clogs, and the benefits of regular drain cleaning can help keep your drains free of clogs. But for tough drain clogs that need to be dissolved right away, you may want to use a stronger drain cleaner, like Liquid-Plumr.
Pour a quarter cup of baking soda together with a cup of white vinegar into the drain. Wait for 10–15 minutes, and this baking soda and white vinegar mixture should get clean.
It is safe to leave baking soda (and vinegar) to work overnight to unclog a drain. Always flush this mixture down with boiling water—no matter how long you leave it sitting in the drain.
Pouring boiling water is quite risky as it might lead to a steam burn or scalding. Another thing to keep in mind is what type of material you are pouring in into. If you have a porcelain sink, it is likely to crack due to the heat. All in all, pouring boiling water down your drain will only cause issues down the road.
Preventative Maintenance
Pouring bleach into the drain when the unit is not operating can leave residual bleach, which will damage the drain pan and line. Using vinegar for preventative maintenance throughout the year will keep your drain clean and clear and will not damage your line.
Mold can grow on almost any surface and only requires dampness and a food source. Black molds, like other molds, will grow in places where there is moisture, such as around water leaks, windows, drain pipes, or where there has been flooding.
White vinegar is a mildly acidic product that cleans, deodorizes, and disinfects. It can also kill 82% of mold species, including black mold, on porous and non-porous surfaces. You can use it safely on most surfaces, and its offensive odor goes away quickly. Pour undiluted white vinegar into a spray bottle.
Black mold is typically dark in color, but less mature specimens can take on a gray or dark green hue (there may even be white flecks or shades of orange). The surface of the mold can be smooth or have a slightly furry texture. Dark stains tend to appear in moist areas or those that have been flooded or water damaged.
What if The Baking Soda & Vinegar Hack Doesn't Work? If your drain doesn't unclog right away, repeat the baking soda & vinegar process another time or two. If you have a stubborn clog, sometimes the baking soda & vinegar trick just doesn't work. You may have to use a sink plunger to help push through the blockage.
Monthly Is The Way To Go
By using methods that incorporate baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water, you can ensure that your drains are working properly for days, months, and years to come without major work or an emergency call.
Baking soda powder will turn into a cement like mass and completely clog everything it settles in. I had a family member dump about three cups down the kitchen sink this summer and I ended up having to replace the trap, tailpiece and dishwasher drain inflow.
Biofilms are a mix of bacteria and fungi which are naturally found in air and water. Given the right growth conditions they will colonise a number of surfaces usually in the kitchen and bathroom. They will grow and typically produce a black slime. Biofilms can also be seen as pink staining, particularly between tiles.
Acetic acid is a liquid at ambient pressure and temperature, and therefore any compositions comprising acetic acid are liquid or wet compositions. However, the salt sodium diacetate (NaHAc2) leads to acetic acid when dissolved in liquid and is equally effective at killing biofilm-forming bacteria.