3 Home-Based Tools You Can Use to Unclog Your Kitchen Drain
A clogged kitchen sink can be quite embarrassing, especially when you have a large dinner or any other family event to host. If you see a mixture of food bits and murky brown water regurgitating from the kitchen drain, you have potato peels, grease, oil, vegetable peels and liquid fat to blame. Though plunging the clogged kitchen sink may not be an enjoyable task, using commercial drain chemicals to unclog the backed-up sink could be more dangerous. But can you use some natural ways to clear the clogged kitchen sink or slow-flowing drain? Yes, here are the tools to use:
Hot Water Salt Solution
If soap, fat or grease has clogged your kitchen drain, a solution of hot water and salt will help. Pour one or two cups of salt down the clogged drain followed by 2 litres of boiling water. Once the hot water has gone down the drain, flush some more hot water twice if you used the table salt. If you used kosher salt or sea salt, you might have to flush hot water down the kitchen drain several times to clear it. The hot water will melt any grease narrowing the drain while the salt will act as a natural scouring substance because of its abrasive texture that forces the greasy, gunky or fatty buildup out. Once you've used this tip, the kitchen drain can run more freely and the pipes will be cleaner.
Try a Long-Wire Hook
Small objects or hair could also cause slow draining or even clog the drain completely. If hot water didn't unclog the kitchen drain, then a long-wire hook will do the trick. Use a coat hanger or drain cleaning tool with a hook on the end. Remove the sink cover and get rid of any food particles or debris before you insert the hook. Remember the task is gross, so you need to wear gloves. Hold the hook carefully and pull it back up and remove the clog culprit. Do it several times to clear any remaining debris and leave the drain free-flowing and clean.
Use a Sink Plunger
Most objects and food particles get stuck in the P-trap beneath the kitchen sink, causing slow-draining or clogs. If the clogged area has water splashes, first clear them and then pour warm water into the sink until it's half full. Use a sink plunger—probably the rubber plunger—to plunge the sink and then rinse it with hot water. If plunged properly, the stuck objects and food particles are dislodged and drained down the kitchen pipe. Rinsing the drain with hot water helps clear even the stubborn clogs down the drain.
If these natural methods don't unclog your kitchen sink, don't reuse them. The build-up down the drain could be bigger than what you could fix, and retrying these techniques could cause more damage to your drain. Contact a plumber to assess the problem and snake the drain.