When the pipe under the drain in your sink is partially blocked, any water going into the sink is going to drain more slowly than usual. The situation won’t get better on its own. You have to try to open the drain so that the water drains faster and the partial clog doesn’t become a complete clog. You can do this with a few fast methods that can open up the drain and get the water moving more quickly.
Clear Out Hair
Hair’s one of the worst offenders that cause slow drains. The fastest way to fix this is to get a plastic hair snake with barbs that can catch the hair.
Remove the stopper and insert the snake into the drain as far as it’ll go. Turn the snake around in the drain, pull the snake back out, and look for hair to come out with it. Pull out the hair, wash your hands, replace the stopper, and test the faucet and drain.
Scrub the Stopper
The stopper can also be part of the problem because dirt, soap scum, old toothpaste, and a whole lot of other nasty material can stick to the stopper’s stem. You can wipe most of this off with tissues and then wash the stopper.
Try a Sink Plunger
Sink plungers are different from toilet plungers. Instead of having an accordion-like bellows or a narrow opening at the bottom of the plunger, a sink plunger just has an upside-down cup on the end.
Remove the stopper and place the plunger over the drain. Place a paper towel or rag in the overflow hole. If there’s no water in the sink, add a few inches. Start pushing the plunger down like you would with any other type of plunger. You’re using air pressure to dislodge whatever is stuck in the pipe.
Use Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Hot Water
You can also try pouring baking soda into the drain, followed by vinegar. Once you add the vinegar, immediately close off the drain so that the foaming action heads down the drain. If you leave the drain open, a lot of the foam is going to just come up into the sink basin, where it won’t do any good. When the foaming bubbles enter the drainpipe, they can knock loose material off the sides of the pipe. Let all of that mixture sit for about 15 minutes, and then pour hot water into the drain to help clear out more loose gunk.
Fixing a slow drain is usually simple. But if the drain still won’t drain faster after you’ve tried all of these methods, you’ll either need to remove sections of pipe and clean them, or have a plumber clear out the drain. When you need drain cleaning services in Glendale, AZ, contact Bumble Bee Home Services.
