No one likes to deal with a clogged sink. As hair, food remnants and more back up, a clogged sink can ruin your evening, create unpleasant odors, and slow down your dinner plans or your attempt to get to work on time.
But clogs happen at some point to just about everyone. Take a look at a few tips on how to unclog a sink.
1. How to Unclog a Sink With Baking Soda and Vinegar
If the clog you’re dealing with is minor, you may be able to clear it with a simple, homemade remedy. Remove the drain cover by unscrewing it to the left. Next, pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain. If you think your clog is pretty far down, use a funnel to direct the baking soda as far down the drain as you can get.
The next step in this answer to how to unclog a drain is to pour half a cup of white vinegar down after the baking soda. Don’t be surprised to see bubbling and fizzing coming back up the drain. If you’re experiencing unpleasant odors, you can squeeze some lemon juice down the drain to neutralize them. This is a great method to keep your drains clean on a regular basis, and it should help dissolve small clogs.
2. How to Unclog a Sink With a Plunger and Snake
If the clog you’re dealing with doesn’t respond to baking soda and vinegar, it’s time to pull out the heavy artillery: A plunger and plumber’s snake.
Start by plunging the sink with the clogged drain. If you have a dishwasher connected to that sink, you’ll need to disconnect it or claim the drain hose, and you also need to block any dual sinks. Plunge away for several minutes until water flows freely.
If the plunger doesn’t do the truck, move up to the plumber’s snake. First, disconnect and clean out the P-trap, that U-shaped bend of pipe under the sink. You may find the offending clog right in the trap. If not, use a screwdriver to clean out the trap arm, which is the pipe connecting the P-trap to the drain pipe in the wall.
From there, spin the plumber’s snake down into the pipe as far as it will go. If it meets an obstruction, you’ve found your clog. Pull the snake out slowly, cleaning all the gunk off it as you do so.
3. How to Unclog a Sink the Easy Way
Of course you should try the baking soda method first — but if you don’t want to deal with the sometimes disgusting task of snaking out the drain, give us a call at Flinn’s Rooter Service. We have all the equipment needed, so you save yourself the effort and expense of heading the hardware store to buy plumbing tools, and we’re always ready to help. We’ll have your drain clog gone in no time.