How to Clean Bathroom Sink Drain Easily
The Bathroom sink is one of the most used areas in a home, and it’s also very much neglected.
The dirty water from washing your hands or brushing your teeth goes down the drain into a murky cesspool of bacteria and other nasty things.
But how often do you think about how to clean the sink drain?
Probably not often enough!
Let me show you how to clean this stubborn area using natural methods, without any harsh chemicals.
You’ll be surprised how well it works!
Table of Contents
How to clean the bathroom sink drain?
Today the homes are being built with modern facilities in them. One of these is how to clean the bathroom sink drain, which helps in maintaining hygiene in your home environment.
Bacteria lurking in the sink drain is a significant source of how to clean bathroom sink drain.
Instead of thinking about how to clean bathroom sink drain, we can think about maintaining hygiene.
Hydrogen peroxide uses a bleaching agent, which is used in removing the stains from the sink.
One can easily overcome the dirt and bacteria by regularly cleaning your bathroom sink drain with hydrogen peroxide to purify it so that you don’t have to think about how to clean bathroom sink drain.
All you need is hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and baking soda to maintain hygiene in the bathroom. You can also add a few drops of lemon juice to the hydrogen peroxide mixture.
Why is my bathroom sink not draining?
It is always better to fix the problem rather than think about how to clean bathroom sink drain.
The reason may be the hairs and dirt stuck in your sink, which clogs it. Or it can be a drainage problem.
You need to remove all the hair from your bathtub or sink because when you don’t clean it by removing the hair every time, it will clog.
How to remove hair from a sink drain?
To get rid of the hair stuck in your bathroom sink, you need to try this simple trick.
Put some hot water into your sink, half-filled with water. Then add about 2 or 3 tablespoons of salt. If you have baking soda, add 4 or 5 tablespoons of baking soda to the hot water.
After that, leave it like that for about 20 minutes and then pour out the water from your sink. If you still don’t clean the hair, try this trick again as often as needed to remove all the clogging.
You should always make sure to do this after every few weeks because if you go too long without removing the clogged hair from your sink, it may cause a more significant problem like the drainage problem.
After you remove the dirt and hair stuck in your bathroom sink drain or bathtub drain, check if there is an issue with the drainage of water.
You will need to pour some hot water into your sink and see what happens. If you cannot pour water, that means there is a problem with the drainage.
You can do this trick in your bathtub also when it stops draining correctly.
If there is any clog in your bathroom sink which doesn’t allow hot water to drain, then use a plunger to remove the clog.
I recommend a product named FlexiSnake Drain Weasel Sink Snake Cleaner.
If it is not a clog problem and water doesn’t drain properly, then there may be some breakage that prevents water drainage from going down the drain.
In that case, you will need a plumber or a professional to fix it for you.
How to clean a drain with vinegar and baking soda?
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Do you have a clogged drain?
Are you willing to try homemade alternatives before taking out the chemical guns?
If so, you’ll be interested in learning how to clean a drain with vinegar and baking soda.
The good news is that you probably already have the ingredients at home!
Baking soda is excellent for unclogging drains, plus it gives your brain an invigorating clean without any harsh chemicals.
Vinegar is also environmentally friendly—it even repels roaches and ants!
Here! Is how you can clean a drain with vinegar and baking soda:
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- Pour some baking soda down the clogged drain; this should loosen up any gunk that’s causing the blockage.
- Pour white distilled vinegar into your clogged drain, which will combine with the baking soda to create a “volcano” that will further dislodge the particles in your drain.
- Pour a half cup of salt down your clogged drain to help it clear any remaining debris. Then, pour a kettle full of boiling water down the drain to flush out all the salt and baking soda mix.
- Your drain should be squeaky clean! If there are still some stubborn spots, you can repeat these steps until everything has flushed out of your drain—and you’re left with an unclogged pipe!
Now that you know how to clean a drain with vinegar and baking soda try this “natural” method before heading over to the chemical aisle at your local grocery store for something harsher!
What you’ll need:
- Baking soda
- White distilled vinegar
- A kettle
- Salt (optional)
Here’s what you do:
Pour some baking soda down the clogged drain; this should loosen up any gunk that’s causing the blockage. Then, pour white distilled vinegar into your clogged drain.
Combining the two will create a “volcano” that will further dislodge any particles in your drain.
Pour a half cup of salt into your clogged drain to help it clear out any remaining debris.
Then, pour a kettle full of boiling water down the pipe to flush all the salt and baking soda mix. Your drain should be squeaky clean!
If there are still some stubborn spots, you can repeat these steps until everything has been flushed out of your drain—and you’re left with an unclogged pipe.
You can’t go wrong with this simple vinegar and baking soda recipe for cleaning drains! Use it sparingly, though; too much baking soda will make your drain fizz like Alka Seltzer®.
Don’t forget to adjust the ingredients according to how clogged your particular drain is!
For example, if there’s a lot of grease in the water coming out of your sink, add more salt, which helps break down fats.
And if you have a very persistent blockage that won’t budge even after trying this homemade remedy twice or three times, then it’s time to call a plumber!
Make sure to check out our other articles on how to clean a bathroom sink drain, clean a slow-running toilet, and how to unclog a shower drain.
Can boiling water unclog a drain?
The answer is yes, and it can unclog a drain.
The heat the boiling waterworks on bathroom sink drains by loosening any fat or oil build up along with the food particles that get trapped in the P-trap at the bottom of your sink.
You can use boiling water to unclog your bathroom sink drain from time to time, but remember, this method should only be used when you have an open clogged drain line under your sink.
And don’t forget, after trying to clear the blocked drain with boiling water, you must flush with cold water for a few minutes.
Finally, never pour grease down any drain, including your bathroom sink. If you do, then expect a blockage sooner rather than later.
WARNING
Do not pour boiling water down any drain in your bathroom sink. If you do, expect a clogged drain very shortly. To unclog a bathroom sink drain with boiling water.
What you’ll need:
| Tools | Materials |
|---|---|
| kettle for Hot water (boiled and still warm) | Duct tape |
| Plunger | |
| Sink auger | |
| Tongue-and-groove pliers (if needed) | |
| Bucket (if required) |
Instructions
- Pour a kettle full of boiled water into the bathroom sink.
- You need to clear out all the contents from the P-trap below your sink. You can do that by using a sink auger or with tong and groove pliers (if they fit into the trap). If you use a sink auger, make sure it has an extension attached to it before plunging. When an extender is used, it prevents the plunger from breaking when plunging clog holes close to the drain opening.
- Pour contents of the bucket down drain opening.
- Clean the P-trap and the drain lines.
- If you could remove all clogs from your bathroom sink, then it’s time to pour a kettle full of boiled water into the sink again. This will flush out any debris accumulated in our lines which can lead to another clog just around the corner.
- After flushing with boiled water, you need to clean out P-trap and lines again.
- Flush cold water for a few minutes to finalize the draining process.
Remember
Never to plunge without first checking for trapped objects because if there are any, the plunger may break instead of unclogging lines. If the plunger fails, use a sink auger or grab a bucket and make a stand to hold the bucket in place under the trap.
Prevention
Never dump grease or oil into your bathroom sink because that will clog your sewer line over time. And never put food particles into garbage disposal without grinding them first.
Causes of bathroom sink drains blocking
There are some reasons for Bathroom Sink Drains blocking, which you can find out here:
- Hair and Soap scum
When we take a bath, some soaps and shampoos create foam. When we use such stuff, the hair dissolves with the soap, and this mix goes down through drain holes. - Low water level
There are two reasons for this reason. The first cause is the low quantity of water to create a good flow. And the second one is any organic stuff can quickly go down with less water pressure. - Other particles
It will happen over time which you don’t clean your sink often enough. Ignoring this will create a green layer inside the drain that you can’t see easily. And any other particles can go down with that green layer also. - Bad Drain
It’s the worst-case and sporadic case, but if your bathroom sink has a wrong drain, you should change it immediately.
How often do we deal with such things?
If you have a family or group of people using your bathroom sink daily.
You can clean out the Bathroom Sink Drain every month; some people ignore this and will see many bad things happening if they decide to clean it up one day.
Tools & Materials that you need:
Here is one list which you can use to clean your bathroom sink drain easily.
- Two pairs of gloves
- A Drain Auger tool
- A snake wire with a hook at the end
Step 1: Prepare a bucket and put enough water in it so you can dip your snake wire.
Step 2: Now pour some chemical which is safe for your skin and the environment.
I recommend a product named Mr. Clean, a multi-purpose cleaner that you can use to clean all surfaces in your house.
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Step 3: Now, Use gloves and dip your snake wire inside the bucket.
Step 4: Put your hand over the drain hole cover and push the sink’s base to make sure that all water goes down.
Step 5: You should be ready to operate and rotate your snake wire at the drain hole. You can hear some noise, and after a minute or less, this noise will stop, and you can see something like hair come up from the sink.
Step 6: If it doesn’t work, try to put more pressure on your sink or repeat step 3 and step 4.
Step 7: If you still didn’t get it to work, you should stop using such chemicals and call any plumber to take care of this problem.
There is another way to use a tool called the Drain Auger which is more effective, but if you don’t have access to this kind of tool, you can try the steps that we wrote above.
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Note: When you find any foreign object in your sink, don’t touch it with your hands or anything else. You should wear gloves and grab them with your hand so you can throw them away.
What about chemical drain cleaners?
To solve a clogged sink, chemical drain cleaners are usually the first thing that homeowners reach for, but Drano does have some safety concerns associated with it.
When people use chemical products like Drano, there is always the risk of creating toxic fumes and damaging the pipes themselves.
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While these chemicals might work in some cases, they might also make the situation worse.
Chemical cleaners will usually not work well with hair clogs because hair does not dissolve in chemicals.
This means that a chemical drain cleaner may push a hair clog further down into the pipe and cause more problems later.
Chemical cleaners might dislodge some types of debris, but only due to the chemicals reacting with the debris.
This reaction is both corrosive and dangerous, so chemical drain cleaners are not ideal for everyone.
What is the best liquid to unclog a bathroom sink drain?
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Bathroom sink drain cleaning products vary; however, baking soda and white vinegar often unclog a bathroom sink drain.
Just pour one cup of baking soda down the bathroom sink drain, followed by one cup of white distilled vinegar.
Then fill the remainder of the basin with hot water. If this treatment fails, you may need to try a drain cleaner.
But read the directions of these products carefully before you use them because some are pretty hazardous, and you should only use them if all else fails.
Cleaning bathroom sink drains can be done with cleaning products or natural ingredients like baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice, and borax.
All of those ingredients have been used for years to clear a drain.
However, if the bathroom sink clogs up after a while and you have tried to use a cleaner a few times unsuccessfully, you should try natural remedies instead.
Natural remedies are usually better options because they are less harmful or toxic than regular drain cleaners.
If you are ready to unclog a bathroom sink drain, you can use one of the following products that I recommended for you:
Liquid Plumber or Drano
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Liquid Plumr can help you to unclog a bathroom sink drain quickly.
Bio-Clean
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You can also use Bio-Clean to unclog a bathroom sink drain.
Green Gobbler Drain Opener
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Green Gobbler Drain Opener can also help you to unclog a bathroom sink drain.
Xion Lab Safer Drain Opener
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XionLab Safer Drain Opener can also help you unclog a bathroom sink drain.
Liquid Fire
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Liquid Fire can also help you to unclog a bathroom sink drain.
Hair Clog Remover
No products found.
Hair Clog Remover can help you clean the hair that clogged your sink quickly.
Tips and Tricks on how to clean your bathroom sink drain
1- Baking Soda & Vinegar
Baking Soda is a well-known remedy to clean any drain very quickly. So let’s see how to lean the bathroom sink drain with baking soda.
- Mix one part of baking soda with an equal amount of vinegar, then pour the mixture down the sink drain.
- After about 15 minutes, flush it out with boiling water.
The significant advantage of this method is that it can clean your pipes too.
2- Flour & Boiling Water
If you have a blocked drain in the sink, flush the blockage away with this simple method.
– Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of plain (all-purpose) white flour into the drain.
– Slowly pour 1 cup of boiling water down the bathroom sink drain.
Please don’t do it quickly or over a period.
You will see the difference!
3- Salt & Hot Water
Saltwater also cleans your bathroom sink drain easily. HOW?
- Pour one tablespoon of salt into the clogged drain.
- Now slowly pour some hot boiling water into it.
- After about 20 minutes, run clean, warm water into the drain to help push out any remnants of the blockage (salt is beneficial in clearing drains).
4- Plunger
If none of the above tips work for you, this is when a plunger can be of great help.
It’s time to lean bathroom sink drain by plunger!
But don’t go so fast here because some tricks need to be followed to count the bathroom sink drain by the plunger.
Pour about 3 cups of boiling water down the drain, then place the plunger directly over the drain.
Plunge deeply and repeatedly until you feel the blockage loosen its grip.
Clean away any pieces that come loose.
5- Chemical Drain Cleaner
If still bathroom sink drain is not lean, then the best solution for you might be a chemical drain cleaner.
The goal of using a chemical drain cleaner is to eat away the clog to flow smoothly again.
- Pour some water into the drain, then pour in some chemical cleaner.
- Let sit for about half an hour, then run hot water down the sink to rinse away the dirt and clear the clog.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using drain cleaners.
Be warned that chemical cleaners are harsh chemicals, and they don’t work instantly!
6- Lime Away
If lean bathroom sink drains by plunger, flour & boiling water or baking soda & vinegar is not working out; you can lean it by lime away.
- First, clean the bathroom sink drain, then pour in some lime away and let sit for about half an hour.
- After that, clean it off with clean water, and your clean sink is ready to use again.
7- Wire Hanger
If the lean bathroom sink drain by chemicals and plunger is not working out, you can clean it by unblocking the sink with a wire hanger.
- First, clean the bathroom sink drain with water and twist one end of the wire hanger into a small hook.
- Now push into the drain until you contact the blockage. Please give it a good push to clean your bathroom sink drain (this is why this method works best for blocked drains).
8- Dish Soap
If the clean bathroom sink drain by wire hanger is not clean, you can lean it with dish soap.
- First of all, pour some hot water into the sink to remove anything that may be there.
- Now pour in some liquid dish soap and let sit for about half an hour.
- Then, pour some hot water into it, and your clean bathroom sink drain is ready.
All of the above tips will help you lean your bathroom sink drain. You can use them accordingly.
How do I clean the gunk out of my bathroom sink drain?
The garbage disposal in your sink can be a huge help when dealing with clogged drains, but sometimes gunk and grime still build up in your drain.
This can be especially problematic if you have a slow-down in the pipes or notice water backing up into other drains.
It’s easy enough to take care of this problem with everyday household items, and you can usually do it without even having to call a plumber.
Fill the sink up halfway with boiling water and put on some rubber gloves. You want them because it’s going to be hot!
Next, grab some baking soda and sprinkle it into the drain. Add about ½ cup of vinegar and let this mixture sit for about 30 minutes.
If you have a slow-running drain, add more baking soda. This will help to create a chemical reaction that will break up gunk and grime in the pipes.
If the clog is particularly stubborn, don’t be afraid to add more baking soda or vinegar after the initial 30 minutes and give the mixture a little more time to work its magic.
When the 30 minutes have passed, pour boiling water down the drain. You can also do this once or twice after you’ve pulled out all of the baking soda and vinegar.
The boiled water should help clean out any grime that baking soda missed, but you may have to call a plumber if it still hasn’t cleared things up.
If your drain is completely clogged and boiling water doesn’t help after a few tries, it’s time for a little more heavy-duty cleaning.
Clean out the drain with a plunger, or try using a homemade drill out of a coat hanger.
This is a pretty involved process that you might not want to attempt on your own, but it can be a relatively easy fix if you’re willing to try.
If all else fails, call a plumber who is experienced with drain cleaning.
What is the black gunk in my bathroom sink drain?
The bathroom sink drain has a lot of hair and grease.
It is black gunk. What is it?
The black gunk in the bathroom sink drain is dirt stuck on the grease and soapy water.
The black gunk blocks the water flow to the toilet bowl. When someone flushes the toilet, it will not wash well.
You need to clean it with a pipe cleaner or brushes that can fit into the sink drain.
You can use hot water or a vinegar solution to remove black dirt, hair, and grease from the bathroom sink drain.
The acid in the vinegar solution will dissolve calcium deposits inside pipes, loosening up dust particles stuck on the walls of the lines.
Finally, you can use a chemical drain cleaner for your bathroom sink drain in case of stubborn grease and dirt.
The best way to prevent black gunk in the bathroom sink drain is not to put any garbage or dirty clothes into it when you are not using it.
It would be best if you rinsed the sink with fresh water after brushing teeth or shaving.
What is the best way to clean a sink drain?
If you don’t want to use chemicals, put hot water in the drain and pour baking soda down. Wait 15 minutes, then pour boiling water down the drain.
If the sink is clogged, you can try pouring boiling water or vinegar into it to break up whatever was blocking it.
It may be tough to break up if the metal has rusted together at the bottom of your pipes, but take a wrench and spray some lubricant on it before trying again – this should make it easier for your nuts to move around under heat exposure.
You might also need an auger or snake tool, which are tools inserted through a tube, usually with teeth at one end to help pull out whatever has clogged drains.
Conclusion
Your bathroom sink drain is one of the most critical parts of your entire plumbing system.
For it to function correctly, it needs a lot of attention and cares regularly.
The good news is that cleaning your bathroom sink drain doesn’t have to be complicated!
Check out these tips below about how you can make this job easier by yourself or with some help from friends & family members.
Please share with us in the comment section below!
How do you clean your bathroom sink drain?
I hope this article helps you how to clean bathroom sink drain easily.
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