Here’s a tip sheet listing a few methods to clearing out clogged drains in the kitchen sink (plugged bathtub drains can benefit from these too).

At the bottom you’ll find a suggestion for monthly drain maintenance and a homemade drain cleaner recipe to keep your drains as trouble free as possible.

How To Unclog A Drain

• Flushing: Remove as much of the water that’s backed up in the sink as you can. Toss 1 cup of baking soda into the drain then pour a large pot or kettle of boiling hot water down the drain. If the sink empties completely, pour another kettle of boiling water down the drain to give it another clean flush and then let cool water run from the tap for a couple minutes.
• Drain Flush: Tried and true method: Remove as much water as you can. Toss 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, then pour a cup of household vinegar down the drain, plug the drain with the sink stopper then let sit for half an hour. After about 30 minutes, unplug the sink and pour a kettle full of hot water on top. See Naturally Unclog A Drain With Vinegar, Baking Soda And Water and Tip: Unclogging the Drain for more details. This is the method I’ve grown up with and it works even if there’s still water backed up in the sink (although it works faster without water). Just double the baking soda & vinegar amount, give it about an hour and if the water in the sink has fully drained, flush with fresh batches of boiling water 2 or 3 times to completely clear out the gunk.
• Plunging: Use a sink plunger to try forcing the drain to clear. You’ll need a few inches of water in the sink to help make a vacuum seal for the plunger and a few forceful plunges to make this work. You can buy a sink plunger that’s about a 1/3 of the size of a regular toilet plunger. These are only a couple bucks, need very little room and they’re great to keep under the kitchen sink in case of a clogged drain. You can use a full sized sink or toilet plunger if you can’t find a small sink plunger.
• Poking & Taking Apart: Remove the trap or clean-out plug underneath the sink to try clearing the clog mass in the drain (see Bob Vila’s Clear a Blocked Sink Drain instructions, it’s easier than you might think). Use a plumber’s snake or a wire coat hanger to poke into the drain and break apart the clog. You’ll need an empty bucket on hand to catch all the water as well as eye goggles firmly in place.
• Desperate Situation & Water Won’t Drain: Chances are if you fill the sink with a treatment of baking soda and vinegar, drain stopper removed, and leave the backed up sink overnight, you’ll find the sink drained of all water in the morning. The vinegar and baking soda should have worked some of the buildup free on its way down. Do a hot water flush first thing and if the water drains as quickly as it normally would, you should be ok–do a couple hot water flushes though just to make sure. However, if the water drains slowly, you might want to check the drain trap to make sure there’s no mass blocking the drain. If there isn’t, try a couple more treatments of the Drain Flush throughout the day. You just might get away with not having to call in the plumber.
• Sluggish or Slow Drains: If you notice that the water in the sink is draining slower than usual but it’s not completely clogged or backed up yet, do the “Drain Flush” technique right away to prevent a full clog. Make sure to finish off with a few hot water flushes.

Double Sinks Tip: If the sink you’re dealing with is a double sink, make sure to insert the drain stopper on one side, then work on the other side.

Caution: Be careful if using chemical commercial drain cleaners, wear eye goggles since the water can splash back up at you. If you’ve used a commercial drain cleaner and it didn’t clear out the clog, call a plumber. You don’t want to add anything to the backed up water or drain that might react badly to the chemicals in the cleaner. Also don’t try removing the drain trap since the chemical water can splash into your eyes and face. A professional is better equipped to handle this situation.

Video: Unclogging A Bathroom Sink: If it’s a bathroom sink that’s slow to drain or plugged with hair and ickies, here’s a good video showing you step-by-step how to clean that up…

Easy Drain Maintenance

Once a month clean out the drain with a baking soda and hot water flush or the vinegar, baking soda and hot water flush. Here’s a drain cleaner recipe you can mix up in big batches and use monthly too:

Homemade Drain Cleaner Recipe:

1 part baking soda
1 part salt
1/4 part cream of tartar

Directions:

• Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of recipe into the drain and flush with a kettle full of boiling water. Run hot water from the tap for a couple minutes, then turn to cool water and run for another couple minutes. Do this monthly to clear out any fat, grease and nasties buildup that may be beginning to form.

And if you’d like to have a nice and shiny kitchen sink to go with your squeaky clean and unclogged drain, check out How To Clean A Stainless Steel Sink. If it’s a loose item that’s fallen down the drain that you’re worried about, see Amazing Trick - Retrieve Items Dropped Down A Drain.

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