A clogged sink is a problem that can occur both in the kitchen and in the bathroom. Many people use specialized over-the-counter products to unclog the drain. Although they are effective, they contain aggressive chemicals that are dangerous to our health. How to unblock a clogged sink without chemicals or the help of a plumber? Discover home remedies that can easily deal with this problem.

Home remedies for a clogged sink

The sink keeps getting clogged, the water doesn’t drain and there’s an unpleasant smell coming from the pipes? This is the most common household mistake. You don’t need expensive chemicals to deal with this problem. Try unblocking it with a normal toilet bell. During pumping, pressure is created to push the blockage out. Before using the drain plug, lubricate the drain with a greasy substance, e.g. cream or vaseline.

  • Place the bell on the drain and push down.
  • Then pour water up to the level above the rubber nozzle and cover the drain with your other hand to prevent overflow.
  • Now you can pump hard. The pressure should dislodge the blockage.

You can deal with a clogged sink even without a bell. One of the home remedies will help with this.

  • Baking soda – look for baking soda in the kitchen. Drain the drain and pour a cup of baking soda into it. Wait 15 minutes and pour hot water;
  • Vinegar – pour a glass of vinegar into the drain, close it tightly with a stopper and wait 30 minutes. Then pour in a whole kettle of hot water;
  • Vinegar and baking soda – that’s the perfect duo for a clogged sink. Mix vinegar and baking soda in a ratio of 3:1. Pour it down the drain immediately before it starts to “foam”. Wait 15 minutes and pour boiling water over the entire kettle. Alternatively, you can pour 3 tablespoons of baking soda into the drain and then pour half a cup of vinegar. After 15 minutes, pour plenty of hot water;
  • Citric acid – Dissolve 2 bags of citric acid in a glass of warm water and wait a quarter of an hour. Pour the prepared mixture into the drain. It will help to clean it;
  • Sodium hydroxide – sodium hydroxide is also good for unclogging pipes. Remember that this is a highly corrosive agent. Pour hot water down the drain and then pour the powder. Order is very important here;
  • Salt and boiling water – salt combined with boiling water is an effective solution to a clogged sink. It does not damage pipes and is harmless to health. Just pour five tablespoons of salt down the drain and slowly pour in two liters of very hot water;
  • Coke drink – this popular drink cleans the pipe quite well because it contains phosphoric acid. Just pour about half a liter of product down the drain and wait a few hours. Then fill the drain with boiling water;
  • Borax – this product in combination with salt and vinegar effectively cleans pipes. Mix half a cup of salt and borax and add half a cup of vinegar. Pour the resulting solution down the drain. After 10 minutes, pour a liter of boiling water. If you want to increase the effect, you can add half a glass of salt.

What to do to prevent the sink from clogging?

How to prevent sink clogging? It is common knowledge that prevention is better than cure. Therefore just follow a few practical tips to help you avoid a clogged sink. Below are the most important of them:

  • Do not throw coffee and tea grounds down the sink;
  • Buy a sink strainer. The cheapest plastic strainers cost a fortune, but you can also buy decorative ones made of silicone or chrome. They can be bought in different colors and shapes, so they will suit any sink;
  • Do not pour melted fat down the sink;
  • Rarely use chemical cleaners, especially if you have old cast iron sewer pipes;
  • Buy a garbage disposal. It is a “grinder” that is used to grind all kinds of organic waste such as vegetable peels, pieces of meat, small bones and others. The waste flows into the sewer immediately after grinding. The waste crusher also prevents putrefactive processes in the kitchen and bathroom. Shredding removes food scraps from garbage cans, which prevents the spread of rodents and insects. The crusher is mounted directly in the sink opening (between the sink and the siphon).

How to clean a clogged siphon?

A siphon is a device that is responsible for connecting our kitchen sink to the sewer. It is a simple construction consisting of several gaskets, nuts and connected pipes. It is best to take action before the drain is completely blocked – when you notice that the water starts to flow more slowly than usual or is accompanied by a characteristic bubbling sound.

You can find various things in a clogged drain, from jewelry to toothpicks and other debris that collects hair and laundry residue. This accumulation of waste destroys the siphon. In the event of such a malfunction, the tool kit will be useless. To unscrew them you only need a long screwdriver, the other components are large enough to unscrew by hand.

Proper preparation is important to manage the disorder.

  • First, don’t forget to place a large container under the sink, e.g. Lavor. The dirt that spills out of the siphon when unscrewing it can completely destroy our kitchen furniture.
  • After removing dirt, clean and wipe the area where the gasket is located with a dry cloth, and check that the gasket itself is free of scratches and cracks.
  • If necessary, replace it with a new one. However, if the old one is suitable for reuse, we reassemble all elements of the previously disassembled siphon.
  • Finally, we check if we are a siphon they screwed in properly and whether the system is tight.