... clear it by sprinkling lye down it, and then adding boiling water. If you ever do this, stand well back so that no lye will spatter into your face; it sputters when the boiling water strikes it. The grease in the drainpipe combines with the lye when the hot water comes down; then the soap that is formed is carried down the pipe, partly dissolved ... — Common Science • Carleton W. Washburne
...
