Asked on Oct 05, 2014

How to unstop a sink

Jo F.
by Jo F.
My sister and family moved into a house and one side of the kitchen sink is stopped up. What's the best thing to use to clear it up. TIA. I don't think Drano,etc is good.
  6 answers
  • Kathy brooks Kathy brooks on Oct 06, 2014
    I have unclogged a kitchen drain before by pouring baking soda then vinegar. It bubbles up, it may take some time but worked well. Run hot water afterwards then repeat, just to make sure it's clean and the smell is better, too.
  • You may want to clear out under the sink and remove the traps and clean them out. When we moved into our home 6 years ago the guy would put out his cigarettes in the sink so the sink was clogged! Just lay tarp and old towels and have a bucket to catch the water if there is any in the sink. I clean out our traps in the sinks about once a year.
  • Carole Carole on Oct 07, 2014
    Try the good old sink plunger first. It may not be as bad as you think. Otherwise do as Garden Frog suggests clean out from underneath the sink.
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Oct 07, 2014
    Would follow all of above in order. Soda + vinegar. Plunge. Check traps.
  • Remove the cross pipe on the trap between the sink. Its common for this to plug up. Using a drain cleaning chemical works fine if the trap is plugged but it really is not all that great of a product. Removal is easy there are nuts on the pipes, simply unscrew them keeping a large pot or many old towels under that will soak up the water when they come apart. Remove them, clean out and reinstall.
  • Jo F. Jo F. on Oct 08, 2014
    Thank you ladies. I will pass the info on to my sister and Bil. I don't know why he didn't think about checking the pipes. I know they used a plunger and it didn't help.