Is the kitchen sink clogged and you don’t know what to do? Solve the problem by practicing homemade tricks.
Even with all care and hygiene, food remains can accumulate in the drain or pipe, preventing the passage of water. To solve this problem, check out a selection of homemade techniques on how to unclog a kitchen sink.
Clogging can be avoided through simple habits, such as cutting and peeling food on a table and not in the sink, removing food scraps from pans and dishes before putting them to be washed, using sieves in the drain and never throw grease in the sink. But if the problem is already arising in your kitchen at home, some products and techniques can help unclog the sink.
The use of protectors (sieves) in the drain helps to prevent clogging.
Methods on how to unclog the kitchen sink
Food leftovers cause clogging and harm the daily life in the kitchen. Check out 10 tricks to unclog sink:
1- Detergent and hot water
The solution to the problem may be over the sink. That’s right! Try pouring a mixture of detergent and 5 liters of hot water into the drain. In the absence of detergent, washing powder also has good results.
2- Wire
A clogged sink can be fixed with a piece of wire, as long as the reason for the problem is the accumulation of solid waste in the drain. Provide three wires and braid them. At the end, create a kind of hook to pull the dirt. Thread the wire into the drain and make a few moves.
3- Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola can help when clogging occurs due to waste accumulated near the drain and not in other parts of the pipe. To solve the problem, just pour the drink into the sink and wait. As Coca-Cola’s acidity is very low, it may be necessary to use more than five liters to achieve the expected result.
4- Baking soda and vinegar
The use of baking soda is a practical option, since the unblocking effect is achieved when it is combined with a very common ingredient in the kitchen, vinegar. To do this, just add half a cup of baking soda with half a cup of vinegar, throw this mixture into the sink drain and let it act for 30 minutes. Finally, you need to pour two liters of hot water into the sink.
5- Kitchen salt
Add a cup of salt to the sink drain. Then, pour boiling water to enhance unclogging. While the water is draining, press down on the drain with a cloth.
6- Rubber Unclog
The rubber part of this object must be placed over the sink drain. Then make firm movements from top to bottom. It’s a tip that everyone knows, but it doesn’t hurt to remember that it works well in many cases.
7- Hose
In many cases the sink becomes clogged because the wall pipe is clogged. To solve the situation, you should use a method a little more laborious, which has as main material a hose connected to a faucet in operation.
Remove the siphon, insert the hose into the pipe and push a cloth into the pipe with the help of a screwdriver, without removing the hose. Connect the hose and let the water pressure until it unclogs. After this step by step, just disconnect the hose, remove it from the pipe and replace the siphon.
8- Muriatic Acid
Muriatic acid is a very potent chemical, used as a drain cleaner for sinks and toilets by most. In the kitchen, it should be used in small amounts, approximately 500 ml, the acid usually releases vapors when poured down the drain, these vapors can irritate the skin and mucous membranes, if possible, protect the eyes, mouth and nose. After leaving the product to act for 10 minutes, pour 1 liter of boiling water into the sink drain.
9- Coffee grounds
Use the coffee grounds carefully, don’t forget to pour hot water down the drain after the action time.
The coffee grounds must be used to unclog the sink very carefully, if thrown down the drain and then only given cold water, it will contribute even more to the clogging. The secret is to moisten the coffee powder (1 tablespoon) and throw it in the sink drain, then pour 1 liter of hot water down the drain, if necessary, pour hot water again after an hour.
10- Caustic Soda
Caustic soda is a product often used to unclog sinks, but it requires careful handling as it is highly corrosive
Prepare 1 liter of soda without skin contact. Pour into kitchen sink drain and let stand for a few minutes. While the caustic soda acts, heat 3 liters of water and then pour it down the drain so that no residue remains encrusted in the pipes.
Although efficient, caustic soda can damage pipes. For this reason, its use is indicated only in the most severe cases of clogging.
What if nothing resolves?
Often, none of the homemade techniques are enough to destroy the thick crusts that form inside the pipe and impede the passage of water. Furthermore, there is a risk that the products used will form small holes in the pipes and cause leaks, as the vast majority of them are corrosive.
Resorting to the help of a plunger can be the best solution to put an end to this type of problem for good. In addition to trained professionals, the plungers work with the use of effective and exclusive products to unblock sinks that are hardly found on the market.
The best way to fight a clogged sink is to adopt prevention measures. Avoiding food disposal in the sink, using a filter in the drain and not pouring cooking oil are some important measures. Another recommendation is to periodically clean the pipe, pouring hot water down the drain at least once a month.
