What can I use to unblock my sink without a plunger?

Author: Eudora Watsica  |  Last update: Wednesday, September 3, 2025

How to unblock a sink without a plunger
  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.

How to clear a blocked sink without a plunger?

How to Unblock a Sink Without a Plunger
  1. Run some boiling water down the drain. Put the kettle on and boil up some water. ...
  2. Pour a cup of baking soda. Put 1 cup of baking soda directly into the plughole. ...
  3. Add in a cup of vinegar. ...
  4. Wait. ...
  5. Wait and flush with boiling water. ...
  6. Repeat if necessary. ...
  7. Check the drain.

What can you use instead of a plunger on a sink?

Salt & Bicarbonate of Soda

This is a good combination for taking on sink clogs. You want your mixture to be 2 parts bicarbonate of soda to every 1 part of salt. A good measurement is about half a pint glass of bicarbonate of soda. Add half as much salt to that and then put it in the sink.

What can I pour down my sink to unblock 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 to unclog a drain if you don't have a plunger?

Steps
  1. Ensure your toilet is half full with toilet water.
  2. Pour one cup of baking soda into the bowl followed by two cups of vinegar.
  3. Let the vinegar and baking soda sit for a half hour before flushing the toilet.
  4. In most cases, this simple method will clear a blocked toilet if you don't have a plunger handy.

Unclog your sink with a WATER BOTTLE......SUPER EASY FAST

How to make a makeshift plunger?

All you need is a wire coat hanger, which you can unravel until it's straight. Then bend one end of it into a U shape, and push and pull this end in and out of the toilet to break up the blockage. Make sure you wear gloves for this one to protect you from any nasty germs or mess.

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.

What is the best stuff for unblocking sink?

Drano's Max Gel Liquid Clog Remover works quickly too, without any elbow grease on your part. Simply pour the formula down a backed-up sink or drain and let it go to work. For minor clogs and slow-flowing drains, the gel works in 15 to 30 minutes.

What will dissolve hair in a drain?

Heat 2 or 4 liters of water on your stove or in a kettle to just short of boiling. Add about 1/2 cup of salt. Try pouring this down the drain, then wait 15 minutes before seeing if it will clear more easily. If you need a stronger cleaning, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, then add 1/2 cup of vinegar.

What can you use as a substitute for a plunger?

None of these ideas involve a traditional plunger, but all are effective at breaking through unexpected clogs.
  • Add Hot Water. If the toilet is filled to the brim, you will need to remove some of the water first. ...
  • Try Dish Soap. ...
  • Create a Toilet Snake. ...
  • Force Airflow. ...
  • Use Baking Soda and Vinegar. ...
  • Try Store-Bought Cleaners.

How do you make homemade sink unblocker?

Salt, Borax, and Vinegar

This potent mix is great for tougher clogs. Combine 1/4 cup of salt, 1/4 cup of Borax, and 1/2 cup of vinegar. Pour the gritty solution down the drain, followed by a pot of boiling water. Allow it to work overnight, if possible, before flushing with more hot water.

Can boiling water unclog a sink?

And drainage pipes aren't pressurized like your typical water system. When you use boiling water to flush the clogged drain, pressure is added. Along with gravity, this pressure helps remove unwanted goop out of the pipes and unclogs drains.

What can I use instead of a plunger for a sink?

5 Natural Ways to Unclog a Bathroom Sink
  • Baking Soda and Vinegar. This is an old method of unclogging drains that has proven to be very effective in bathroom sinks. ...
  • Baking Soda and Salt. Another effective combination is baking soda and salt. ...
  • Boiling Water. ...
  • Wet and Dry Vacuum. ...
  • Wire Hanger.

What is the cheapest way to unblock a sink?

Use boiling water

If you've dealt with drain blockages before and are an avid DIY-er, you'll know boiling water is the easiest and least expensive solution of all, which makes it the best one to try first. Boiling water may be all your pipes need to loosen a blockage made up of grease, soap residue and food debris.

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.

How do you unblock a badly blocked sink?

Baking Soda and Vinegar

Make sure you clear any standing water in the sink first, then pour a cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow this with a cup of vinegar, and immediately put the rubber stopper in the drain. The mixture will fizz, and push the clog down. Follow with hot water from the tap to finish flushing.

Why should you 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 product will unclog a sink?

If your sink doesn't have a garbage disposal, use Drano® Kitchen Granules Clog Remover. It creates heat inside your drain to melt and dislodge greasy clogs.

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.

What do professional plumbers use to unclog drains?

How Professional Plumbers Clean Your Drains
  • Manual Drain Snakes. A manual drain snake, also known as a plumber's snake or a drain auger, is a small boring tool that rotates slowly as it's physically pushed through a stubborn clog. ...
  • Motorized Drain Snakes. ...
  • High-Definition Drain and Sewer Line Cameras. ...
  • Hydro-Jetting Machines.

What liquid unblocks a sink?

HG drain unblocker is a safe and extremely powerful liquid for effectively clearing blockages in just 30 minutes. Instructions for Use - Pour 300ml of HG liquid drain unblocker down the affected drain, and leave to work for approximately 30 minutes.

How to fix a clogged sink without a plunger?

Bicarbonate of soda (or baking powder) and white vinegar

All you need to do is pop a couple of teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda down the plughole and chase it with a cup of white vinegar. Leave it for about five minutes and then try flushing the blockage with the hot kettle water.

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.

How do you unclog a drain when nothing works?

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.

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