How to Unclog the Sink: Home Remedies and Tricks That Work

The sink It is one of the things that are most used in a house. Sooner or later it usually happens that It gets stuck and that’s when we despair looking for the best way to know how to unclog the sink and end that nest of bacteria smelly.

Luckily, it is also one of the most traffic jams simple to solve, but you have to take some precautions and know the tricks to be able to do it right. The leftover food, soap, and grease that falls down the sink constitute a real problem for the water drainage.

How to unclog the sink

Once the sink is clogged, there are several ways to deal with the situation. Let’s go step by step.

1. Plunger: It sucks the air out of the pipe and then draws it back in, helping to dislodge the clog. You’ll know the jam is clear when you fill the sink and it empties quickly.

2. Water hit: Sometimes a strong stream of water can blow out what is blocking the sink. Take a plastic bottle, fill it with hot water, turn it upside down with the bottle’s hole against the drain, and squeeze it as tightly as you can. Fast, targeted water flow can fix the problem.

3. Baking soda and vinegar: sometimes the plunger cannot unclog the sink because the clog is too thick and greasy. In this case our proposal is to use bicarbonate and vinegar. First, pour a cup of baking soda down the drain. Then the same vinegar. You will hear a lot of sparks, and there may even be some foam coming down the drain. Once the chemical reaction wears off, pour in hot water to clean the pipe. You can also put the cap on and let it act for a few minutes and then add the hot water.

4. By hand: If none of the above works, it’s time to call the plumber or try it yourself: roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Most of the clogged sinks are due to the U-bend getting clogged and sometimes the only solution is to remove the U-bend and clean it by hand. For this you will need

– A small bucket or plate

– Plumber’s tape

– Wire hanger

Look under your sink and find the U-elbow, it is the first elbow in the pipe immediately below the hydrant. Place the bucket / plate under the U-elbow and carefully unscrew the section of tubing. The u-bend has two sets of threads, one at each end. As you loosen them, the accumulated water will come out, so take your time. Once the water flow has stopped, remove the U-elbow and use the wire hanger to clean the inside of the pipe, you can also use a dish towel and hot water to help clean everything. Once everything is clean, secure the U-elbow back in place, using plumber’s tape to make it airtight if necessary. Turn on the tap to make sure the U-bend is tight.

As always, the wisest thing is to try to prevent problems. In the case of the sink clog, it can be tricky at times because inevitably the grease from washing dishes has to go there, but there are things that can be improved.

How to avoid blocking the sink

Be aware of:

– Food leftovers

– Tissues

– Drinking straws

– Cotton swabs

– Pieces of plastic

– Paper

Basically, you have to avoid throwing anything other than water or another liquid down the sink

Prevention is always better than cure, and it is also a little cleaner and less odorous. But if the sink does get clogged, don’t let that put you off. Grab a plunger and show that clog who’s boss.