How to unclog a kitchen sink drain?

If your kitchen sink smells bad, can not drain, or drains very slowly, there may be a clog in your sink drain. You need to deal with it as soon as possible. Otherwise, your kitchen could be faced with a disaster. A clogged kitchen sink makes it inconvenient to clean the kitchen, but also will cause you high labor costs for a professional plumber. This guide will provide several ways to unclog the kitchen sink.

Often, food debris is the major cause of the blockage. Because drain pipes are small and have many bends, it is hard to dislodge hard debris such as bones in time, making the blockage worse over time. In addition, increasing residual oil and grease on the inner wall make the pipe smaller and smaller, causing a slow sink drain.

So, how do we unclog the kitchen sink?

1. Pour boiling water into the sink

A kitchen sink clogged with grease in the pipes. Therefore, you just need to fill a pot of boiling water into the sink and then add some cold water to make the water temperature at about 60-70 degrees. If your water heater is connected to your kitchen, then you just need to rinse the sink with hot water continuously for 3 minutes. It will take a little longer time to rinse in winter.

Note: Do not pour boiling water directly into a porcelain sink, instead pour it into the drain. If you use PVC drains, do not use this method. Because boiling water can soften some types of PVC pipes.

2. Use a plunger

How to unclog a kitchen sink with standing water? A plunger is a useful tool to clear blockages in drains and pipes. When using it, you should make sure that the rubber suction cup is tightly sealed with water. Press the plunger down against the drainage hole to empty the inside air and water, and then pull upward to bring out the blockage. If there are too many clogs, just repeat the operation a few more times to unclog the sink.

3. Use steel wire to clear the U-shaped sink

Most of the clogs are at the U-bend of the sink. If the sink drain has drain screws, you just need to take the screws off, and then extend the wire all the way through the trap. If the problem is not solved, you need to remove the trap, unscrew all the plastic parts, and then rinse them with water. After removing all the blockage inside and assembling the sink trap, you will successfully unblock the drain. It is important to note that you’d better place a basin under the trap to catch water, avoid dirtying the cabinet.

4. Clear the blockage with a steel hook

How can we deal with the pipe without drain screws? Some people like to use a wooden stick to stab into the drain. But this is a big mistake, which will make the clogging worse. If it is a vertical pipe, you can bend the wire into a small hook in front, remove the pup-up waster strainer, then use the wire to hook out the blockage.

5. Use a drain snake

If the sink is stubborn, you can use a drain snake. First, place a used towel under the sink and remove the trap from your drain. Then, extend the cable of the drain snake into the drain until it gets stuck on a clog. Next, slowly turn the drain snake handle two to three times to remove the blockage from the drain. Repeat the process if you think there are other clogs. Until all the clog is cleared, reassemble the drain and test whether the sink can drain quickly.

6. Use a rubber hose

Prepare a rubber hose that can connect the faucet and the drain. Feed one end of the rubber hose into the sink drain cover, plug it tightly with a rag or towel, and then fix the other section of the hose to the faucet. Turn the tap full on for two or three minutes, and the sink drain will be unclogged.

7. Pour in white vinegar and baking soda

First of all, you need to clean out the standing water in the sink. Then pour baking soda into the sink drain, followed by pouring a cup of vinegar into it, at which time the mixture of vinegar and baking soda will have a chemical reaction in the sewer pipe, and the blockage will be cleared as a result. After waiting for 5 minutes, pour warm water into the sink to check if the sink is unclogged. If the sink is still clogged, pour in the baking soda and vinegar mixture again.

In conclusion, there are seven common ways for you to unclog your kitchen sink. Please do not use chemical cleaners to unclog the sink, as corrosive chemicals are very dangerous to use. If the above methods still cannot solve the problem of a clogged sink, it is better to get a professional plumber to solve the problem.