Comments on: How to Clean a Sink Drain

on 11/24/2008 if you live in ventura I have a snake that i could run
for you ,RON'S HANDYMAN SERVICE . 805 320 4887
CELL PHONE LOVE TO HELP.

on 10/9/2008 The Baking Soda and Vinegar worked like a charm within 1 minute, the drain just burst open and drained immediately. I put the solution in the side opposite the disposal. Thank you for this gem of a fix.

on 6/16/2007 Please don't pour bleach, ammonia, or other harsh chemicals down your drains... especially not on a regular basis! The use of "a gallon of bleach in every drain" each month "for years" or monthly doses of ammonia is shockingly irresponsible - these poisonous chemicals will not only damage pipes over time, they needlessly pollute our water supply, wreaking further havoc on our fragile ecosystem. There are plenty of effective, non-toxic & environmentally safe solutions for drain cleaning and maintenance, a few of which are mentioned above; many others can easily be found using a search engine - Googling "non-toxic drain cleaner" brings up an excellent list of products & references. Even if you're insensitive to environmental concerns, keep in mind that anything you pour down your drain eventually finds its way into the water that you, your children, and all of us must drink.

on 3/2/2007 We had a double sink with garbage disposer on the left, with the dishwasher output into the garbage disposal. On the right we had a sink with an overflow outlet, T-junction from the garbage disposer, and then down to the trap.

After trying bleach, vinegar, boiling water, foaming drain cleaner, bleach in the dishwasher cycle, bleach down the over flow drain, etc, we could not banish the stench.

We finally disassembled the drain pipe, and the right hand sink over flow connections. Lots of stinky sludge (bacteria slimes) which we scrubbed out and hope to have "banished" for a year or so. None of the "clingy" areas could have been reached by cleaners or brushes.

on 5/22/2007 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of salt mixture. Pour into drain, followed by boiling water. This worked for me after spending several hundred dollars on plumbers to come out and fix a clogged shower drain. Absolutely amazing - never had a problem since. I do this about once every six months for regular maintenance.

on 2/14/2006 Unclog drains naturally by pouring a cup of baking soda down the drain followed by a cup of white vinegar. Follow a few minutes later with boiling water. Pour boiling water down the drains weekly to prevent clogs.
This, plus a regular plunger, works great.

on 1/30/2006 Keep a clean plunger in your house, perhaps a little smaller than your heavy duty toilet plunger and definitely with a flat bottom surface. If your drain is draining slowly, barely, or not at all, begin filling the sink or shower with hot water. As the hot water sits over the drain, one or two quick pumps with the plunger directly over the drain will often dislodge a kitchen or shower clog. You should ideally be ready with a sponge and a drain filter to prevent the gunk that you dislodge from going back down the drain again. Be forewarned, this can be a dirty job. You may want rubber gloves and to be prepared for sudden odors. If your sink or pipes are really old or brittle looking underneath, this may not be advisable.

on 2/12/2007 Bleach, ammonia, and all such products create rust. Put any of these in a cup with water and add a piece of galvanized pipe. You will be shocked at the rust created. Get an EZ Plunger, which allows a simple hookup to any sink. The plunger creates water pressure which flushes out drains. There is no mess, and it's easy to control. I have used this method hundreds of times. This also works on sink overflows - it flushes all the black stinking sludge out. People have no idea how much stinking sludge is involved in sink overflows. Don't mask this odor, remove it. You will be shocked at the amount of sludge and the stench that is sitting right there under your nose. All homes should have the EZ Plunger, and all plumbers will soon be carrying them. It works.

on 2/12/2007 I recently purchased tool called "ezplunger." It hooked up to the bathroom faucet easily. The drains were slow, but after a minute of water pressure from ezplunger, they drained like new. I was also able to flush out the overflow from the bathroom sink, and I was amazed at the amount of very stinky black scum that came from there. It was very nasty. Every home should have this tool. I found it at www.ezplunger.com.

on 11/22/2005 Keep ammonia on hand. I pour it down my bathtub and kitchen drains to keep them free of debris and built-up grease, etc. It prevents any odors in the first place and keeps my drains free running. There's also a tool you can get at hardware stores that reaches down into the tub and brings up all the hair in the pipe. It is only around $4 or so. I pour ammonia in about once a month and clean out the hair from the tub drain once a week. I have never needed a plumber...Not to brag, it might happen one day. Usually, ammonia is only about 3 for $1 when it is on sale. I've bought it once in a while for 4 for $1.