What home remedy can I use to unblock my sink?

Author: Leonard Roob  |  Last update: Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Dissolve Clog with a Baking Soda Mixture A baking soda mixture offers a way to unclog a sink naturally, as it proves gentler on your pipes compared to chemical drain openers. Pour one cup of fresh baking soda down the drain, followed by one cup of white vinegar.

How can I naturally unclog my sink?

Baking soda and vinegar: Mix one cup of baking soda with one cup of white vinegar and pour it down the drain. Cover the drain and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Then, remove the cover and run hot tap water down the drain. For more stubborn clogs, you can also use boiling water (2).

What is the best natural unblocker for sinks?

Unblock a sink with boiling water

Before you try anything more complex, we recommend pouring some boiling water down your plughole. If your blockage has been caused by a grease build-up, the boiling water may be able to melt this grease away, helping to clear your pipes.

What can I put 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.

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.

8 Fast and And Easy Ways To Unclog Drains Naturally

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.

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 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 to make a homemade plunger?

Steps
  1. Use gloves to remove as much water and debris as possible.
  2. Fill up a large plastic bottle with hot water.
  3. Place your gloved thumb over the bottle's spout.
  4. Insert the bottle directly into your toilet bowl and remove your thumb from the opening.
  5. Use two hands to squeeze the bottle and force water pressure into the clog.

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

What Can I Use Instead of a Sink Plunger?
  1. Boiling Water.
  2. Salt.
  3. Bicarbonate of Soda.
  4. Vinegar.
  5. Plumber's Snake.
  6. Coat Hanger.

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.

Can you leave baking soda and vinegar in the drain overnight?

Allowing the baking soda and vinegar mixture to sit in the drain for an extended period, such as overnight, can improve its effectiveness. The prolonged contact with the clog helps break down the build-up more thoroughly, making it easier to flush away with hot water the following morning.

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.

What happens if you put too much baking soda down the drain?

If you put too much baking soda down a drain onto a clog, it can sit on the clog and become a solid mass as it is subjected to more and more water. This will make the block worse and even harder to remove.

What is a natural substitute for Drano?

Baking soda and white vinegar are sustainable substitutions for Drano. Most people have these items in their pantry at any given time. Pour a half cup of baking soda into your drain with a half cup of white vinegar. Let it sit for about thirty minutes, then pour in boiling water.

What can I use as a plunger if I don't have one?

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.

What to do with a clogged sink?

  1. Pour a pot of boiling water down your drain.
  2. Pour a mixture of one cup of water and one cup of vinegar down the drain.
  3. Cover the drain with a plug and wait 5–10 minutes.
  4. Flush the sink drain with boiling water.

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

Baking soda is abrasive, which, when used in large quantities, will cause the drain more damage. Additionally, the acidic nature of vinegar can eat away rubber and metal, damaging the plumbing. As these products break down the pipe and connectors in the plumbing in your home, it will cause more clogs over time.

How do you unclog a sink quickly?

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.

What is the best thing to unblock sink pipes?

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

What home remedy is good for clogged sinks?

Salt, Borax, and Vinegar

Start with 1/4 cup of salt, 1/4 cup of Borax, and then a 1/2 cup of vinegar. Add a pot of boiling water and let it sit for at least an hour or until it clears. Finally, rinse with hot tap water to clear all ingredients down the drain.

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.

What is the best liquid to unclog drains?

The best liquid drain cleaner to clear a kitchen sink clog is Hercules Glug® Kitchen Liquid Drain Opener because it is specially formulated to dissolve clogs that contain grease and food particles.

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