By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Step1
Remove the sink strainer or plug from the drain.
Step2
Fill the sink halfway with water, if it's not already full.
Step3
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.
Step4
Remove the plunger and give the sink a chance to drain.
Step5
After the sink is completely unclogged, run hot water down the drain for several minutes.
Step6
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').
Step7
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.
Step8
Call in a plumber for problems you can't resolve on your own.
Comments
goode2shuz said
on 8/31/2008 I have 2 teenagers so enough said. I have vinegar but no baking soda on hand, but I had dry Drano so I used hot water with it and it worked! (I first tried Drano's directions using cold water and it did not work.) Thanks ohneclue's!!!!!
skbaratta said
on 1/27/2008 Both sides of my sink were clogged with debris and water almost to the brim on each side, so I knew the baking soda/vinegar, etc. were not going to work anytime soon. I took a suggestion from this site and it worked in 3 miutes! I held the hairdryer to the base of the trap (the u-shaped pipe underneath the sink) for 2-3 minutes, then flipped on the garbage disposal, and both sinks full of water disappeared in seconds! :o)
triplej said
on 10/24/2007 I tried the Vinegar, Baking Soda and Hot Water combination ... Unfortunately, it didn't work. Any other proven ideas - outside of call a plumber?
triplej said
on 10/24/2007 Vinegar and Baking Soda didn't work for me. Any ideas outside of calling a plumber? I've got two sinks - one is a garbage disposal.
deb72921 said
on 10/23/2007 I was a little skeptical about the baking soda and vinegar.......but it works!!!! I have a 2 well kitchen sink, with a disposal on one side. The sinks were standing with water from trying to use a plunger on it. I was getting desprate at this point. Then I decided to give the soda and vinegar a try. I drain the side that didn't have the disposal on and added the soda and then the vinegar. I let it sit for, probably an half an hour. The water was draining out of both sides. When all the water was out of the sinks I poured some boiling hot water down each sink.......and that did the trick. Thanks Dolores for the tip, it was well worth the saving of calling a plumber!!