Fixing a clogged kitchen sink can be such a hassle especially if you are unsure of how to go about it. Thankfully, it is not that complicated to unclog a kitchen sink drain yourself. Save yourself some money from calling a plumber or getting someone else to fix your sink. If you follow the simple steps found here, your sink will be unclogged in no time.
What you need to fix a clogged kitchen sink – Home 101:
All you need is a pair of rubber gloves, a plunger and perhaps, if you have a severe kitchen sink blockage, some chemical products that you use to melt the debris solve your clogged drain.
Step 1: Cover the overflow to stop air and water escaping
If you kitchen sink has an overflow opening / hole – cover it with a damp piece of cloth or sponge.
Step 2: Plunge in! We want to unclog kitchen sink
Plunge vigorously
Position your plunger onto the kitchen sink drain hole and then run the tap to fill the sink with water reaching past the plunger. Turn off the Tap. Grab the handle of the plunger and then move it in an up and down motion. Do this vigorously and with a bit of strength. Observe how the water moves while you do this. If it is moving well, you’re doing it right, if it doesn’t, you have to check the overflow opening from Step 1.
After pumping the plunger for a couple of minutes; check if you have loosened the clog. If unclogged, the water should now be able to drain properly. There may be a bit of debris left from the plunging, so make sure that you run hot water down the drain for several minutes. If your kitchen sink is now clear jump to Step 4.
Step 3: If kitchen sink blockage has not cleared – Bring in Mr Muscle or equivalent home remedy
If you are still unsatisfied, this is the time when you can use your chemical solution to further melt the debris within your clogged sink drain.
Be careful, it is good practice to clear the water first before you use any sort of chemical product. The danger of doing it otherwise would be that the chemicals might sit on the stagnated water and if your skin comes into any sort of contact with it, it might even prove fatal. It sounds like a silly thing to remember but you don’t know how many people have absent mindedly rubbed their eyes while fixing a clogged sink.
You can make the clearing solution yourself if you have no time to buy it from a store. In order to make your own clogged kitchen sink home remedy, you need baking soda and vinegar. Make sure that the container you are putting it into is big enough because once you combine the two ingredients, it will fizz up rapidly.
There are ready made solutions like these that can be bought at the store. Once you have it, you can now pour the chemical solution down the drain of your clogged kitchen sink, wait for a few minutes, and then run hot water again to clear the sink of chemicals. Then repeat from Step 1. If
Step 4: Checking the P-trap or U-bend of my clogged kitchen sink
When you’re done, and if the kitchen sink or kitchen drainer is still clogged, the problem may rest in the pipes. Take out the P-trap or U-bend from beneath the kitchen sink and check if the water runs freely. You can clean the pipes with a bottle brush – Remember to have a bucket underneath to catch the running water!
Step 5: Prevention is better than cure
Every few months, make it a habit to run hot water down the sink to help prevent clogs from building up in your kitchen sink.
I hope that you have found this information informative and it has given you a basis for the best way to unclog a clogged kitchen sink.
