Yeah, dental floss is a nightmare for drains—had to fish out a wad once that looked like it could’ve been a bird’s nest. I do the baking soda and vinegar trick too, but I always make sure to pour the boiling water slowly so I don’t crack any porcelain or PVC. One thing I’d add: before you start, unscrew the drain cover and pull out any visible gunk with a gloved hand or a cheap plastic snake. Saves a lot of hassle later. Just be careful not to push stuff further down... learned that the hard way.
I’ve seen folks get a little too enthusiastic with those plastic snakes and end up jamming the clog deeper—definitely second your warning there. Once had a guy call me after he “fixed” his own drain, only to push a hairball so far down it needed a full trap removal. Personally, I always lay an old towel under the sink before I start, just in case things get messy. And yeah, boiling water’s great, but I stick to hot tap water for older pipes... seen too many cracks from thermal shock.
Had a similar thing happen at my aunt’s place—she thought she could just keep shoving the snake in and “it’ll clear eventually.” Ended up with a mess and a way bigger job than if she’d just stopped when it got stuck. I’ve learned to go slow and feel for resistance, but I still get nervous I’ll make it worse. Also, I tried boiling water once in our old house and the pipe made this weird popping sound... freaked me out. Now I just use hot tap water too, just in case.
I hear you on the boiling water—my wallet still remembers the plumber bill after I cracked a pipe doing that. I stick with baking soda and vinegar now. Cheap, safe, and I get to pretend I’m doing a science experiment in my kitchen.
Baking soda and vinegar always gets recommended, but I’ve never been totally convinced it does much for a really stubborn clog. Maybe it helps with minor slowdowns? I tried it in my bathroom sink and honestly, the gunk just laughed at me. Ended up having to take apart the trap anyway. Anyone ever had real luck with that combo, or is it more of a maintenance thing than a fix?