A blockage in the sink is a frequent occurrence, even if the hostess maintains ideal cleanliness in the house / apartment and thoroughly flushes the sink from grease and dirt. Does not allow food residues to enter the drain system. How to fix a clogged sink? It’s simple – and you can do it on your own, especially since there are a lot of options.
Table of Contents
- How to clear a clogged sink with a plunger
- How to clear a clogged sink without a plunger
- Special means for cleaning the clogged sink
- Mechanical cleaning of the clogged sink
- What to do if the kitchen sink is clogged?
- What to do if the bathroom sink is clogged?
- Video how to fix a clogged sink
How to clear a clogged sink with a plunger
A very popular, well-known plunger for a long time is a real “magic wand” in moments of clogging of the sink. Its principle of operation is simple – a water hammer is created under pressure in the drain pipes, which facilitates the passage of accumulated dirt.
The plunger should be applied with the rubber side to the hole in the sink so that it is completely closed. Then 3-4 sharp jolts are made, during which you can hear the characteristic gurgling sounds in the pipes. Then the plunger is removed and, as a rule, the water from the sink begins to actively drain.
If the water is draining poorly, then you need to repeat the procedure with the plunger. If dirt / debris / food particles rise upward, then they must be removed immediately – if they get into the drain again, they will again create a blockage.
The plunger is the answer to the question of how to clean the sink in the bathroom, because this method is suitable for any drain systems, including toilets.
How to clear a clogged sink without a plunger
If there is no plunger in the household, then you can use folk remedies, the basis of which is ordinary baking soda. It is this product that has the ability to dissolve fats, which causes the cleaning of the drain system in the sink. So, the blockage in the sink can be removed in the following ways, look on this clog sink hacks:
- pour three tablespoons of baking soda into the drain hole in the sink, then rinse everything off with hot water, preferably boiling water;
- pour three tablespoons of baking soda with vinegar in an amount of 100 ml, wait 15 minutes – during this time, the chemical reaction in the vessel will end. Then the solution is poured into the hole of the sink and after 3 minutes everything is washed with hot water;
- take equal amounts of regular washing powder and baking soda, pour into the drain system of the sink. Then pour 200 ml of vinegar there and after 2-5 minutes rinse everything with hot water.
These products work well even with severe blockages, and baking soda works for both kitchen sinks and bathroom sinks. If the blockage happens in the kitchen, then, most likely, the cause of this will be fat accumulations – they are easiest to dissolve with vinegar, so in this case it is better to use the second recipe from the above for the cleaning procedure.
Special means for cleaning the clogged sink
There are a lot of such products on the market – they are aggressive, guaranteeing almost instant results. The challenge is to choose a cleaning agent that will not only quickly and efficiently remove the blockage in the sink, but also be safe. It must have excellent quality characteristics:
- removes clogged drain in a short time;
- dissolves even hair and grease, but at the same time it is completely safe for pipes;
- disinfects;
- removes unpleasant odors, even if the clogged sink is already old.
Removing a blockage in a sink is easy, but it is much more advisable to simply avoid it. According to statistics, the blockage occurs due to fatty accumulations in the pipe, and they are taken just from the inner surface of the sink. This suggests that when cleaning the kitchen space, you need to pay attention not only to the tiled surfaces, but also to the sink – with special means.
You can also try the methods on how to unclog a dishwasher – if you have the one and it sometimes get clogged.
Mechanical cleaning of the clogged sink
This is a rather unpleasant procedure, but sometimes you have to carry it out as well. In kitchen sinks there is such a detail as a siphon – it retains various dirt, preventing it from forming a blockage in more distant pipes. Modern sink installation systems involve the installation of a removable siphon, so it just needs to be unscrewed, cleaned and rinsed.
But mechanical cleaning of the siphon will only be needed if you use a plunger or folk remedies – they do not remove the unpleasant odor and the effect from them is short-lived. But professional products last longer and eliminate the need to manually clean the siphon. Mechanical methods are often used to unclog a dishwasher with standing water too – check out here.
It is quite possible to clear the blockage in the sink, you just need to choose a convenient method.
What to do if the kitchen sink is clogged?
Plumbing clogs are more common in the kitchen than in the bathroom, as food, vegetable debris gets into the drain hole, and fat deposits form.
What to do and what to do if the kitchen sink is clogged, and the plunger does not cope with the task?
A manual hydraulic pump will come to the rescue, which will break the plug in the pipe with a powerful jet of water. To do this, you need to draw water into the pump and, pressing it tightly to the drain, pump until the blockage breaks through.
But if there is a suspicion that the sink is clogged due to a large amount of debris falling into the pipes, it is worth disassembling and cleaning the siphon of the kitchen sink. This requires:
- Place a bucket under the siphon – the liquid that flows out of it will be very dirty and fragrant, so it is better to avoid additional cleaning.
- Unscrew the manhole cover or the siphon settling bowl, wait until the water and sediment drain into the bucket.
- Clean the siphon and remove grease from its walls using a special tool.
- Assemble the structure back, check the water flow and the absence of leaks.
Cleaning with folk remedies will not be superfluous if the sink in the kitchen is clogged. Such a simple method of cleaning from improvised means is popular:
- To boil water.
- Pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain.
- Pour baking soda with vinegar – it will take half a glass, you need to do this slowly and avoid splashes.
- After 1-2 minutes, rinse the drain with boiling water.
- Ready-made commercial pipe cleaners are used in a similar way, however, you need to work with them carefully, always wearing gloves, and avoiding splashing, since they contain caustic alkalis. A concentrated salt solution will help dissolve the fat in the pipe.
If you still did not have a plunger at hand, then you can also recall such methods of cleaning with folk remedies if the sink in the kitchen is clogged. The plunger can be replaced with a cut cardboard bag of milk (the principle of operation is the same), or you can also try to clear the blockage with a vacuum cleaner. And if there is an unnecessary rubber ball, then the plunger can be built independently – from the cut-off half of the ball, a stick and a self-tapping screw.
What to do if the bathroom sink is clogged?
Of course, the same cleaning methods can be used for the bathroom sink as for the kitchen sink. But what if the bathroom sink is clogged, and plungers, siphon cleaning, powdery and liquid pipe cleaners do not help?
It happens that the problem does not lie in the pipes of the sink itself, but affects that part of the pipe that connects to the bathroom and the further outlet of the sewer. Therefore, it is worth trying to clean the drain hole in the bathroom with a plunger. In this case, the emergency drain must be closed. If possible, it is worth unscrewing the pipe from the bathroom and carefully checking its patency with a wire.
In case of the most persistent blockages, a plumbing cable is used. However, you need to work with it very carefully so as not to damage the siphon and pipes made of plastic. For work, the drill end of the cable is pushed into the pipe before it hits the blockage, and then the cable handle is rotated. Thus, the drill breaks the blockage and the pipe is cleaned.
Of course, it’s best not to clog the plumbing. For prevention purposes, you can turn on hot water every two weeks for 20 minutes to clean the pipes, fill in special products, and put nets on all the drains. They prevent hair, food debris, grease and other pollutants from entering the pipes that cause the most persistent blockages.
