There’s nothing more annoying than a clogged up sink that just won’t budge. Here’s how to remove the clog by using a few old tricks.
We’ve all been there. You’re draining the sink after a shave and nothing happens. You crack out the plunger as usual but after going at the sink like it’s a game of whack-a-mole nothing changes. That’s because there are a few tricks to unclogging a sink. Here’s how to clean one out in five minutes flat.
What you’ll need:
Plunger
Pillars
Old rag
Water
Step 1: Remove the stopper
You’re better off removing the stopper from the sink first – which may explain why the sink is clogged in the first place. For those of you who bought your sink during the Celtic Tiger era there might be a fancy pop-up stopper in the sink, but this should just pull straight out or else you should only have to turn it counter clockwise to remove.
Step 2: Cover up the overflow
This is where most people go wrong when trying to clear out a clog. Get an old rag (insert mother-in-law joke here) and jam it into the overflow opening that sits above the water line. Clogging the overflow ensures that no pressure is lost when you begin to plunge.
Step 3: Cover the plunger with water
Once the overflow hole is blocked with the old rag, place the plunger around the drain hole and fill the sink until the head of the plunger is fully submerged. If your sink is badly backed up, your plunger may already be submerged, so just keep that in mind.
Step 4: Have at it
It’s now time to pretend you’re Bill Murray trying to catch that gofer from Caddy Shack. Move the plunger up and down rapidly and you should clear the clog.
Step 5: Double check
Your sink may take awhile to drain, but that’s normal enough. Once it has drained completely you should run some water through the sink to see if the clog is still there. If it’s still a bit clogged just repeat the first few steps.
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