Dealing with a slow drain in your kitchen or bathroom sink can be frustrating. No one likes to sit in front of, let alone need to wait, for the dirty water to drain out of the sink before going about their day. The important thing to keep in mind is that the more you put up with a slow drain, the more likely it is that it will become a full-blown clog that will completely prevent you from using your sink.
Fortunately in most cases, fixing a slow drain is effortless and can be handled by the homeowner. Plumbing professionals suggest a few possible solutions that do not require the use of harmful chemicals that may be harmful to you and your plumbing.
Checking the drain plug
If your bathroom sink begins draining more slowly than usual, the first thing you should do is investigate your bathroom sink stopper. The stopper is designed to plug the sink when you have finished using it, but this could happen should it become obstructed with soap scum, hair, waste from your countertop, coffee grounds, mold, or even globs of toothpaste that can get trapped on it. Remove the stopper, clean up any accumulated gunk.
Using a mixture of baking soda and vinegar is an effective means to unclog your drainpipe of built up residue.
- Pour half a cup of baking soda down your drain.
- Next, pour half a cup of white vinegar to start the fizzing reaction that will start breaking up the residue.
- Stuff a small rag into the drain to prevent the vinegar and baking soda from bubbling up into the sink.
- Wait 15 minutes while boiling water in your kettle.
- After 15 minutes, pour the boiling water down the drain and then run the hot water to flush away any remaining debris.
Snaking your drain
A small drain snake may be just the thing for reaching whatever might be blocking your drain. Twist the snake around your drain in order to collect debris such as hairs. After the drain snake has been inserted twist it around the pipe, then proceed to remove the hair and debris with the drain snake. Keep doing this until you no longer notice any hair or debris.
If you find that these methods have not helped then the issue may be farther down the line or a bigger problem than you are able to handle. Contact your local plumbing professionals ad Dyer’s Plumbing to help your plumbing run smoothly again.
