What Should I Do if My Sink Is Clogged?

One of the most common domestic problems people come up against is the blocked sink. Classic signs include a foul smell coming from your plughole, water draining slowly or not at all when you take the plug out, and gurgling noises when your sink is draining.

But what do you do if your sink is clogged?

In this article we share a number of expert tips on how to deal with the problem as effectively as possible.

Why is my sink blocked?

Whether it is your kitchen or bathroom sink that is affected, the causes of a clogged sink are often very similar.

Your household sinks and the plumbing fixtures that sit behind the scenes in your home are designed to transport foul water – also known as wastewater – into the drains and then the foul water sewer system.

However, in most homes sinks have to also deal with a range of other substances and items that get poured away, either deliberately or by accident.

What is FOG?

FOG stands for fat, oil and grease (FOG) and refers to these substances when they end up in drainage systems. In kitchens in particular, as we wash dirty cooking pots and plates, these substances can find their way down the drains.

When poured down the drain, FOG can solidify and cause blockages at any point in the drainage system, while the other items listed tend to build up gradually over time after becoming stuck in your pipes.

Hair is another big offender when it comes to your sink or bathtub becoming blocked. Whether it’s from your head, face, legs or anywhere else, it can build up over time, causing your sink to become clogged up.

Finally, dishwashers could be the source of your sink blockage. Often, they are connected to the same waste pipe your sink uses to get rid of wastewater. So, if plates, cups, cutlery and other items placed in the dishwasher aren’t scraped or cleaned properly, the food waste rinsed off during your dishwashers wash cycle can block your pipes – causing your sink to become blocked.

How to unblock a sink

A blocked sink can really put home life on hold, and you will want to deal with it quickly so you can get back to normality. There are a few steps we recommend taking when identifying and dealing with a sink blockage that will help you solve the problem as fast as possible.

Visual inspection

Unblocking a sink is a relatively straightforward job. But before you dive in with your plunger or other household implements, you should inspect the sink and the surrounding area in an attempt to identify the problem you have.

Follow this checklist to complete your visual inspection:

Head to the problem sink first. Check for the following:

• Smell: does it smell like rotten eggs or raw sewage?
• Sink drainage: does water take longer than usual to drain from your sink? Is it blocked entirely?
• Noises: are there gurgling sounds from the plughole?

If any of these apply, take a look at the unblocking tips we have included below.

DIY unblocking solutions

Before tackling any blockage, you want to make sure you protect yourself and your home from any dirty water. So, grab yourself a pair of rubber gloves and put a bucket or bowl underneath your sink to capture any excess dish water that you might splash around as you try to unblock your sink.

1. Using a plunger

The first thing you should do before you try to unblock any sink is to try using a plunger. If you haven’t got one, you should be able to get one from a supermarket or hardware store for less than £5. You will also need a dishcloth or tea towel to scoop up any excess mess around your sink.

Remove the plug from your sink and then clear the plughole as best as you can. Try to get rid of large chunks of food, grease, grime or other debris that may have accumulated.

Cover the plughole with water, and then wrap a tea towel around the sinkhole to make sure the whole thing is air tight.

Once airtight, place the plunger overplughole so it is covered and begin to plunge up and down in an effort to force the blockage out.

After a minute or so of plunging, stop, and see if the water drains through the sink or not. If it doesn’t, try our second tip

2. Forcing the blockage out

If you have been unsuccessful in removing the blockage with a plunger, you could try and forcefully remove the blockage using hot water and a plastic bottle. Carry out the following steps:

Fill the plastic bottle with hot water

Tip the bottle upside down, making sure the lid is over the top of the plughole

Squeeze the bottle as tightly as you can, ensuring water comes out of the bottle at high pressure so it can dislodge blockages in your pipe

If your sink is still blocked, try tip three.

 3. Cleaning your U-bend/waste trap

For this one, you’ll need to set aside 15-20 minutes or so – and you’ll need some extra equipment to get the job done.

We’ve got a help guide for cleaning your U-bend available and we recommend reading through that to see if that will do the trick.

4. Getting professional help

If you have tried everything we have suggested in this article, and you suspect the problem might be on a bigger scale than you can deal with, now is the time to get the professionals involved.

Lanes Group are experts in unblocking drains and offer a 24-hour emergency call-out service to tackle any drainage problem with the latest technology, equipment and techniques to identify and solve blockages.

We can use CCTV video technology to delve deep into your drains to assess and understand the state of your drainage system so we quickly identify and solve the problem. We can then employ no-dig techniques to clear the blockage, often without the need for excavation.

Avoiding future sink and other drain blockages

Sink blockages are caused by us putting things down the drain that don’t belong there, so the best way to avoid a clogged sink is to make sure you are as careful as possible about what goes into your pipes.

Here are the Big Offenders that cause the biggest drainage problems and should never be put down the drain:

• Fats, oils and grease (FOG)
• Wet wipes
• Nappies and pads
• Sanitary products
• Tampons, applicators and wrappers
• Condoms
• Razor blades
• Bandages and plasters
• Dental floss
• Medicines and syringes
• Cotton buds
• Hair