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Clearing a Clogged Bathroom Sink


Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts
January 17, 2019

A slow draining sink.My bathroom sink had been draining slowing for a while and it was finally time to figure it out. I found a recipe on ThriftyFun for homemade Drano, using salt, baking soda, vinegar and water. It didn't go quite as planned but we were successful in the end.

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Link: Homemade Drano

Steps:

  1. First, I added 1 cup of plain salt, pouring it down the drain and letting it mound up. I then put a cup of baking soda on top of the pile.
  2. A pile of salt and baking soda piled in a sink drain.
     
  3. Next, I added 1/2 cup of vinegar. I used apple cider but white would work just as well. It foamed up for a while.
  4. Adding vinegar to the baking soda and salt cause the mixture to foam up.
     
    Adding vinegar to the baking soda and salt cause the mixture to foam up.
     
  5. This is after boiling water was added to the drain. I used a full electric kettle, probably about 2 quarts. I was a bit concerned about the porcelain cracking, as is reported sometimes with toilets. I think it is the temperature difference that causes the porcelain to expand. But the sink seemed fine.

    The initial water is yellow because of the apple cider vinegar but later is due to the clogged pipe. The boiling water would also make it foam up.
  6. Adding boiling water to help clear blocked drain.
     
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  7. I let it sit for about an hour and then repeated the process as it was obviously doing something. Nearly all the water had drained out but there was a lot of gunk that had bubbled up. I had an appointment that afternoon so I figured I would leave it and deal with it when I got home.
  8. A collection of dirt and drain flies that came up from the drain as it cleared.
     
  9. Somehow, the sink looked WORSE when I got home. It hadn't drained nearly as much as the first time and wasn't draining at all now. It was also disgusting, with dead drain flies and rusty colored sludge. My husband had left for work but there was evidence that he had cleaned up some new mess in the bathroom. I got out the plunger to see if I could unblock it and discovered what mess he must have cleaned up. Water shot directly out of the overflow drain all over the backsplash. He was at work until late and I have little plumbing experience so I decided to leave it until he got home and discuss it with him later.
  10. Clearing a Clogged Sink Drain
     
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  11. Hours later, the water level looked basically the same. I was inclined to go and buy a plumber's snake but my husband recommended removing the P-trap under the sink first. If the blockage was past the trap, we could then snake farther down the pipe.
  12. The sink is not draining the next morning.
     
  13. We first placed a dishpan and towel under the sink, to catch the water that was definitely going to drain out.
  14. Placing a dishpan under the ptrap to catch any liquid.
     
  15. The P-trap simply unscrewed, requiring no tools. I probably would have attempted this the night before had I realized how simple it was. The gross dirty water all dumped down into the dishpan.
  16. A dishpan full of dirty water and clogged hair.
     
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  17. There was a sizeable chunk of hair in the trap, as you can see. I have long hair and both of my teenage sons do as well. We also have a dog that sheds everywhere. I suspect they have not been too careful about making sure the hair doesn't get in the drain and it accumulated. It probably was mostly on the sides of the drain before I used the homemade Drano.
  18. A large wad of hair that has been removed from the drain.
     
  19. Once everything was back together, the sink drained perfectly. I'm going to use the homemade Drano recipe on a regular basis to keep this from getting clogged again. I also did my bathtub at the same time, just in case.
  20. Placing thread seal tape on the threads before putting the ptrap back together.
     
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  21. Next, I need to bleach the worn porcelain, which has some dirty yellow spots. I'm planning on painting the sink and replacing the faucet, which we purchased months ago. I will post about that when it gets done (assuming it turns out).
Clearing a Clogged Sink Drain
 
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21 Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

December 1, 2012

I have a clogged sink. The water takes time to go down. I am thinking it's from hair dye. I once disposed of the remaining hair dye I was using down the bathroom sink. Could it be the hair dye I disposed of? It was 10-12-2012.

The water just started not going down in the last week. We took the drain out and used a liquid cleaning chemical a couple times. Then we took the trap off and made sure it was clean. It was. We are thinking there must be a clog from the wall pipe out. Any suggestions, please?

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By JG

Answers


Silver Post Medal for All Time! 255 Posts
December 3, 20120 found this helpful
Best Answer

Hair dye is a liquid. It would not have clogged your sink. Most likely hair has clogged your sink. Have you tried using a drain cleaner such as draino or liquid plumber?

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 102 Feedbacks
December 4, 20120 found this helpful
Best Answer

You don't say whether you live in a house or an apartment. If it's a house, I would suspect a clog in the main sewer line. Call a plumber. It could be tree roots that have grown in to your sewer pipe.

It's usually an easy fix for a plumber. They have a cutting tool that they run through your drain system and it chops away all the roots. You will probably have to get this done once every 2 years or so. I had it done for about $150.00. If you don't get it done, the roots will destroy you sewer line and you will have to have your yard dug up and the sewer pipe replaced. Very expensive!

 
December 17, 20120 found this helpful
Best Answer

I'm not sure what type of drain you have, but before calling a plumber (who will just run a snake down it if is just a clog), you can take a long narrow object like a kitchen knife and see if you can pull hair out. Keep pulling and pulling. Most of the time a clog is just a build up of hair and why spend the money on a plumber if you can reach it yourself?

 
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January 19, 2010

How can one clear an extremely slow bathroom sink drain without using caustic chemicals?

By Jay from Reston, VA

Answers

January 19, 20100 found this helpful
Best Answer

Try with a mix of :
2 cups water + 1/4 cup vinegar + 2 Tsp. soup
Mix in a bottle and spray into the sink hall

 

Silver Post Medal for All Time! 418 Posts
January 20, 20100 found this helpful
Best Answer

Pour some Dawn dish detergent in the drain. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Follow it with a kettle of hot water and use the plunger. Put your finger in the air vent or plug the hole so the plunger can get suction. Works for me!!

 
January 21, 20100 found this helpful
Best Answer

Thanks to all for their suggestions. I tried the vinegar and baking soda and detergent and hot water ideas to no avail because the drain was too far gone. Finally had to use the pipe wrench solution and clean out the trap by hand, which was filled with thick black sludge. I will try the suggestions for keeping the drain clear now!

 
January 21, 20100 found this helpful
Best Answer

Hi, at your hardware store ask about a product that is a long flexible plastic rod that has little upward teeth on it. All you do is stick this down your drain and pull up. It is unreal what you will pull up, works great and no chemicals. Sorry i cant remember the name of it but they will know what you are talking about at the hardware store. Have a great day..Deby

 
January 23, 20100 found this helpful
Best Answer

I keep a plunger used only for my sinks. I usually put some Dawn or another grease cutter and add boiling water. After a few minutes, I use the plunger and it has always worked for me. I hate using chemicals.

 
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December 12, 2011

How does one unclog a bathroom sink in which the stopper cannot be removed from the sink?

By BF

Answers

December 12, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

Throw in some baking soda about 1/4 cup add to that vinegar about a cup. there will be a chemical reaction which should loosen the debris clog. With that then allow hot water to rinse drain. Hope this helps.

 

Silver Post Medal for All Time! 433 Posts
December 12, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

You may have to go into the pipes under sink they should screw off have a bucket to catch water if any and clean out the pipe.Try plunging first block the overfill drain if you have one just put a small dry cloth to plug the hole.

 
December 14, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

I had a bathtub that was so slow and you could not take the plug out. From one of the catalogs I got a drain opener thing. It is yellow plastic and had jagged plastic things on the end. You snake that under the plug and I was amazed at how much hair I got out of the drain. It runs like new now. It is a very long yellow plastic. I hope you can picture this - it was really effective!

 

Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 337 Feedbacks
December 16, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

If you mean one of the metal stoppers that moves up and down with a lever on the top of the tap, or with a metal plunger, it is removable. It has a hook on the bottom that connects to a hook down in your drain, that connects to the plunger. You just have to turn it sideways to unhook it. Hooking it up again can be a problem, I have found, although my plumber friend did it for me in about 2 secs when he changed out my dripping taps.

Try plunging first. Then try something like Drano if plunging doesn`t cure the problem. If this is a bathroom sink, it likely has hair & soap scum & maybe whiskers clogging up the drain. If you can get the plug out, you can reach down with a wire hook or even an old tooth brush and scoop out the hair.

Do not bother with baking soda and vinegar. The chemical reaction that you get is merely carbon dioxide bubbles and the two products neutralizing each other, making salt water. How is that going to dissolve a hair clog!

 
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January 28, 2011

My bathroom sinks keep clogging up, repeated use of Drano is not working. Help!

By Icu3 from Columbus

Answers

January 28, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

Try a foaming drain cleaner. One that says it will remove hair and sludge (gunk) such as liquid plumber.
Good luck.

 

Gold Post Medal for All Time! 846 Posts
January 28, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

It's really easy, I promise! Being that it's a bathroom sink it's probably just hair with gunk buildup clogging it. In most cases the clog is just within an inch or so below the sink level. Instead of continuing to use chemicals, especially if the pipes are not PVC, just remove the sink draining stopper, take some sort of heavy duty wire (like a wire clothes hanger) and make a small fish hook style hook at one end of the wire and then put it down the drain and start pulling the hair and gunk out. If it's one of the kind of sink stoppers that you can't get removed by turning and lifting then you'll just have to have a little more patience with maneuvering the wire down and back out with the hair and gunk build up. Take a deep breath if you have a weak stomach when you see whats doing the clogging. ;-)

 
January 29, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

When mine starts running slow I take the U joint under the sink off and clean it out as that is where most of the hair and 'gunk' builds up. Be sure to have a bucket or other sizable pot or pan to catch any water that may be there.

 
January 29, 20110 found this helpful
Best Answer

You need a really good plunger. I had the same trouble and a relative told me of a plunger they'd gotten that was really good. It was not one of the expensive ones either. Once I got it I tried it on my stubborn sink and "low and behold" it worked. For the first time in years after using draino etc. on the sink, my drain was working like brand new. I shudder to think how much damage I did to the pipes with all the expensive drain cleaners.

 
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March 13, 2014

My bathroom sink is clogged. I plunge it. It drains like a tornado. Next time I use it, it is clogged again. I have also tried drain cleaners and a snake. Now what?

By SP

Answers


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 969 Posts
March 14, 20140 found this helpful
Best Answer

You may have a root growing through your underground pipe. As a former manager, I found that to be the case in more than a few incidents.

 
March 14, 20140 found this helpful
Best Answer

You might have something in the drain that changes position each time you plunge it. This happened to me once when unbeknownst to me a hair dryer attachment fell in the toilet and was lodged deep inside the pipe. When the cylindrical piece was in line with the pipe the toilet flushed fine. But when it tilted out alignment the toilet backed up. They had to detach the toilet from the floor to figure it out.

 
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January 26, 2015

I have plunged, used a zip with teeth, used Draino, and even "Liquid Lighting" (virgin sulfuric acid with 12 buffers) the drain won't drain.

By Cheryl R.

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January 8, 2010

How do I unclog a drain?

By Laurie

Answers


Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 109 Feedbacks
January 8, 20100 found this helpful
Best Answer

A plumber once told me if you can't clear out a drain with a plunger you need a plumber.

A bathtub normally has a trap that collects gunk going through the drain. If you can access the trap you can clean it out and your problem is solved.

A sink clogs in the pipe that is shaped like a sideways S. Sometimes this pipe is connected with easily turnable tabs/nuts and you can clean out the clog after removing it and easily put it back. It usually makes a mess when you remove it so put down some towels.

 

Silver Post Medal for All Time! 288 Posts
January 14, 20100 found this helpful
Best Answer

Just this week I had the kitchen sink/garbage disposal side, back up. I poured a cup of baking soda ( in both sides of the sink ) followed by about 3-4 cups of white vinegar( I just poured if from the gal. jug) in the water that was standing there and turned on the hot water and garbage disposal and that worked right away. I let the water run in the disposal and then poured a couple of tablespoonsful of liquid dish soap with it.
Worked and No Plummer bill. GG Vi

 
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November 28, 2013

How do I unblock a bath\bathroom sink when water comes back up the bath plughole and smells disgusting?

By Mags

Answers

November 29, 20130 found this helpful
Best Answer

I use a large pot of boiling water with a good shot of dish soup. Pour in sink and let set for a min. and take a toilet plunger and push the water down the drain. You may have to do it more than once. No need for chemicals.

 
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May 2, 2016

My son dropped FLARP noise putty down the bathroom sink! Should I do anything to help remove it or should it be okay to leave the sink alone?

Should I go out and buy Draino or something? Maybe pour vinegar down the drain?

Answers

May 5, 20160 found this helpful

This will clog your drain. But White vinegar full strength should dissolve it.

 
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More Solutions

This page contains the following solutions.

March 20, 2018

Find the overflow outlet for the sink. Then cover the overflow outlet using duct tape or something similar. Get some water in the sink bowl and use a plunger. The tape over the overflow vents will stop air from entering as you are using the plunger. This will work for a bathtub.

 

January 16, 2012

To unclog a sink, tub or toilet, pour a bottle of bleach in the water over the drain and let sit. Check back in a few hours and it should be drained. Then run some hot water for a few minutes down it.

 
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July 13, 2017

If your sink is not draining you may need to call a plumber but a good plunging may do the trick. This is a page about how do I clear standing water in bathroom sink drain?

A plumber user a plunger in a bathroom sink.

Archives

ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.

January 8, 2010

How do I unclog a bathroom drain?

 
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January 28, 2011

How do you unclog a bathroom basin?

 
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January 19, 2010

I have a bathroom sink that is extremely slow in draining and backs up. I've heard of certain things like boiling water and dishwasher soap poured down as a possible remedy.

 
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July 21, 2009

How do you clear a sluggish sink?

 
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November 20, 2008

How do you unclog a bathroom sink?

 
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September 24, 2008

I need help de-clogging my sink drain. I have a double sink, I just finished a load of clothes and both sides of the sink are clogged. Both sinks are full of water.

 
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December 14, 2007

How to unclog bathroom sink drain, would bleach help? Water just takes too long to drain. I just hope it wont need to be taken apart. if so, maybe a little help there too.

 
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March 4, 2007

My daughter and I have thick hair and constantly are clogging up our bathroom sink. I could not pull out the hair gunk with a tweezers because it is too deep. A light bulb went off in my head.

 
Read More...
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