Things You'll Need:
- Drain Cleaners
- Plungers
- Chemical De-clogger
- Plumber's Snakes
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Step 1
Remove the sink strainer or plug from the drain.
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Step 2
Fill the sink halfway with water, if it's not already full.
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Step 3
Place the plunger over the drain, making sure that the plunger's rubber globe or cup is full of water. Plunge a half dozen or so times using careful but forceful strokes.
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Step 4
Remove the plunger and give the sink a chance to drain.
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Step 5
After the sink is completely unclogged, run hot water down the drain for several minutes.
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Step 6
Remove the P-trap or use a snake if the above steps yield no results (see "eHow to Retrieve a Valuable Dropped Down the Sink' and "eHow to Use a Plumber's Snake').
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Step 7
Consider a drain cleaner only as a last resort and follow the manufacturer's directions carefully. Do not mix chemical agents, as dangerous reactions could occur.
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Step 8
Call in a plumber for problems you can't resolve on your own.
Comments
xrudolph said
on 7/28/2009 when a sink is clogged everyone i know will automaticlly reach for a plunger i know for a fact that this will do more harm than good as the washers in most or all drains are not made to withstand much pressure and will probaly start leaking where the drain pipes connect. and never ever us those forced air products that you find in most hardware stores as they will surely blow apart your drain pipes and you will do more damage i've seen it first hand
satara717 said
on 4/6/2009 I tried Liquid Plummer regular and gel with hot water flushing without success. I finally googled and found this site. I saw two suggestions about using a hairdryer - it worked in two minutes. Just heat up the u bend for a couple of minutes and if it's any sort of grease, you should be set. Good luck.
japc90 said
on 2/28/2009 I have tried everthing mentioned here. I used the baking soda/vinegar mix, a plunger, Drano, and even dismantled the drain and "snaked" it. I ran the snake out 25ft and did not encounter any clogs. I then reassembled the sink and it is still clogged. My sink has a single basin and a garbage disposal. Could the clog be located in the disposal? The disposal appears to work when turned on. When I removed the p-trap less than 1/2 a gallon of water came out. I would have expected more if the clog was further than 25ft out and there was standing water in the sink. Once reassmebled the sink also backed up again rather quickly. I am totally lost on what to do next.
pharmacistinma said
on 2/20/2009 I tried the baking soda, vinegar combo overnite for my clogged double kitchen sink. It did not work. Called my dad (not a plumber...with teamwork, he was able to plunge the sink. We first filled the sink with a couple inches of water, I heald wet rags over one drain and he used the plunger on the garbage disposal side. Within minutes....my DAD solved my 12 hour nightmare!!!!!
rockypeterson said
on 2/1/2009 I'm a fully licensed plumber and, I don't know about now, but in the past, chemicals sold in stores have been a rip-off, including Drain-O. So this baking soda and vinegar stuff is nonsense and may even make the clog worse if the baking soda coagulates. Besides, mechanical cleanings work much, much better than any chemicals I can think of and I can get my hands on some pretty heavy duty stuff. If you can't unclog it this way, you may need to get a bit rougher with the process and add some finesse. Or your clog could be much further down the line than you expect (Are any other fixtures slow draining?). Triplej, if it's a double sink, plug the side you're not plunging and you'll create more suction that way. You can feel when a plunger is working.