We’ve all stood next to our sinks or toilets with something in our hands, wondering if it will wash down or cause a nasty clog. Clogs are bad for your pipes, potentially bad for the environment, smelly, and a nuisance. A slow, sluggish sink drain is a very common plumbing problem.
In case, your drain line got clogged, here are five easy tips to fix a clogged sink. Read on:
When you dump things that shouldn’t be dumped down the drain, anyway. Now, you have six inches of standing water in your sink, and your dinner guests will be there in thirty minutes. You may not need a trip to the store to buy drain cleaner if you try a few of these tips.
1. Plunger
You’ve probably never thought about using your toilet plunger for your clogged sink, but the same principle applies. If you have a double sink, make sure one side of it is closed off with the drain plug or a wet towel is wedged into one drain.
2. Dish soap
For many kitchen sink clogs, pouring dish soap directly into the drain may do the trick. It will even work on toilet clogs because dish soap is much denser than water and can fall through standing water to reach the source of the clog.
Dish soap will lubricate the material causing the clog, and you may be able to flush it away after about twenty to thirty minutes of allowing it to sit. If you pour grease into your sink, follow it immediately with dish soap and hot water; dish soap has been formulated to cut through grease.
3. Baking soda and vinegar
You’ve been waiting your whole life to use the knowledge that baking soda and vinegar cause a fizzy volcano; elementary school science, this is your moment to shine! Baking soda and vinegar can cause enough of a reaction to stir things up in your drain.
- Start by pouring a pot of boiling water down the clogged sink drain.
- Then pour a cup of baking soda and an equal solution of vinegar and water.
- Cover with the drain plug and wait five to ten minutes.
- Flush the drain with boiling water.
4. Boiling water
If your sink is clogged but doesn’t have inches of standing water, pour boiling water into the drain. This just may get things flowing along again.
5. Go fishing
Gently poking a straightened wire hanger down your clogged sink drain may dislodge the source of the clog. If you are hair fishing in the shower, keep a slight curve on end to hook the offending blob.
You can save yourself a lot of money trying these unclogging tips before calling a plumber, but you can save yourself a lot of headaches by simply avoiding any of these top ten things that should never be dumped down the drain.
