If all looks and sounds good, turn the faucet to see if the sink drainage is back to normal. Keep in mind that your garbage disposal inspection may not reveal any clogs or issues, in which case you can skip straight to a different unclogging method. Once you establish that the disposal isn't the problem, it's time to bring out the plunger. But keep in mind: While you can use the toilet plunger if it's all you have on hand, Dengarden suggested using a flat-bottomed one for the job.
With your plunger at the ready, follow these steps:. If the sink still isn't draining properly after multiple plunging attempts, you know the drill. Time to try a different method. This approach is a natural alternative to using chemical drain cleaners on clogged drains. Much to your convenience, baking soda and vinegar are also common household items that you're likely to already have in your kitchen.
Follow these steps to let the mixture work its magic:. However, if it seems like you're making progress on the clog after completing the steps, repeat the process to double down on the blockage.
The clogs that put up a fight will require the strength of a plumber's snake to battle the blockage. The tool has a coiled spiral snake that reaches down into the drain.
Once the snake hits an obstruction, you can crank the handle to dislodge the debris and pull it out of the drain. Electric snakes pack even more power to tackle clogged drains. If you don't have a plumber's snake, you can create a makeshift one with a wire coat hanger.
Simply use a pair of needle-nose pliers to unwind the hanger into a long piece of wire. Keep the hooked end, as this is what you'll use to grab onto the debris. If necessary, you can use the pliers to adjust the angle of the hook so that it can easily fit through the drain opening.
No matter which tool you're using, simply feed it down the drain a few feet at a time. Try not to push too roughly, as you might accidentally push the clog further down the pipe. When you feel the tip of your tool hit an obstruction, hook it on and pull the debris up through the drain. Keep doing this until you feel confident that the blockage is gone.
Run hot water down the drain to see if you're right. If the water is still not draining correctly, there might be a blockage in the P-trap, aka the elbow-shaped pipe under your sink. Food, grease and other debris may be stuck in the pipe, causing your sink to drain slowly or not at all because the water hits a snag on its way down.
The fix is disassembling the pipe to clean out the gunk that's causing the blockage. Warning: This task can get a little messy, so you might want to prepare yourself with gloves, goggles and towels.
When you're ready, follow these steps to clean the P-trap:. If the drainage situation is still not up to par, the clog may be farther up the pipe. Back under the sink you go to find the source of the blockage. Here's what to do when you get there:. Before you celebrate your handiwork, check under the sink while the water's running to make sure there isn't any leaking from the pipes. If you do notice leaks, make sure all the connectors are tightened. Once you're free from the drips, dry any water spillage from under the sink or on the floor and you're good to go.
If you've made it to this point and your sink still isn't draining, there could be a larger issue at play. It's time to give in and schedule an appointment with a plumber for a professional fix. Now that your kitchen sink is draining properly again, make sure you're taking measures to prevent clogs from coming back.
The most important preventative measure is refraining from disposing of harmful items down the drain. That includes:. Instead, pour cooking grease in an old can and dispose of the container once it's full. You can add certain waste, including coffee grounds, to mulch or compost piles. The Home Depot also advised homeowners not to overload the garbage disposal. Try not to grind more than one cup of food waste at a time, and, of course, avoid sending any of the above items to the disposal.
Another pro maintenance tip: Create an equal solution of vinegar and water, and freeze the mixture in an ice cube tray. Once you remove the stopper, you may find that the source of your clog is simply that hair and gunk has built up on it. It is then simply a matter of untangling the hair from the stopper and cleaning the stopper before you replace it back in the drain hole along with the pivot rod.
We recommend cleaning the stopper over a trash can, so you only have to deal with it once. If this is the reason for your clog, you may also want to buy a lottery ticket since bathroom sink clogs are rarely that easy — so lucky you!
More than likely, however, you will discover that the clog is from hair and gunk that has become tangled around the pivot rod or in the vicinity of the rod once you have removed it.
Find a light-duty wire, such as a metal clothes hanger or even a short length of wire that you can bend and make into a tight hook. Run some hot water to help get rid of any remaining gunk and to see if the clog is gone.
If the water is still backing up or the sink is not draining, there is another clog in the line causing a blockage. The water has to be hot enough to dissolve the organic matter that has built up in the drain. Boil some water in a large kettle or pot on the stove and carefully pour it down the drain. You may find that you have to do this more than once to completely get rid of the clog. Warning: Do not use boiling water if the pipes are made out of PVC. The heat from the water can cause the pipe joints to loosen.
Also, if you have a porcelain sink, you should never pour the boiling water directly into the sink bowl as the heat can cause it to crack. You want to pour the water straight into the drain. Above all, be careful as you are working with boiling water and do not want to spill it in you or others. Although the above methods usually work for smaller clogs, if the bathroom sink clog is due to a large obstruction you may find that you can unclog it with a cup-shaped plunger.
You may have to cover the overflow hole with a wet rag to prevent the plunged water from coming out the overflow. Energy Saving Tips. Energy Education. Home Improvement. Smart Home. Green Living. Weather Preparedness. Safety Tips. One of the things parents dread hearing your child say: "The water's not going down the drain!
It's going to be wet, and slimy, and probably smell bad, and, ugh, that's not fun. Clogged drains are just part of the joy of indoor plumbing. The good news is that you can troubleshoot the issues and prevent them from happening again, including chronic problems.
But to get there, we'll need to get into what causes drain clogs in the first place. Most bathroom drain clogs result when dirt, skin flakes, and especially hair binds to soap scum on the walls of drain pipes. Over time, this gunk accumulates and reduces water flow.
Troubleshooting: Remove and clean the drain stopper. Next, try using the humble drain plunger, keeping in mind to block the over-flow drain in the tub or sink. If that doesn't work, remove the drain elbow joint and clean it out. Clean drain stoppers routinely to prevent clogs and use a hair strainer drain-cover to trap hair before it goes down the drain.
Clogged toilets are a nasty business. These mainly happen when people try flushing down items that do not dissolve or break apart in water such as:. The best preventative for keeping your toilet free from clogs is to only put in waste and paper that readily dissolve in water. Regular cleaning will also keep water flowing smoothly. Kitchen sink drains clog when cooking grease or oil cake onto drain pipe walls. Add detergent soap scum and un-dissolved food particles such as rice which expands in water , and you've got a stubborn, gunky clog.
Troubleshooting: Tackle kitchen sink drains like you tackle bathroom sinks. Start by running very hot water down the drain to soften the clog, followed by a dollop of dish detergent and then more hot water. Wait a few minutes, and then use a plunger and repeat the hot water.
If you still have no luck, you might want to move onto a chemical drain opener. Again, use caution. In the future, dispose of large amounts of kitchen grease and oil by letting them solidify.
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