Standing water in the kitchen sink that refuses to leave is always a matter of concern, especially if you don’t have a dishwasher at home as backup. Plus, a pile of dirty plates sitting in equally dirty water is never a pleasant sight. Blocked drains are a nuisance; and calling someone to resolve this problem is an additional headache. But don’t worry, after reading this blog, you won’t need to call a plumber to fix that stubborn drain, because we are about to share some of the best DIY hacks to unclog a kitchen sink.
Let’s check them out.
Easy DIY Hacks to Unclog a Kitchen Sink
Here are some tried-and-tested household hacks to unclog a kitchen drain.
- Pour some boiling water mixed with salt and detergent
- Baking soda and vinegar work the best
- Use a plunger
- Place a basket under the P-trap
- How to avoid a clogged kitchen sink
Let’s discuss each of them in detail.
Pour some boiling water mixed with salt, baking soda and detergent
Here is how to unclog a kitchen sink: Keep a pot of boiling water handy when faced with a blocked drain. If there is a lot of sitting water in your kitchen sink, it is always a good idea to bail some water out in a bucket, before adding boiling water.
When you remove all the standing water from the drain, boil some water and pour it straight from the stove. After a few minutes, mix 1 cup baking soda and 8 tbsp heaped table salt and using a spoon, sift the dry mixture in the drain. Allow it to sit there for 3-4 hours.
Then again pour 3-4 cups of boiling water, mixed with some soap or detergent, down the clogged kitchen drain. You need to repeat the process a few more times to unclog the kitchen sink. It works most of the times if the blockage is because of grease, oil or any tea remains.
Baking soda and vinegar work the best
This is one of the best natural ways to clean a clogged drain in your kitchen sink. Sprinkle around a cup of baking soda in your kitchen sink. Let it sit there for 4 hours. Then pour 1 cup vinegar and a kettle full of boiling water. You will have to repeat this home remedy a couple of times, with brief intervals, to completely unclog the kitchen sink.
Use a plunger
A plunger comes in handy when unclogging a blocked kitchen drain. Use a plunger and pump it to loosen any food scraps, tea leaves’ residues in the drain.
This technique of unclogging the kitchen sink works best in situations when food particles get stuck at the bottom of the pipe and can’t be reached. A plunger helps loosen it up. You will have to first bail out any standing water in the kitchen sink.
Place a basket under the drain
It is important to place a basket under the kitchen drain, which you can find inside a kitchen cabinet. When you wash dishes on the kitchen sink, a lot of food residues pass through the drain. If a basket is kept under the drain, then it would collect all particles and tea leaves, protecting the drain pipe from getting clogged.
Also, use a drain lid or cover in your kitchen sink to catch any residues beforehand. There is a p-trap in the drain pipe, which is basically a curved pipe at the end of the drain tube. If nothing works, remove the p-trap and clean it thoroughly, removing all stored food particles and elements that were causing the blockage. Once done, carefully place the p-trap back where it belonged.
How to avoid a clogged kitchen sink
Prevention is always better than cure. Why not help avoid clogged kitchen sink drains. Here are some quick pointers for you to help avoid such a situation.
- Pour boiling water each night, just when you are done cleaning your kitchen.
- If you see any signs of clogged kitchen drains, then use boiling water with detergent and baking soda for a couple of nights to thoroughly cleanse the drain pipe.
- When you are done with your dish washing chore, take an old metal hanger, straighten it up and use it as a drain snake to loosen up any clogged greasy residue in the drain pipe.
- Another hack to keep the kitchen sink drain pipe clean for all times is to boil some water and add ½ a cup washing powder and pour it in the kitchen sink after completing all kitchen-related tasks. Once you have poured the boiling mixture, don’t use the kitchen sink.
- For routine cleaning of kitchen sink and for a great-smelling kitchen, pour some lemon juice in the drain and also wipe the sink clean using lemon juice and baking soda.
- Never throw tea leaves, coffee grounds or leftover oil from your frying pan directly into the kitchen sink. It will definitely block the drain and you will have to try out different home remedies to unclog the kitchen sink.
So, these were some of the best DIY hacks to unclog a kitchen sink. You can also check out these easy DIY plumbing repairs.
If you are building a house and are in the process of constructing a kitchen, then check out some of these features you can incorporate for an easy-to-manage, low-maintenance kitchen.
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