Methods for Unclogging a Kitchen Sink
The kitchen is one of the most occupied places in the home, this is where we delight our taste buds by cooking some of our most delicious food dishes. However, because of the amount of time that is spent in the kitchen at any given time, the kitchen sink is one of those areas that are mostly used to wash our hands and clean meats, fruits, and vegetables besides washing kitchenware.
Because of how often the kitchen sink is used debris in most cases and unknowing gets trapped in the pipe causing it to clog. Pouring grease down the drain can cause clogging as well and then there are children that can at times place objects down the kitchen sink which may cause clogging also. Below we will be sharing with you 7 methods of how to unclog the kitchen sink but in some instances, there may be other major problems where a professional plumber may have to be called in if these methods don’t work so join the discussion as we take a closer look at how to unclog a kitchen sink that drains slowly.
7 Tips for Unclogging a Kitchen Sink
Water: If you’re not sure why your kitchen sink is clogged try using hot water and wait for a while to see what happens oil or grease may have gone down the drain followed by getting hard and causing clogging. Hot water can soften up grease that’s hardened, once the water has been poured down the sink wait for a couple of minutes or maybe half an hour to see if the drain is cleared.
A Plunger: A plunger is an ideal tool that can help with a clogged sink, a few seconds of plunging can cause hair and other debris if present such as food particles to dislodge thereby clearing the drain.
How this is done is to fill the sink halfway with hot water, now place the plunger over the drain opening, and begin to pump and push the plunger up and down. This action should be done rapidly several times. Now quickly remove the plunger from the sink’s opening to see if this works, if the water starts to drain slowly then repeat this action until the drain is cleared. Plunge both sides of the drain, however.
Removing the Trap: Sometimes larger particles for example vegetable peels may become trapped in the part of the pipe that’s curved beneath the sink. With channel-type pliers remove the P-trap, but before removing the P-trap place a bucket under the sink because when the P-trap is removed water that’s trapped in the line will spill from the drain once the P-trap is removed. Remove any debris that’s discovered, and rinse the pipe thoroughly before replacing it back, if you’re wondering what a P-trap is it’s that bend or curved part of the pipe that’s found underneath the kitchen sink.
Plumbers Acid: Can also be used to clear a kitchen sink but caution should be used and if not sure call in a professional plumber, this acid is strong removing food particles. Gloves, goggles and a safety mask is a must when using these acids, ensure that when or when not in use plumbers acids are kept in a ventilated place and out of the reach of children and pets.
A Drain Snake: If the particle is not in the P-trap then it may be further down the pipe, a drain snake can then be used to reach further down inside of the pipe to remove the clog, you can either rent one or buy one to assist but at this point, it’s best to hire a professional plumber to do the job.
A Dry Vacuum: A wet and dry vacuum can work just as well, but before using a wet and dry vacuum read and follow the manufacturer’s directions. After you cover the vent set the vacuum settings to liquid, now ensure that the kitchen sink drain is tightly sealed. Use a hose to tighten it, next turn on the vacuum, and let it suck up whatever debris is clogging the drain. This method in some cases may or may not work.
Check the Garbage Disposal: Check the garbage disposal to see if it’s clogged, with hot water running run your garbage disposal for a few minutes to see if that causes the drain to be unclogged. Ensure however if that doesn’t work that your garbage disposal is turned off and inspect it carefully making sure it’s running, if your garbage disposal overheats and shuts off automatically you may have to restart it by locating the “off/”on switch which can be found on the bottom or the side of the disposal underneath the sink.
How to Prevent my Kitchen Sink from getting Clogged?
- Avoid pouring oil or grease down the drain
- Avoid small objects from going down the drain hole
- Keep hair out of the drain
- Avoid food scraps falling into the drain
- Make sure that kids are not playing around the sink, they just may throw something down the drain that may cause the sink to clog
The final word on how to unclog a kitchen sink that drains slowly
In most cases, a kitchen sink may not be hard to unclog but what we want to avoid is getting to the place where we face this issue, however, if your kitchen sink is clogged following this guide can offer some help. But if you need help, for example, getting an experienced plumber can help to correct this issue then by all means do so. I myself have had to unclog my kitchen sink numerous times so let’s be careful as we work in our kitchen and around our sinks to keep them free from clogging.
About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Thanks for the great information about unclogging a sink. This is something that happens periodically to most households, so the pointers and tips to fix this issue is absolutely necessary. Some of the methods that you have spoken about within the article I personally have not heard of. I will utilize these techniques if this occurs in my house in the future.
I am so happy to help and thanks so much for your kind words, hopefully, you will not have to use these methods because your sink will always be unclogged. All the best to you and have a good day!
This is a great post and I can testify to the truth that you listed in your post. I have dealt with this problem of clogged-up sinks, especially in the kitchen. Most of the time I will only be notified when the problem happened. After doing a little investigation, I found out that cooking oil had been poured into the drain.
First I tried to unclog the drain by using the plunger and even though it worked, it was kind of slow but it worked. You are going to use some muscle in the process.
My favorite way of unclogging the sink is if you determined that the cause of the clog is cooking oil or grease, the best solution is, run hot water into the drain and leave it there till the water drain like it normally does. Now, for prevention measures, I have advised my family not to pour oil or grease into the sink.
Great post, the solutions shown here worked, even though I have only used 2 of them. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for stopping by and commenting. I am so happy to have helped, wishing you all the best, have a great day!