Is your kitchen sink not draining properly? Is the water in the kitchen sink backing up? Learn how to unclog a kitchen sink with this helpful guide.
Food is the most common cause of kitchen sink clogs. Over time, all the clogged plates, crumbs, and liquid (cooking oil) poured down the drain can accumulate and form a clog.
How to know your kitchen sink needs to unclog:
- Water takes more time to drain than usual
- The kitchen sink has a funky odor
- The sink has filled with debris-filled water, and running the garbage disposal has little to no effect.
It is always essential to unclog your kitchen sink right away. So let’s jump on how to unclog the kitchen sink.
Ways to Unclog Kitchen Sink
Collect Essential Tools & Materials
- Plunger
- Bucket
- Boiling water
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Auger
- Rubber gloves
- Plumber snake
- Coat hanger
- Torch
Let’s begin cleaning, but first, put on safety gloves to protect your hands.
1. Remove Clog by using your Hand
Try if you can clear the clog with your hand. To see inside the drain, use a flashlight or torch. A clog may be directly visible near the surface and easily accessible at times. Then begin cleaning the sink.
2. Use a Plunger
If you have a double sink, use a wet cloth or a stopper to seal off the second side. Then you must create a tight seal around the plunger. Then, fill the opposite side sink with enough water to plunge.
Next, place the plunger cup into the clogged drain. Next, place the plunger firmly over the drain and plunge several times. When you hear the suction clear the clog, remove the plunger and thoroughly flush the drain with warm water.
3. Attack with Boiling Water
Boiling water is sometimes used to remove grease. Bring a pot or teakettle full of hot water. Then carefully pour it down the drain. If the water drains properly, the kitchen clog has been removed. If the water does not drain properly, let it cool completely before repeating the process.
Note: Please avoid using these methods with PVC pipes, as they may be melted by hot water.
4. Check Garbage Disposal
When the garbage disposal is attached to the kitchen sink, check garbage unit is not the issue. Next, turn on the garbage disposal. If the clog is in the disposal, running may help to break it up.
If you discover a problem with the disposal, check to see if it has overheated. Next, activate the reset switch on the side or bottom of the unit. Then restart it to see if that clears the clog.
5. Use Baking Soda & Vinegar
It is another best method to unclog a kitchen sink. Baking soda is a natural ingredient that can help you unclog your sink naturally because it is gentler on your pipes than chemical drain openers:
- Pour one cup of fresh baking soda into the drain, followed by one cup of white vinegar.
- Insert a rubber stopper or sinkhole cover into the drain opening.
- Allow baking soda and vinegar to unclog the sink drain for 15 minutes.
- Remove the drain cover and pour water to clear the clog.
6. Use an Auger or Plumbing Snake
Feed the cable from the auger or plumbing snake on top of the kitchen sink. Keep inserting the auger cable into the drain opening until you encounter resistance.
Pull out an additional one feet of cable and push forward once the cable has been touched to the clog. If more cable is required, pull it out. After the auger has broken the clog, flush the pipe with hot water from the faucet.
If you notice that water is still not draining properly, there could be a blockage in the p–trap. In this method, the pipe is disassembled to clean out the waste causing the blockage. This task can get messy, so arm yourself with gloves, goggles, and towels.
Follow the below steps to unclog the kitchen sink:
- Place a bucket beneath the pipe, then unscrew the trap connectors that connect the curved pieces to the vertical and horizontal drain pipe.
- Remove the p-trap and thoroughly clean the pipe of debris, grime, or residue.
- Reattach the trap. Then, to clear the drain, turn on the faucet.
- Once the obstruction has been removed, tighten the pipe and p-trap connectors by hand.
8. Call a Plumber
If the above methods are not working, it’s time to call a plumber.
These are the methods for unclogging a kitchen sink. Finally, you have a way to clean, but it is also necessary to ensure that this problem does not come again. So, here are some crucial points to remember to avoid future clog problems.
Preventive Measures to Take Care of Future Clogs:
- Avoid flushing harmful items, which include grease, fats and oils, Meat, coffee grounds, egg shells, starchy foods, fruit peels, pits, stickers, gum, paint, paper towels, food wrappers, etc.
- Instead of pouring cooking grease, oil, ground nuts, or other waste down the sink or disposable container, pour it into an old can and dump it when it is full.
- Don’t overburden the garbage disposal.
- Run hot water from the tap after each kitchen sink is used.
Bonus Tip: Make ice cubes from a mixture of half water & half vinegar. Then drop one or two of these into the garbage disposal regularly to keep it fresh.
Conclusion
So, those are the methods for unclogging a kitchen sink. You can use it as needed. If you practice some preventative measures, this problem may not bother you.
Make an effort to clean your sink regularly. I hope you found this article helpful; if you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them in the comments section.