Table Of Contents
What Causes Clogs in Bathroom Sinks and Tub Drains?
The primary causes of bathroom sink and tub drain clogs are hair, toothpaste, and grease. Putting the wrong things down drains can cause drain blocks.
What Causes Stinky Drains?
That unpleasant smell you notice from the drain could have several causes.
- Clogged Vent Pipes
Debris can accumulate and clog the drain vents. Water will then begin to pool in the sink. It is this sluggish water movement that causes a stinky odour.
- Waste Gunk and Bacteria
Many of those insoluble materials that find their way into your sink drain also accumulate. These include hair, food particles, oil and grease, and soap scum. More pertinently, they attract bacteria which in turn cause stinky odours.
- Sewer Gases
Again, empty P-traps can let sewer gases float up from the drain. However, this is mostly the case with sinks with infrequent use.
- Faulty Plumbing
When your sink drain plumbing is leaking or has a faulty vent or trap, it can cause stinky odours. Likewise, rotting drain tubes can lead to nasty smells from sink drains.
How to Clean your Sink Drain
Usually, it is not advisable to use commercial chemical drain cleaners. They can cause damage to your pipes. Moreover, they can cause the release of gases that are hazardous to humans. Other products like bleach and anti-bacterial products can cause permanent damage to your plumbing systems.
Rather, plumbers advise cleaning out clogged drains using mechanical means. This involves plunging, snaking, and adding some hot water. Here are a few steps to clean your sink drain easily.
Steps for Using Baking Soda and Vinegar
- Uncover the drain and do a first sweep
First, remove the drain cover. You may move the cover counter-clockwise if it is a pop-up drain stopper. Remember to empty out the sink before you start the cleaning process.
Remove any debris, such as washed-up food particles, near the top of the drain. Thereafter, you may use a snake tool to gather out any debris. This may require up to 3-5 runs. Now, you can flush out the drain with hot water.
- Unclog your drain with soda or scented cleaner
Next, boil water and slowly pour it down the drain. This will remove small particles that have built up. After that, measure out and slowly pour a 1/2 measuring cup (110.40 g) of baking soda into the drain. Perhaps, you may use an orange-scented cleaner instead for a pleasant scent.
- Add white vinegar
Now, it is time to pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar down the drain on top of the baking soda. This will create a fizzing chemical reaction that cleans and sanitises the drain.
- Let the mixtures fizz for 10 minutes
To prevent clogs and build-ups, allow the mixture to work for 10 minutes.
- Flush your sink drain with boiling water
You can now pour in boiled water. This will wash the remaining baking soda and vinegar down the drain. If the smell of vinegar persists, flush again with boiling water.
How to Clean Bathroom Sink Drains
Soap scum, toothpaste, grease, and other oily substances can solidify over time. Thereafter, they build up and create a greasy blockage that can corrode your bathroom pipes. If your home is older, it likely has narrow iron plumbing. This is less effective in handling the blockage than newer plumbing with PVC or copper pipes.
A baking soda and vinegar mixture may not be strong enough for cleaning bathroom sink drains. For instance, it does not produce enough surfactant to drain off the oil and grease. There are all-purpose drains cleaners out there used by professional plumbers that do a good job.
Steps for Cleaning with All-Purpose Drain Cleaners
- Flush with boiling water and cool water
Boil 10 litres of water and carefully pour it down the drain. This will remove those stubborn clogs. Thereafter, wait for 5 minutes and then pour in cool running water.
- Remove any blockage
Now, remove the drain guard or stopper. You may need to unscrew the sink stopper from the back of the drain pipe. If necessary, use a drain snake to remove the clogs. Furthermore, you may plunge the drain to remove other blockages.
- Apply the all-purpose drain cleaner
Next, pour one cup or the recommended measuring cups of all-purpose cleaner into the drain. Let it sit in the drain overnight.
- Rinse off the drains cleaner
The following morning, run hot water down the drain for a few minutes.
Ideally, this is meant more as a preventive than corrective maintenance. This means that you ought to repeat the process of cleaning your sink drain at least once a week.
How to Clean your Kitchen Sinks and Drains
Your kitchen sink needs both preventive and the occasional corrective maintenance. If this is not done, old food and grime can build up in your kitchen drain. Here are a few steps on how you can clean your kitchen sink drain.
Steps for Cleaning Kitchen Sinks and Drains
First, pour boiling water down the drain. This will soften it up. Next, pour in grease-dissolving dish soap. However, for those stubborn clogs, you can go further and use a kitchen plunger, hot water, and dish soap combination. Furthermore, the old fizzing mixture of baking soda and vinegar can be a helpful natural cleaning solution.
- Stainless-steel kitchen sink
Your kitchen’s stainless-steel finish can be defaced by bleach, acidic food scraps, and scrubbers. As such, do not let them remain in the sink for long periods. You can begin by coating the sink with baking soda.
Apply dish soap and hot water to a sponge and scrub. Scrub from the side and then down the drain. Remember to add warm water as needed. Thereafter, rinse clean with warm water. Wrap up by using a microfiber cloth to dry off the sink.
- White kitchen sink
Unlike the stainless-steel variety, a white kitchen skin can show rust, coffee, and other stains more readily. How do you clean it up? Start by using a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda solution. After cleaning the sink up with a damp cloth, coat the basin with baking soda.
Next, add a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide. After that, scrub the sink with a brush or sponge. Finally, wash off the mixture until it all flows down the drain.
- Porcelain kitchen sink
Here, you can apply the same method as for white sinks. However, if you want to remove rust, follow this process. Sprinkle salt on a half slice of lemon. In any case, this ensures your sink smells fresh. Then, scrub the rust with it. Thereafter, wash off with warm, soapy water and dry off with a microfiber cloth.
Other Ways to Clean a Sink Drain
Some people are partial to using natural cleaning methods such as baking soda and vinegar. Similarly, some others would instead use baking soda and salt mixture.
Still, others use a wet and dry vacuum to deal with stubborn drain clogs. This involves first sealing the hose with, say, a plunger head for effective suction. Thereafter the vacuum is set to the highest liquid setting and used to dislodge the clogs.
- Using a Wire Hanger
However, the last option for several people is using a wire hanger. This involves the following steps. Clear out the area around your sink and turn off the water. Also, position your bucket beneath the sink to collect excess water.
Now remove the stopper in the sink. Roll your sleeves (if you have any), and don your rubber gloves. Clean up the stopper mechanism by removing dirt, hair, and debris. Perhaps, you can use bleach and rubbing alcohol to do this.
It is now time to bend your wire into shape – like a fishing hook. Thereafter, hook the wire into your drain to feel for any blockages. When you do, twist and move the wire hanger to reel out as much gunk as possible.
If there is a clog you cannot reach down there; it may be necessary to unscrew the P-bend section of the pipe. Finally, reassemble the sink drain and pour in some hot water to see if it flows.
- How to Clean your Garbage Disposal Using Lemon, Salt, and Ice
Add some lemon wedges, ice cubes, and salt to your garbage disposal. Then, allow cold water to run while the garbage disposal is turned on. When the ice is gone, you can stop.
The ice helps remove the grime. The salt scrubs the blades, thereby improving their effectiveness. Certainly, the lemon helps as a pleasant deodorant. What’s more? Your sink smells fresh.
Preventive Measures for Keeping your Drains Clean
- Be wary of letting food particles, coffee grounds, grease, or other debris down the sink drain. They may cause a blocked sink due to clogs.
- Line your sink basin with paper towels when shaving over it. The paper towels will catch the hair before it goes into the sink.
- Pour boiling water down your sink drain after doing your dishes. This prevents foul odours and washes off some debris.
- Install a drain cover or mesh screen. This will help filter off debris.
- You may pour bleach down your sink drain once or twice each week. Let the bleach sit overnight. This works against the build-up of bacteria and stinky odours. Another option is to pour baking soda into the drain.
A Plumber Can Get your Sink Drain Clean
You may be a do-it-yourself (DIY) kind of person. However, there are serious sink drain problems that require a professional plumbing service. They can help you clear stubborn blocked drains, offer regular maintenance tips and services, and even give emergency plumbing services. Furthermore, they can provide you with advice on home safety and plumbing maintenance tips.
Simply invite a plumbing professional for your residential or commercial plumbing installations. In addition, they are helpful for replacement, leak detection, repair, maintenance, and other plumbing services. Schedule an appointment today, and get a personalised quote for your plumbing needs.
