how to unclog kitchen sink

I then ran hot water and the disposal. Baking soda is frequently used as a multipurpose cleanser. of cable. If you don't have a flat-bottomed plunger, you can also try using a wire coat hanger to unclog your kitchen sink. You can buy an inexpensive snake that’s simply a cable running through a bent pipe that allows you to twist the cable, but we recommend spending a little more money for a cable that’s enclosed in a drum. Garbage disposers are notorious for causing clogs, especially at the baffle. Run a modified snake down through the slots in the basket strainer. 1. Much better than Liquid Plumber. I ran the garbage disposal, but it's still clogged. If your sink has a garbage disposal, try turning it on to see if that breaks up the clog. Here’s how you do it. When hair, grease, soap residue and other debris get stuck in your drain, boiling water may be all your pipes needs to loosen the blockage. Follow that with 1 cup of vinegar. Working with homeowners and businesses to get their small repairs done in a timely and efficient manner, Honest Lee Handyman Services provides gutter and dryer vent cleaning along with fixture, fence, drywall, and toilet repairs. This article has been viewed 2,538,167 times. If that doesn’t work, try using baking soda and white vinegar. Wear gloves when using any type of chemical for pipes. If your sink is still clogged, read below for advice on how to drain the drain trap! There’s an art to using a drain snake, and the more experience you have, the better you’ll be at it. Then push the baking soda down the sink drain, using a spatula if necessary. You don’t have to remove all the stuff from under the sink, struggle to take apart and reassemble drains, or worry about spilling dirty drain water when you remove the trap. Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration. Thank you! Indeed, hot water simply delays the process, pushing the future, greasy clog further down into the drainage system where it will be harder to access. Let the mixture sit at least 6 hours. Unclog your kitchen sink with baking soda and salt. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. So, today we will work on solving this clogging mystery and will provide you a solution to unclog it and make the water flow normal again! There's a good chance you can fix the problem yourself with one of these six methods to unclog a kitchen sink: 1. Use the Bucket or another vessel to remove the standing water and get access to the drain opening. And finally, since the drain is still fully assembled, you’ll be able to tell, by running water in the sink, whether you’ve unclogged the drain. Support wikiHow by If Food Waste is the culprit. In the long run, your sink will be clogged. Use large slip-joint pliers to loosen the slip-joint nuts on both ends of the trap. And running hot water along with it won’t help. It worked immediately after many previous unsuccessful attempts. Although using a plunger may appear to be self-explanatory, it is possible to use it incorrectly. Let the clogged drain sit undisturbed for 15 minutes. How to Unclog Kitchen Sinks – Step by Step Guide. Then twist and pull until you feel it hook onto the baffle. Can you pour Drano down the kitchen sink? Turn on the hot water and see if the sink drains. If your drain setup looks something like the one shown here and the water is backing up on the side without the waste tee, you may be able to remove the clog with a bent coat hanger (opening photo). I let it set. Withdraw the cable about 6 in. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Vinegar and Baking Soda Method This method is somewhat complicated but very effective in unclogging a double kitchen sink drain with standing water. If you’re lucky, all you’ll need is a bent coat hanger. For this method, there should be no water standing, inside the sink. In this article, we have discussed how you can clean your kitchen sink without using any kind of chemicals and with the help of a sink faucet. ", to work and it's really better then not waiting. Allen Lee is a Home Improvement Specialist and the Owner of Honest Lee Handyman Services, a licensed and insured handyman business servicing Sacramento, California, and surrounding areas. If nothing is working, you may need to use a drain snake to reach further down into the drain. If all else fails, it might be time to call a plumber. ", stopper, then turn on garbage disposal. You need to pour a cup of baking soda and half a cup of salt down the drain. I would recommend calling a professional plumber or the customer service number on the bottle before trying anything else. That was not found on other sites. Soap - The regular soap bars are usually made of animal fat and grease, and if they get inside the drain, they will form a hard residue and settle there. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. You’ll have two fewer bends to get around with the snake and have an easier time reaching deep clogs. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. The instructions on my Drano bottle say to never mix it with any other chemical. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the clogged drain. But if the clog is in the trap or farther down the drain, you’ll need a 1/4-in. Rice, eggshells, tea leaves, and coffee grounds don’t dissolve easily and can lodge in the curved pipe beneath the sink (also known as the p-trap) and result in a clogged drain. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Let the baking soda and white vinegar fizz for 15 minutes, then run hot water to flush out the clog. Even if you keep your kitchen sink clean and tidy, believe me, or not, one day you are bound to encounter a clogged kitchen sink. To use boiling water to unclog your kitchen sink drain, you’ll first want to remove any standing water in the sink. Then twist and pull until you feel it hook onto the baffle. If the sink still doesn’t drain, there’s a clog farther down and this kitchen drain cleaner won’t do the trick. You can also use a flat-bottomed plunger to plunge the sink drain. Then look into the trap to make sure there’s no clog in the bottom. This is where your intuition comes into play. Our latest shed is also a pavilion—and you can build it, too! Before you reach for the drain snake, look up into the baffle tee to make sure the baffle area is clear. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Position the plunger over the drain. increase the pressure inside the drain pipe before I use the plunger again on the clogged one. ", Unlock premium answers by supporting wikiHow. This article has been viewed 2,538,167 times. This article was co-authored by Allen Lee. Can you use a plunger to unclog a kitchen sink? Working with homeowners and businesses to get their small repairs done in a timely and efficient manner, Honest Lee Handyman Services provides gutter and dryer vent cleaning along with fixture, fence, drywall, and toilet repairs. Now wiggle it up and down while twisting it to remove the clog. They’re also easier to take apart if you have a problem in the future, and they don’t corrode. I was amazed that it worked so well. Do I pour in the soda and vinegar together or separately? If the bent coat hanger doesn’t get the clog, there’s a good chance you can clear it without taking your plumbing apart. If your sink doesn’t have a garbage disposal, use Drano ® Kitchen Granules Clog Remover. Scrape the big stuff into the garbage can and use the disposer for the small stuff. It creates heat inside your drain to melt and dislodge greasy clogs. Next, pour vinegar into the drain. A clogged kitchen sink can be a nightmare in the kitchen. Garbage disposers and grease are the two biggest contributors to clogged sink drains. I suggest using a plunger as well. There are a variety of reasons. It was still clogged, so I pulled out the, "My bathroom sink has been draining very slowly. This makes lemon juice a good option for clearing out clogged kitchen sinks. Continue until you’ve pushed the exposed cable down the drain. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. Insert the hooked end of the hanger into the drain as far as you can, and wiggle it up and down while twisting it to help break up the clog. Position the end of the drum so there’s about 8 in. With this method, the only way you’ll know if you’ve unclogged the drain is to reassemble the trap and run water down the drain. Sink Unclogger Recipe. ", helpful for including that I had to put the stopper in the sink after pouring in the vinegar. ", "Baking Soda and vinegar works! Then place a bucket under the trap to catch any remaining water. When you’re done cleaning the drain, pull the cable out of the drum, rinse it off, and wipe it down with an oil-soaked rag to keep it from rusting. Step – 01. Otherwise, put on some gloves and wipe the cable off with a rag as you push it back into the drum. It worked, it opened the drain. How to Unclog Your Kitchen Sink Drain Using Baking Soda and Vinegar. You might bore through the clog, allowing water to run through and dissolve the remaining clog. If you’ve got a metal trap and drain arm, we recommend replacing them and the other metal drain parts with plastic. Once you’ve boiled a large pot of water, you’ll want to pour it directly into the drain in a steady and consistent stream. Baking soda and vinegar dissolve grease and oil. ", "It is nice and helpful for me. Thank you. ", "Fantastic place to come for everything! For … What really worked for me is the waiting for 5 minutes for it, "Baking soda and vinegar works like a charm every time! 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The only thing I added to the instruction was instead of warm water, I poured boiling hot water, "No money required for this home solution - baking powder and vinegar for 5 minutes, followed by a couple of pulls. The key is to create a tight seal with the cup of the plunger against the bottom of the sink as you pump the tool up and down. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. To see if the problem is solved, fill up your sink with standing water by purposefully clogging the drain, and then let it drain to see if runs as it should. This article was co-authored by Allen Lee. Thank you. How do I get rid of standing water in my sink? How do I unclog it? The first two steps we’ll show you don’t even require you to remove the trap or take anything apart. Remember to remove as much water from the sink as possible before you remove the trap. We recommend our users to update the browser. Never dump grease or coffee grounds down the kitchen sink. unlocking this expert answer. The heat from the water should help break up the clog. Thank you. Several things can happen at this point. What can I pour down a drain to unclog it? Persistence, as recommended. Kitchen sink clogs—usually caused by grease or overworked garbage disposers can be easily removed in minutes with these simple tools and common-sense tips. "I had tried the plunger before, but evidently hadn't worked it hard and long enough. Allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. A plummer came over and put a cable auger in there, but he said that it needs a longer one. It may be stuck on the clog or simply meeting resistance where the drainpipe bends. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/bc\/Unclog-a-Kitchen-Sink-Step-1-Version-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Unclog-a-Kitchen-Sink-Step-1-Version-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/bc\/Unclog-a-Kitchen-Sink-Step-1-Version-8.jpg\/aid105170-v4-728px-Unclog-a-Kitchen-Sink-Step-1-Version-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":410,"licensing":"