How To Unclog Your Sink Without Draino

Clogged sinks are an unfortunate reality that almost everyone experiences from time to time. Even if you follow the cardinal rules of keeping grease and hair out of the sink, you may find the drain slowing or more substantially clogging. The first thing people think of is often Drano® or similar products — but the chemical formula is highly hazardous to one’s health and can easily damage your plumbing system. Instead, try these five potential DIY solutions for your sink-clogging problem.

1. Soap & Hot Water

You’ll need:

• 1/2 cup of liquid dish soap
• 1 gallon boiling water 

If you suspect your slow or clogged sink drain is from a buildup of grease, hot water, and dish soap may be all you need to fix the issue. All you need is half a cup to a cup of liquid dish soap and approximately a gallon of water. Pour the soap down the drain and bring the water to boil in a large pot. Taking care to avoid the steam, slowly pour the water down the drain and check the results.

2. Baking Soda & Vinegar

You’ll need:

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup white vinegar 
• 1 gallon boiling water 

If the first method doesn’t do the trick, you can step up to this option. You’ll need to pour half a cup of baking soda into the sink, followed up with a half cup of white vinegar. Afterward, flush the drain with a large pot of boiling water.

3. Plunging

You’ll need:

• Flat plunger
• Wet rags

A flat plunger may help you remove more stubborn clogs with a bit of elbow grease. The trick is to cover the sink’s overflow holes with wet rags before plunging. Place the cup of the plunger directly over the sink drain and perform five to 10 brisk plunging motions. If that doesn’t clear the drain, it’s time to move on to the next option.

4. Snaking

You’ll need:

• Pipe snake OR wire coat hanger

Remove the sink stopper mechanism if possible, and feed the drain snake down the pipe. Be sure not to push on the snake too forcefully, and check periodically to make sure it’s still coming back up easily when you make a withdrawal motion. If you don’t have a pipe snake, you can try this with a wire coat hanger. Be warned that if you choose this method to extract a clog, you may be confronted with some seriously unpleasant material.

5. Trap Removal

You’ll need:

• Large pair of pliers 
• Bucket 
• Pipe snake 

If you’re prepared to get your hands dirty and have access to a large pair of pliers, you can take out the P-trap and search for a clog inside it or in the surrounding piping. Turn off the water to the sink and place a bucket underneath the trap to make sure you don’t get water everywhere. Then remove the nuts from the trap and use a snake or wire to unstick any clogs you find.

Heart of Ohio Is Here To Help

If these methods don’t clear your clogged sink — or you just don’t want to deal with potentially messy removal — call Heart of Ohio to take care of the issue. We have been family-owned since 1922, and our spirit of service ensures you’ll get efficient and professional sink repair service.

Call us at 330-764-1011 to schedule a clogged sink repair in Northeast Ohio today.