Every household should know how to unblock a sink properly. Be it your kitchen sink, blocked and full of water, or your bathroom sink blocked with lovely hair and soap scrum, you can unclog a sink naturally, without a plunger, or of course, using a plunger if you'd like!
Tackle a blocked sink yourself rather than shelling out hundreds for an emergency plumber call-out and you will not regret it. From using vinegar and baking soda, to turning to good old elbow grease (and a very good pair of rubber gloves) these are our failsafe, successful methods to unblock a sink drain, fast!
How to unblock a sink without a plunger
How to unblock a sink naturally
Cheap, safe and effective ways to tackle clogged sink drains with nothing but the power of nature.
How to unblock a sink with vinegar and baking soda
This is a stronger solution than simple salt and water, and some find it work on light blockages. Use two teaspoons of baking soda to a cup of white vinegar; pour the mixture down the plug hole. Wait until you hear the soda and vinegar mix fizzing then follow it up with a kettle full of boiling water.
Unclog the sink with a saline solution
Now if you don't have a plunger, or it's not working, you may be dealing with a more stubborn, compressed blockage that will consist of grease and food (your own little fat berg, if you like). What you need in this case is a solution that will break down the fat, forcing your blockage down the pipeline. To start, try dissolving a couple of tablespoons of salt in water, and pouring it down the plughole. Let it work for a good half hour to 40 minutes; then pour boiling water down the sink to wash down the solution.
How to unblock a slow draining sink naturally
A slow draining sink is a smelly one at that. But, you can fix it naturally. Melissa Maker of Clean My Space recommends 'If your sink drains slowly—or if you have noticed a little funk wafting up from it—you may have some buildup that you need to flush out. Take about a cup of baking soda and dump it in the drain, and let it sit for an hour. Boil about 3 cups of vinegar in a kettle (you actually descale your kettle at the same time!), then pour it down your sink. And your sink won’t stink no mo’. On it!
How to unblock a sink with a plunger
If you like the old fashioned way then using a plunger is a sound move and this method works best when the problem is to do with bits of food or gunk stuck in the pipe.
How to stop your kitchen or bathroom sinks getting blocked in the first place!
Prevention is always better than cure, and sink blockages can be avoided:
Don't fancy mucking about with plumber's snakes and plungers? There are lots of products that will resolve most blockages within minutes, and if that doesn't work, then you know you have to call the plumber. Always look at the back of the product to make sure it is designed to tackle blockages and not simply deodorise/maintenance clean drains.
Drain = sorted.