
A clogged kitchen drain can be a terrible inconvenience. A kitchen without a usable sink is such a headache. How do you drain your pasta, clean your veggies, or even get around to wash that massive pile of dishes? If you’re currently dealing with this plight or know how to resolve it for future purposes. You’re in the right place. Before you head over to Google to search Brisbane drain cleaning for professional assistance, you should try the DIY hacks in this article and see if any solves your problem. Alright, let’s get started.
Check the garbage disposal.
This tip might feel a little too obvious to be here, but you could just as easily forget about it and go looking for more complicated solutions. Checking your garbage disposal should be the first thing you do before looking for other methods to unclog your drain. Backed-up disposal is often the reason behind a sink clog, and a thorough inspection can help you find out what’s wrong. So before pouring other home-made concoctions down your drain, flip the switch to check if the garbage disposal is in proper working condition.
A cheap solution to fixing a blocked kitchen drain that often has positive results is boiling water. If your garbage disposal seems to be in prime working condition, then grab a kettle and heat some water. In the meantime, ensure that the sink isn’t already full to the brim with stagnant water. Too much standing water will dilute the hot water and ruin the effect you need. Then you can go ahead and pour your kettle or pot of hot water down the drain.
One of the most straightforward solutions to fixing a clogged drain is using a plunger. So, if you have one at home, grab it from under the kitchen sink or the tool shed. Plungers create a suctioning pressure within the drain that helps to suck away whatever is backing up your drain. If you don’t have a plunger, anything that can create a tight seal over your drain will do. Also, avoid using the one you use for your toilet in your kitchen sink for apparent reasons.
- Give baking soda and vinegar a try.
Baking soda and vinegar is a popular DIY mix for cleaning, but you can also use it to fix a clogged kitchen sink. When you mix these two compounds and pour them down your drain, they work together to dissolve pesky pieces of dirt clogging up your sink. You’ll know it’s working on the application if you see a bubbling reaction. It would be best to follow this step by pouring boiling water down the drain as well.
Sometimes, boiling water, baking soda, and vinegar can’t loosen whatever is backing up your drain. In such instances, you need to go in there and manually remove it yourself. There’s little hot water can do for solid pieces of muck like bones, or a particular food, so you need to pull it out yourself. If you have a metal hanger lying around the house, grab it and unwind it. It’s easy to pass it through the holes of your sink, and the tip curves in a way that allows it to hook and hold on to debris.
So far, we’ve mentioned the most accessible and most popular techniques to unclog a kitchen drain. If none of the tips above work, then you might have to roll up your sleeves for more intense solutions, like cleaning your P-trap. The P-trap is the white U-shaped connection of plastic pipes under your sink. You can use your hands or a plier to unscrew it, wear a pair of gloves if you have one. However, before doing so, ensure you have a wide enough bucket to collect all the trash and dirt underneath.
- Hire a professional plumber
Finally, if the above hacks to unblock your kitchen sink fail, you should seriously consider hiring a plumber. Experts have a better understanding and experience dealing with clogged kitchen sinks and can easily pick up on something you missed or tell you if the problem is more complicated. However, there is another reason for getting a professional to handle these kinds of home emergencies. Unblocking a kitchen drain can be hectic and downright messy business, so if you’re not a fan of getting down and dirty, this tip is probably the best solution for you.
Conclusion
Clogged kitchen sinks interrupt the flow of work in the kitchen. It can also be an avenue for bacteria to fester in the stagnant water and cause your kitchen to smell rotten for days. DIYs can help you solve small problems or blockages. However, you shouldn’t delay calling in professional drain cleaners if you can’t get it done yourself.