How to Make a Clogged Sink Drain Faster

When you are using your sink, you expect everything to work perfectly. Most of us don't give it a second thought until something goes wrong. However, if the water is draining slowly in your sink, it can be a frustrating experience.

Fortunately, there are several DIY fixes you can try to correct the problem. Usually, the clogged sink is nothing major, so you can probably get it cleared pretty quick. If these solutions don't work, you can always call a professional plumber.

Here are some effective ways to make your sink drain run faster:

Baking Soda

When it comes to problems around the house, baking soda is a wonderful powder. You can brush your teeth with it, make deodorant, or use it as a cleaner. Best of all, you can use baking soda to unclog a sink drain.

Start by boiling water. Pour a 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain and follow that with a 1/2 cup of vinegar. They will mix together and start a chemical reaction, which breaks down any buildup in the pipes. Give it 5 minutes and pour the boiling water down the drain. This should further dissolve and wash away your clog. If you are still having an issue, rinse and repeat.

Look at the Stopper

A clog can build up at any part of the drain. Sometimes, it's right below the stopper. You can easily take out the stopper by twisting and unscrewing it. If you find that there is a buildup of hair and soap scum, clean it off and re-install it.

When you do take it out, run the hot water first. It will show you if the slow drainage problem is from the stopper or further down the pipe. If you notice black gunk on the underside of the stopper, this is bacteria from the biofilm buildup. Make sure you clean the buildup thoroughly.

Check the Sink Overflow

Your sink overflow opening is there to prevent the water from spilling over the side of the sink. It diverts the excess water back down the drain. This is a great safety feature, but it isn't the overflow's only purpose.

The overflow is also there to allow air into the drain when the sink is full. This aids in water flow and help the water drain quicker. Debris can also build up in this opening, and if it does, your water will drain slowly. Cleaning this can be done with a small scrubbing wire brush. You can also funnel in some baking soda and vinegar, followed by boiling water. Be careful as this is a small opening, so it's easy to overfill a funnel.

Plunger Time

When in doubt, use a plunger. A plunger is a handy tool for blockages in sinks, tubs and toilets, and it works by the force of pressure. You will need standing water in the sink, so turn on the taps until you get several inches in the sink and place the plunger head tightly over the hole. Use the standard up and down plunging motion to send pressure waves through the water. This will force any debris to move up and down as the plunging action is happening.

A new plunger should be used. On your next trip to the hardware store, buy a plunger and have it on hand for any sink blockages. You don't want any toxic bacteria from the toilet getting into your sink. You especially don't want any plunging splashes from a tainted plunger!

Zip It

A "zip it" is a drain cleaning tool that is inexpensive and easy to use. It's a thin piece of flexible plastic with barbs on it that you slide down the drain as far as you can and pull back up. You can push it in at different sides of the drain opening and see what you catch.

The process is like fishing for grime. It will snag hair and other debris pretty easily. Make sure to wash and disinfect it before putting it away. If it can reach the blockage, you have a chance of clearing out the clog successfully. Follow it up with boiling water to wash the rest away.

Try a Commercial Cleaner

You can buy a retail product used for clearing clogs in your sink. They are specially formulated to dissolved most blockages and they are pretty affordable. Be careful with the contents as they are very caustic on your skin, so wear gloves and don't breathe in any fumes. Follow the directions, and hopefully, your slow draining sink drain is in the past.

We hope the above methods will clear the clogs in your sink drains, making water drain at a normal rate again. There are multiple ways to unclog blocked drains. Using DIY's are easier, but one can find them painstaking. Nowadays, every consumer needs a faster drainage remedy to overcome blockage problems. Here we come up with an easier solution to unblock drains and get faster results from the clogged drains nuisance. Try each of these until you get proper water flow. If they don't do the trick, it's time to call in the big guns. Find a local plumber that you can trust to get your water flowing down the drains and you can go back to blissful washing.