Do Austrians Have to Unclog Drains?

On my day off, I am unclogging a drain.

Glamorous, I know.

I realized on Friday, when I came home from school to discover the toothpaste I used to brush my teeth before I left to teach was still floating around my sink basin, no less than four hours after I had expectorated it from my mouth, that my sink is not draining properly.

Those of you who are fans of This Old House (you have nothing better to do?), may be aware of all sorts of nifty tricks that I, frankly, am not. Drano is typically my go-to solution in the USA. But, despite the apparent existence of this product in German-speaking areas, Amstetten stores do not seem to carry it (perhaps I do not know where to look?). Plus, Drano is really, really bad for the environment.

Thus, I need to revert to these old-fashioned solutions to unclog my drain:

1. Plunger - this method is particularly messy (with water still in basin - not the same water from Friday, FYI) and inadequate.
2. Baking soda and vinegar - as every good 5th grade science fair entrant knows, these two seemingly ordinary household items, when combined, create massive "volcano-like" explosions. Perhaps enough of a reaction to sluice my hair, soap scum and dead skin cells out of the sink drain? Not quite, on its own.
3. Boiling water - according to Wikipedia, this works just as well on stubborn clogs as Drano at a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly rate. This method requires 2-3 hours of boiling pots of water on the stove and continually pouring them down the drain. Aside from the energy cost to heat the water, I guess it's a greener option. At least I'm not putting borax and aluminum shards down my drain...