How do you unblock a slow draining sink?

Author: Bianka Windler  |  Last update: Sunday, December 7, 2025

Unclog a Sink With Vinegar and Baking Soda
  1. Make sure your sink is completely drained.
  2. Pour 1/4 cup of baking soda into your drain. ...
  3. Pour 1 1/4 cup of white vinegar into the drain.
  4. Use a sink stopper to plug the drain. ...
  5. Let this mixture work in the drain for about 20 minutes.
  6. Pour hot water down the drain slowly.

How to unclog a sink that drains slowly?

Add 1 cup of white vinegar to 1 cup of hot water, and then pour this mixture over the drain onto the baking soda. The reaction of the vinegar with baking soda will cause bubbling. This reaction will help loosen the sludge that has collected in the drain pipe.

What is the strongest thing to unclog a sink?

The Santeen Sulfuric Acid Drain Opener proved to be the most potent among all the chemical drain cleaners we tested, effectively dissolving 80% of the hair, 80% of the organic matter, 40% of the grease and 76% of the paper products.

Do baking soda and vinegar really unclog drains?

The bubbling reaction from the baking soda and vinegar helps to loosen the drain clog, and the boiling water in step 4 helps remove it from your pipes. Baking soda and vinegar can serve as a natural solution to unclog and clean a stinky drain.

What can I pour down my sink to unblock it?

Use Baking Soda and Vinegar Pour a cup of baking soda into the clogged sink and wait for about four minutes. Afterwards, pour a cup of vinegar down the same sink. Plug the sink and leave it for 10 minutes to break down the blockage. Afterwards, run hot water to see if the clog is gone.

SECRET Plumber Trick: Unclog Drain in SECONDS 💥 (Extremely simple) 🤯

What can I put down my sink to unclog it?

Pour one cup of fresh baking soda down the drain, followed by one cup of white vinegar. Place a rubber stopper or other sink hole cover over the drain opening. Wait 15 minutes to allow the vinegar and baking soda to unclog your drain, Then take out the drain cover and run hot tap water down the drain to clear the clog.

How do you unclog a sink asap?

All you need to do is simply bring a pot of water to a boil, and then slowly pour it down the drain once it has reached a rolling boil. You may have to repeat this a few times to fully clear the drain clog. Boiling water won't hurt your pipes in the bathroom sink, and you can repeat this method as many times as needed.

How do you unclog a severely clogged drain?

Pour one-half cup table salt down the drain, followed by boiling water. Or try a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar—let it bubble, wait 15 minutes, then pour boiling water down the drain. You can also try a cup of baking soda and a half-cup of salt; let it sit for several hours, then flush with boiling water.

What happens if you put too much baking soda in a drain?

What happens if you put too much baking soda down a drain? Too much baking soda put down a drain can clog it. It can harden and become a solid, cement-like mass.

What is the best homemade drain cleaner?

Baking Soda + Vinegar
  • Pour 1/2 cup baking soda, followed by 1/2 cup vinegar down drain.
  • Plug drain and let sit for one hour.
  • Then, pour a pot of boiling water down drain. Repeat if necessary.

What do plumbers use to unblock drains?

Properties and Uses: Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is a highly corrosive acid used extensively by plumbers to clear severe clogs. It reacts rapidly with organic materials in drains, breaking them down into simpler compounds that can be easily flushed away.

Can hydrogen peroxide unclog a sink?

Yes, hydrogen peroxide is safe to use for unclogging a drain. It will dissolve and loosen natural matter—like skin cells—stuck in the pipes. Hydrogen peroxide also reduces germs and disinfects the drain, helping it smell fresher and clean.

What dissolves a blocked sink?

Vinegar is effective at cutting grease and baking soda causes a reaction with vinegar that bubbles up and helps to remove blockages in the pipe. Pour the baking soda into the drain first, followed by a generous glug of white vinegar. Wait a few minutes until the mixture has stopped fizzing and flush with hot water.

Will Dawn dish soap unclog drains?

A straightforward yet effective approach to addressing a clogged drain pipe involves simply using hot water mixed with dish soap. This method, ideal for tackling minor blockages, leverages the degreasing power of dish soap combined with the force of hot water to dislodge and dissolve clog-causing residue.

What is the best product for a slow drain?

Grease-B-Gone is best used for slow shower drains and kitchen drains.

Why won't my sink drain unclog?

Clean the P-Trap. If the water is still not draining correctly, there might be a blockage in the P-trap, aka the elbow-shaped pipe under your sink. Food, grease and other debris may be stuck in the pipe, causing your sink to drain slowly or not at all because the water hits a snag on its way down.

Why you should never use baking soda and vinegar to unclog a drain?

The fizzing reaction and gas created may help loosen some small blockages. However, it is not typically strong enough to break down larger clogs or remove hard-to-reach debris. As a result of the above facts, if you have a serious drain clog, using baking soda and vinegar is unlikely to be effective.

What can I put down my sink to unblock it?

You'll also need to boil a kettle of water to help flush away the blockage.
  1. Bicarbonate of soda (or baking powder) and white vinegar. ...
  2. Washing powder (biological) ...
  3. Alka Seltzers and white vinegar. ...
  4. Use a wire or tool to poke/pull out the blockage. ...
  5. Use a blast of water. ...
  6. Use a natural drain cleaner. ...
  7. Bleach and hot water.

Is pouring boiling water down the drain?

It is okay to pour boiling water down the sink if your plumbing is clear. However, a blockage can trap the water in the pipe. This can melt PVC pipes and seals, causing serious damage. Additionally, using boiling water to unclog a toilet can melt the wax seal around the toilet.

What is safe to pour down the drain to unclog it?

Add a half cup of vinegar and put something over the drain. Wait half an hour and then pour boiling water into the drain. Dish detergent: For a clogged toilet, pour a quarter cup of dish detergent into the bowl and then pour hot water over it. Use a plunger.

How to fix a slow draining sink?

How to Unclog a Drain Naturally
  1. Pour boiling water down the drain.
  2. Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain.
  3. Pour ½ cup of vinegar down the drain.
  4. Wait 10 minutes.
  5. Pour boiling water down the drain again.
  6. Turn on the hot water faucet to clear out the solution.

What is the cheapest way to unclog a drain?

Salt and Baking Soda

Salt is a cost-effective alternative that works well for minor clogs. Mixing half a cup of table salt with baking soda and pouring it down the drain before adding boiling water can help break down grease and debris.

Will a clogged sink eventually drain?

While it's not the end of the world, it won't cause immediate damage to your home and the water will eventually drain away, a slow drain is still a problem that needs to be fixed. A drain that is slow to empty will mean there is already a clog in the system and, over time, one that will only get worse.

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