Whenever your bathroom or kitchen sink gets clogged, you want to unclog it as soon
as possible to avoid major problems like slow water drainage, flooding, bad smell
due to standing water in the sink, and more. So, it becomes highly crucial to know
about the best practices for clearing a clogged sink or drain.
Most homemakers overlook their kitchen or bathroom sink maintenance.
Their neglecting behavior to keep their sinks clean regularly results in clogged
drains. The drains can be lightly or heavily clogged with different substances
like leftover food, hair, garbage, etc.
No matter how severely your sink is blocked, taking help from professional plumbers is always a good idea.
However, just like most people, if you want to clean a clogged drain on your
own before taking sink cleaning services from experts, here are some dos and
don’ts of unclogging a sink.
These tips will save you a lot of time and prevent costly mistakes when clearing a clogged drain.
DO Clean Your Kitchen Sink with Hot Water
Leftover food and its residue can make drainage pipes greasy, particularly
when the drain is linked to the garbage disposal. When you notice slow
drainage in your kitchen sink along with greasy residue, the combination of
hot water and dish soap is the best way of clearing clogged sink garbage
disposal. Prepare a mixture of a tablespoon of dish soap and a large bowl of hot
water. Now, pour this hot soapy water into the drain. The hot water will
remove greasiness and unclog the sink quickly. To prevent the same problem
in the future, make sure you do not dispose of leftover food items down the
kitchen sink drain or garbage disposal.
DON’T Put Water in a Fully Blocked Sink
If you keep flushing water in a blocked sink then it’s the worst thing that you
do at that point. This will make the problem of clogged sink more severe. The
extra water pressure will not remove the blockage, but simply stand in the
sink. Ultimately, you have to manually drain the standing water before trying
another most effective way to unclog a sink.
DO Think Again Before Using Caustic Chemicals in Drain
On discovering the problem of clogged sink in bathroom or kitchen, many
homeowners consider using caustic chemical in drain cleaners but this should
be avoided. The caustic chemicals are the main culprit behind the PVC pipe
damaged. They can even destroy old metallic pipes. Apart from hardware
damage, they are harmful to you as well. When clearing a blocked sink drain, if
chemical splashes happen, it can burn your eyes and skin. If you still want to
know how to unclog a bathroom sink with chemicals, you can invest in a
biodegradable cleaner that is rich in cleaning enzymes and will effectively take
off all the clogs. The biodegradable cleaners do not clean a sink drain as quickly
as chemical drain cleaners, but they are absolutely safe for hardware and
humans.
Do Use a Plunger for a Lightly Clogged Sink
Can a plunger unclog a sink? Yes, if the blockage is in the drain pipe, you can
easily loosen it with a regular cup plunger. Some blockages just require an
extra push to come out. Ensure that your sink contains water to a few inches of
height, and block the drain using a wet rag to avoid water leakage. Now put the
rubber suction over the drain and tightly plunge upwards and downwards.
Pro Tip: Try this method of clearing a clogged sink in the bathroom and
kitchen if you have not already used chemical drain cleaners. Otherwise, it can
splash onto your skin while using the plunger.
DON’T Force Excessively While Plunging
When you don’t get any results from moderate plumbing when clearing
clogged sinks, do not force the situation. Also, do not use a drain bladder or
blow bag as it directly inserts into the drain pipe and clear it wuth water
pressure. The shower and bathtub drain traps are permanently connected with
couplings (twist-off mechanism). Excessive force can destroy the drain
connection, leading to damaged trap and leaks. So, how to unclog a kitchen
sink with a plunger- the answer is gentle pressure maybe helpful but excessive
pressure will always make things worse.
Do Consider Using a Snake to Unclog a Sink
A drain snake or auger has a long coiled wire with a sharp cutter or hook at the
end. It is easily available at any plumbing hardware store at an affordable price.
Using a snake drain is one of the easiest ways to unclog a sink. Remove the
strainer from the sink and insert the tip of the snake down the drain pipe and
twist it over, which releases the coiled wire. Keep doing this until resistence is
felt- this indicates that you’ve made it to the clog. Rotate the snake to break up
the clog.
DON’T Insert the Snake Deeper into the Drain Pipe
If the snake hits the clog, do not forcibly pound at the blockage. This can
damage the pipes or trap connectors. Blockages that can’t be removed with a
snake or auger should be eliminated using a different clearing clogged drains
methods.
Do Take Off the Trap for Clearing Stubborn Blockages
Most of the sink blockages happen in the curved trap in the drain pipe under
the sink-the pipe is generally J, S, or P shaped. Taking off the trap may be the
most effective way to unclog a sink. Remove extra water from the kitchen sink,
and then put a bucket under the drain pipes so it can collect the water that is
released on trap opening. Twist the drain connectors to remove the drain trap.
Now you can wear gloves and clear the clog. If you notice that blockage exists
further down the drain, your auger will help you.
Do Get in Touch with Your Plumber
The above methods are DIY approaches for clearing a clogged sink. If they
don’t work for you, you should not delay anymore to call professional
plumbers near you. You might be doing things wrong so experts can help you
in de-clogging sink. They have experience in handling different types of drain
blockages. Additionally, if you are wondering how much does a plumber cost
to unclog sink then leave all your worries as licensed and experienced
plumbers like Flatgard have an affordable pricing structure. So, now you don’t
have to think twice before taking expert’s assistance for unclogging the sink.