Cleaning A Clogged Drain Made Easy And Simple

Drains clog easily – when hair, toothpaste, soap residue, or whatever-goes-down-there build ups. If you want to clean them and unclog them, follow these instructions.

You will need some white vinegar, a cloth or an old toothbrush, a screwdriver, a straightened coat hanger or a wire, a plunger or a frisbee, a hand auger, a bucket, some new rubber gaskets, a wrench, some baking soda and some cola.

1. Remove the drain stopper and remove all hairs and other debris that have built up there. You should do that every week. Remove the stopper always before starting to clean the sink or the bathtub, in order to prevent soap residue build up, and rinse it before putting it back.

If the stopper needs cleaning and has soap residue, clean it with some white vinegar and scrub with a cloth or the old toothbrush.

If the stopper cannot be removed, try using a small brush to clean around it and inside of it as much as possible.

2. Start unclogging the drain by reaching into the drain with a straightened coat hanger or a long wire and trying to push the clog through, or to pull it out.

If this doesn’t work, try using a plunger. Cover the drain opening with the head of the plunger, and plug any other drain outlets, like the overflow opening in the tub, with a rag in order to create a vacuum. Fill the tub/sink with water until it covers the head of the plunger. Pump it several times and pull it out quickly. Do this as many times as necessary. Flush the drain with extremely hot water.

If using the plunger doesn’t yield any results, try using a hand auger (also known as a snake). It’s a cable which you release into the drain until it reaches the clog. Then, using a hand crank, you either pull the debris through, or you pull them out. Flush the drain with extremely hot water.

If the snake doesn’t work, that means the clog may be in the sink trap (the pipe shaped like U). If it has a cleaning plug, just lay a bucket underneath, unscrew the plug and remove any debris with a wire. If it doesn’t have a cleaning plug, remove the trap.

3. Flush the drain with a lot of extremely hot water, which will remove any loosened debris. Don’t forget this step, especially if you’ve cleaned the sink trap.

4. Clean the drains regularly and you will prevent future clogs.