Tips on How to Unclog Your Sink, Bathtub and Toilet

Sinks

  1. Run hot water into the sink, the hotter the better, even boiling. If the sink has a disposer, turn it on.
  2. Try using a plunger, making sure the plug on the drain on the other side of the double bowl doesn't pop loose. It's good practice to apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly to the rim of the plunger before using it to ensure a tight seal, thus greater suction.
  3. Run a snake through the pipe under the sink. First check to see if the trap has a clean-out plug. If it does, remove it (be careful; water will drain out), and push a straightened coat hanger or bottle brush around the bends of the trap to remove debris.

Bathtub

  1. Quite often, the problem here is simple. Hair tends to collect at the drain itself and can be easily removed to clear the obstruction. If there is a screen over the drain, remove it and insert a bent wire such as a coat hanger to fish out any hair or debris that may be stopping the drain. If there is a pop-up drain, raise it and try pulling the debris right out.
  2. If this fails to clear the obstruction, try using the plunger. But you will need to plug the opening at the bottom of the overflow plate to keep the pressure from escaping there.
  3. If the plunger doesn't work, you will need to use the snake as before, but feed it through the overflow plate. Two screws usually hold this plate in place, and when you pull it out the drain-opening mechanism will come with it. Most bathtub obstructions are within three feet of the drain, but the snake may be harder to feed through the pipe because of the S-shaped trap under the floor.

Toilet

  1. Toilets usually clog in the trap built into the fixture, so the proper tool to use in these cases is a closet auger, which is only about three feet long.
  2. A plunger will usually clear the obstruction fairly easily, but in the event that it doesn't, place the auger in the toilet with the upturned tip going into the drain and push down as you crank to the right.
  3. Once you feel the auger pass through the trap, crank to the left to pull it back out. Pour a bucket of water into the bowl to make sure it empties before flushing the toilet again. You may have to repeat the process, working the cable left to right until it's free.