The bathroom is the one place you’re supposed to go after a hard workday. It’s where we shower and clean up, it’s where we get ready to go out and meet with friends, and more than anything else, it’s the one place when there is nothing but solitude. Sadly, however, this can be disrupted by an irritating clogged sink.
A slow-draining drain or pooling water are signs that your sink is probably just hiding a clog somewhere in its inner depths—and before you know it, you need help from a Fairfield plumbing expert. Fortunately, various methods for unclogging bathroom sinks do not require professional assistance. While not always efficient, these methods save us time and money.
1. Boiling Water
This works surprisingly effectively for certain bathroom clogs, particularly those caused by soap scum. When the drain is slow, and there isn’t a lot of tepid water in the sink, boiling water is most efficient. Fill a kettle or large saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Three or four steps are required to flush the water down the drain. If this method is successful, the benefits should be visible pretty quickly.
2. Baking Soda and Vinegar
This is an old drain unclogging method that has proven quite effective in bathroom sinks. Mix 1/3 cup baking soda and 1/3 cup vinegar in a measuring cup. This combination will immediately bubble and should be dumped down the drain. The fizzing action is responsible for the elimination of hair and debris. Remove from heat for an hour before flushing with hot water to remove any remaining residue.
3. Remove the P-Trap
If the vinegar or baking soda treatments don’t work, you may need to manually unclog the drain. A plumber is not needed for the p-trap. In your home’s plumbing system, the p-trap is the curved pipe beneath your sink that gathers debris. Remove the u-shaped pipe (the p-trap) beneath your sink with a wrench or pliers. Empty the p-trap and rinse it in another sink. Then, to test for a clog, replace it.
4. Sodium Hydroxide
This substance, also known as caustic soda, must be handled with care since it can burn the skin. Rubber gloves and eye protection are required. Preferably use cold water with caustic soda instead of boiling water. Like baking soda, it will fizz. But this time, it produces heat. So, after 30 minutes in the drain, it cuts through the clog. If the normal flow is not restored, continue the procedure with boiling water.
5. Wire Hanger
Do you need to put stuff you have lying around the house? Why not try a bent wire hanger? The wire hanger’s small hook can be inserted past the drain cap to fish out any obstruction. Normally, your drain will produce muck, hair, and potentially hazardous materials. After removing as much trash as possible, make sure to clear the passage with hot water.
Contact Us Today!
If the drain still doesn’t unclog after trying a few of these tips, it could be due to a much larger problem. Choose Gray Plumbing for an expert assessment of your bathroom sink and drainage system, and we’ll get it back to working smoothly again. Our technicians promise to get the job done right the first time.
