The Fastest Fix For A Clogged Sink

There are few things more frustrating than dealing with a clogged sink. Whether it's the leftover food that has made its way down your kitchen sink or nasty bits of hair that can't quite make it all through your pipe, it makes for an unwelcome situation. Over time if you don't properly clean your bathroom or kitchen sink, the skin flakes, soap scum, food waste, and cooking oils can build up on the inside of the pipes and eventually cause a clog. This clog will trap water and not allow it to pass through, causing the water in your sink to back up. 

To avoid this messy disaster from happening in the first place, there are a few steps you can take. In the bathroom, try using a guard over your drain so that the water can pass through, but the hair will be trapped, according to Magnificent Plumbing and Rooter. This way, after you shower, you can simply toss the fallen hair into the trash. In the kitchen, always try to avoid washing food particles down the drain. This goes for coffee grounds, fat, and cooking oils as well. After you are done washing the dishes, don't just remove the plug right away, as this could allow food to get sucked down the pipes. Instead, turn your sink plug to allow water to pass through, but food gets trapped. A pressure wash to properly clean your sink drains could also remove any sticky build-up in the pipes.

If you have run into a clogged sink situation, it's more than likely caused by unwanted build-up or items being trapped in the curved pipe under your sink. This P-Trap, as it is known, is actually twisted by design. The funky shape allows some water to naturally rest in the reservoir so that it can block harmful sewer gasses from coming up the pipe and into your home, per HomeTips. However, it could also be the spot where some blockage occurs.

Unless you have a plunger dedicated to kitchen clogs — we don't recommend using the bathroom plunger in your sinks because of germs and other obvious nastiness —there is another way to effectively get rid of that pesky clog. Utilizing the power of some common household ingredients, you can rid your sink of that blockage in a jiffy. First, pour some boiling hot water down the clogged drain, then add up to a cup of baking soda and push it down using a wooden utensil. Let it settle for a few minutes, then pour a cup of white vinegar down the pipe and plug the drain, according to CNET. The resulting bubbly chemical reaction will gently eat away at the grime or particles causing the clog and loosen it up. Once some time has passed, you can pour some more boiling water down and wash away the clog. Or repeat the steps again to loosen the clog further.

If your problem requires a little more time and effort, but you want to skip the added expense of hiring a professional plumber, then there are a few other ways you can unclog the blockage in your sink. Although using harsh chemicals like bleach may not be recommended as you don't want to erode the precious pipes under the sink, you might be able to reach the issue using a drain snake.

A drain snake is a long thin metal cable that can run up to 50 feet in length. This cable can be carefully fed down your drain and then twisted and turned so that the metal hook at the end can grasp the blockage a pull it lose, according to Mr. Rooter. However, this should be used as a last resort as the metal cable twisting along a metal pipe could result in some damage when the process is not performed with some precision. If you don't have the extra funds to purchase a drain snake, you can get the same result using a wire coat hanger that has been bent to fit down the drain. This method can work wonders if the issue is closer to the surface of the plug. Just be extra careful not to lose your grip on the snake or hanger as you are working away. You wouldn't want it to slip out of your reach and add to the problem of your already clogged pipes.