Drains working at a snail’s pace or emitting a foul odour? Chances are you’re dealing with a blocked drain. But fear not, it’s often an easy fix.

It’s no shocker that drains get clogged up - daily deposits of food scraps, soap, oils and grease will inevitably lead to a build-up.

However, the cleaning whizzes at Bright and Beautiful have claimed that the top solution for a blocked drain isn't a chemical cleaner, baking soda or vinegar, but soda crystals which work the “quickest”.

They advised: “There’s no need to call a plumber for most ordinary or non-severe blockages.”

“Try pouring boiling water down the sink, once it has drained away, fill a mug with soda crystals and pour it down the plughole.”

White vinegar and baking soda are common cleaning agents, but their combined chemical reaction isn’t potent enough to shift the fatty grease in drains.

The combination can’t dislodge food or soap particles as vinegar is an acid, while baking soda is a weak alkaline substance, leaving you with fizzy salty water instead of a cleared drain.

Soda crystals, on the other hand, are strongly alkaline, meaning they can break down the acidic grease and fat so they dissolve easily in water.

What’s more, soda crystals can also dissolve organic build-ups, making them handy for unblocking bathroom sinks clogged with hair or soap scum.

To use soda crystals to unblock a drain, all you need to do is boil a small amount of water in a kettle and pour the water down the drain.

Wait for the water to drain away then fill a mug with soda crystals and pour them down the drain as well.

Leave the soda crystals to sit for five to 10 minutes as it will need time to break up the greasy blockage.

Boil the kettle once again and pour it slowly down the drain to rinse away the soda crystals plus the broken-down grease and fat.

The expert said: “To be extra sure your blockage has completely gone, empty a full kettle of hot water down the sink.”