Clogged drains are pretty noticeable, like when you’re standing in ankle-deep water during your shower or when water pools up in the sink while you’re brushing your teeth. Clogged drains are pretty annoying as is, but they can become even more of a nuisance if you fail to act appropriately. In fact, according to Wise Bread, clogged drains may eventually lead to busted or damaged pipes, foul smells or unusable sinks or tubs. You don’t want that, especially with something that’s so preventable through some simple troubleshooting.
Unclogging A Drain
So how can you unclog a problem drain? Before you contact the plumber, try out these easy drain hacks first:
- Get your plunger: Plungers aren’t just for toilets, according to Dengarden, they’re useful for drains too. Just make sure to cover the entire drain and give it the ole’ press and pull. If there’s standing water in the sink or tub while you do this, you should be able to tell if it worked immediately.
- Boiling Water: Next to your plunger, this is arguably the easiest way to unclog a drain using household materials. Just put a pot on the stove and get some water boiling, then gradually pour it down the drain so that it has time to do its thing.
- Baking Soda/Vinegar: If boiling water doesn’t do the trick, look for some baking soda and vinegar next. About 1/3 cup of each, mixed together, should do. After mixing, quickly put it down the drain and let it sit a while before flushing with hot water. If you really want to amp up this hack, fill the sink or tub with water after pouring the mix down the drain and let it sit for about an hour before releasing the stopper. The combination of the mixture, gravity and pressure of a sink or tub full of water should be enough to flush whatever is causing problems out.
- A Wire Hanger: Grab a clothes hanger out of your closet and adjust it so that it’s in as straight of a line as possible, with a small hook at one end. Then, go fishing down your drain and attempt to catch hair and other debris preventing water from draining properly.
- Soda: Got any cans or bottles of Pepsi around? Grab it and pour it down the clogged drain. Then, for the next hour, just let the drink’s phosphoric acid do its work. Flush after an hour to see if your issue is resolved.
Call A Plumbing Professional
We should note that while these hacks can prove effective in many clogged drain situations, in the case of a completely blocked drain or failed attempts to unclog it yourself, you’ll likely need to contact a plumbing professional to take care of things once and for all. For more information on how to unclog a problematic drain, contact us today.