Everyone has experienced this situation at some point in their lives – one day, you are washing your hands at your kitchen or bathroom sink when all of a sudden you realize that the water is not draining properly through the sink drain.
You wait for the water to drain and then make another effort to wash your hands, but the results are the same, and on top of that, it smells terrible!
When this happens, it is helpful to have knowledge about how to unclog a kitchen sink without a plunger.
But if you don’t use a plunger, how can you clear a blockage in the kitchen sink? What actions have you done to find a solution to this problem in the past, assuming this is the first time you have come across it?
This article provides all of the information that you require to unclog sinks in the shortest amount of time feasible.
Drain Cleaning Without A Plunger
There are a number of alternatives to the use of a plunger or plumbing service that can be utilized to properly clear a clogged sink drain.
These are a few surefire solutions that you may test out at home – ranging from employing natural approaches to using heavier commercial cleaning products and just plain old elbow grease drain cleaner.
1. Utilize soda crystals.
The use of soda crystals is beneficial for a wide variety of cleaning tasks, ranging from odorous washing machines to drains. But in addition to that, you may use them to clear a clogged drain in the sink as well.
After dissolving half of the pack in hot water that has been brought to a boil, simply pour the solution down the drain trap and wait for it to work. If you require a more potent remedy, replace the warm water with vinegar in the mixture. If required, repeat the process.
2. Make use of a sink unclogging product.
If your sink is sluggish, which indicates that water takes a long time to move down the drain, and particularly if you are dealing with a bathroom sink that has likely gathered soap scum and/or hair obstructions, you should use a solution that is designed specifically for unclogging drains.
In both of these scenarios, the drain is likely to be clogged. The hair will be chemically dissolved by a substance designed to unclog sinks. Even if it isn’t the most eco-friendly choice, it’s often the only viable option for a problem that can’t be solved any other way.
3. Remove the screw from the U-bend, and then manually clean the pipe.
This is the course of action that requires the largest amount of time and effort, but it is also the possibility that no other choice will be successful. Take images at each step of the process so that you won’t forget how the piece should be reassembled.
You should also have an old bucket and some towels spread out on the floor. Due to the fact that the U-bend can produce some wind noise, you ought to additionally open a window.
Give the pipe a complete cleaning using rags and an old toothbrush or bottle brush to really get at any tough pieces that may be stuck in there. Reconnect the U-bend while making sure the seals are in good working order.
4. Use a plumbers snake to clear a clogged kitchen sink.
If water is not going down at all, you may be dealing with a very tenacious obstruction that must be dislodged by exerting a great degree of physical effort.
A plumber’s snake is just a long wire that is flexible and can move down the pipe. You will be able to pinpoint the position of the blockage in the pipe with the use of this information.
Try twisting the pipe at regular intervals so that you can eliminate the possibility of leaving any bits remaining within the pipe. After that, you will be able to take it off and then push it back into its original position.
It is not a good idea to use hangers or any other type of wire that is not designed for use in plumbing for the reason that they could become lodged inside the pipe and exacerbate the situation.
If you are interested in learning how to unclog a kitchen sink without a plunger, one of the best ways to do so is by making use of a drain snake.
5. Use baking soda and vinegar.
When it comes to cleaning, utilizing salt and water alone isn’t nearly as effective as using vinegar and/or baking soda instead. In addition to that, it needs to be effective on obstructions that are more difficult to clear.
A stinky sink is one that drains slowly and insufficiently. The good news is that there is a straightforward solution to the problem that you are now facing.
It is plausible that you have some deposit and congestion in your sink that ought to be flushed away if it drains poorly or if you have sensed a faint odor coming from it.
In any case, you should inspect it. In this specific situation, you will need to clean the sink completely by removing everything from it and then putting it back in its place.
Put about a cup of baking soda down the drain clog, and then let it sit for an hour for it to settle there and work its magic.
Put around three cups of white vinegar into a kettle, bring it to a boil, and then dump the solution down the sink. This will actually descale the kettle. Not only that – the odor coming from your blocked sink will be gone, too!
6. Remove a loose blockage by using a saline solution.
It is probable that you are dealing with a more persistent, compacted blockage made of food and oil if the plunger is not working and there is standing water in the drain. It is possible that the clog is more compacted if you do not have access to a plunger or if the one you do have does not function properly.
If this turns out to be the case, the congestion will worsen and become more concentrated as it spreads around the area. If this is the case, you will need to remove the blockage before you can flush it.
In this particular scenario, what you require is a remedy that will break down the fat, so you have to force the obstruction further down the pipeline.
To get things started, you could try dissolving a few teaspoons of salt in boiling water and then pouring that solution down the drain. After allowing it to work for at least a half hour and up to forty minutes, you should flush the solution away by pouring boiling water down the kitchen sink drain.
Caution: Always be careful when working with boiling water.
Avoid Having Your Bathroom Or Kitchen Sink Clog Up
It’s true that prevention is always preferable to treatment, right? Aside from that, clogged sink drains can be avoided by:
1. Regular cleaning.
It is a good idea to clear the drain of your kitchen sink on a regular basis, especially now that you know how simple it is to do so. This will avoid buildup and ensure that everything continues to function properly. During the course of your routine comprehensive cleaning, now would be an ideal opportunity to have this done.
2. Take it easy when you’re using the garbage disposal.
It is tempting to sweep food scraps into the sink and have them disappear under the gratifying whirr of powerful blades, but any plumber will tell you that a trash disposal is not truly intended to be used for rubbish.
Long peels or stringy vegetables, such as celery, become wrapped around the blades and increase the buildup in the drain. In addition to that, things like seeds, pits, and nuts wreak havoc on filters and drains. If at all possible, you should keep food scraps in a compost container and use the sink only for smaller detritus.
3. Don’t put grease or oils in the sink to get rid of them.
The correct procedure for getting rid of cooking oil is to first allow it to totally cool off, and then to pour it into a disposal container, such as a glass jar or a Tupperware container.
If you save the plastic containers that food comes in for this reason, you won’t be as tempted to pour the food down the drain, where it will coat the PVC pipe and trap food as it travels through, causing a buildup that is very difficult to remove.
4. Keep smells at bay.
It’s possible that someone told you that it’s okay to drop used coffee grounds down the garbage disposal as a preventative maintenance measure, but you shouldn’t do so.
They could be effective for odor control up top, but they might accumulate and cause clogs further down the system. Baking soda and white vinegar, or even the juice of half a lemon, taken on a regular basis are much more effective options.
Final Words
So how to unclog a kitchen sink without a plunger and without having to spend money on professional drain cleaning service? Having to deal with something on a consistent basis is a pain in the neck, and this is especially true in the case of clogged drains.
Always make an effort to remove any physical impediments before turning to a more severe chemical drain cleaner.
If, however, you do wind up dumping something down your kitchen drain, choose a solution that is not as harmful before reaching for the stronger and possibly harsh chemicals as well as before seeking help and spending extra on hiring a professional plumber for leak detection and repair.