Do you smell an unpleasant odour coming from your sink? Or have you just noticed that it’s clogged up? Don’t sweat it – in this ultimate how-to guide on cleaning your sink’s drain, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know when tackling commercial cleaning.
A bathroom sink drain can put up with plenty of different substances, from face wash to toothpaste to real-life human hair. But when it decides it has had enough, you need to take action. We’ll walk you through why unblocking your drain is vital, the best methods, and some tips and tricks to prevent clogging from happening in the first place. Without further ado, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Why is Cleaning Your Sink’s Drain Important?
Regular maintenance of many appliances, including your sink’s drain, is crucial for several reasons. Let’s discuss the main ones below.
Cleaning your sink’s drain can:
- Prevent blockages
By regularly cleaning, you can eliminate debris build-up.
- Eliminate odours
Do you really want your bathroom smelling of a blocked drain? Unpleasant smells can be trigged by trapped hair, food particles, and soap scum – all of which can be prevented by having a clean drain.
- Maintain hygiene
One of the most vital reasons why cleaning your sink drain is important is that this can help maintain a more hygienic bathroom environment. This makes your house more pleasant not only for you but also for any visitors you may have!
- Prolong plumbing life
Regular maintenance can prevent damage from blockages, which, in turn, can boost the longevity of your plumbing system and save you money.
- Handy in a range of settings
Whether you’re in an office, gym, school, hospital, or anywhere else, clean, unblocked drains are essential to keep the flow of the plumbing system.
How to Clean the Bathroom Drain: Equipment List
So, what tools and materials do you need to equip yourself with before getting started?
Before starting, make sure you keep a checklist of the following:
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Boiling water
- Plunger
- Drain snake or wire hanger
- Rubber gloves
- Bucket
- Screwdriver
- Commercial drain cleaner (optional)
How to Unblock a Drain: Our Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Remove the debris from the drain’s surface
Our first step in cleaning the bathroom drain is the remove any debris you can see from the drain’s surface. This can include anything from hair to soap to scum to other materials that you can easily pick up with your hand.
This isn’t the most pleasant job, so feel free to pop on some rubber gloves and go to town on that gunk around the drain area!
Step 2: Get the kettle on
Boiling water provides a straightforward yet efficient way to flush out minor sink blockages and loosen up the build-up from inside the drain. With this in mind, pop the kettle on to boil your water and carefully pour it down the drain in stages once boiled.
Doing it in stages rather than all at once will allow it to work through the blockage more effectively.
Step 3: Whip up a baking soda and vinegar solution
A classic baking soda and vinegar solution is your best bet to clean your drain effectively without using any harsh chemicals. Indeed, we’re all about green cleaning and trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
To make a shower or sink drain cleaner, all you need to do is:
- Pour one cup of baking soda down the sink drain
- Pour one cup of vinegar down the sink drain
- Let the mixture sit for 15-30 minutes to break down the debris
- Rinse the solution with boiling water
If you’re all set to use vinegar, you might want to stick with your usual vinegar cleaning solution. It’s also a great mixture if you want to clean brass.
However, if you want to shake things up, try an equal measure of distilled white vinegar and water with a small dash of baking soda. And, if you’re not keen on the vinegar smell, you could add some lemon juice to make it a little zestier.
Alternative step 3: Use dish soap as vinegar’s replacement
If you don’t have any vinegar or simply don’t want to use it, you could alternatively use a liquid dish soap to unblock your drain. Pour boiling water down the drain and follow this with a cup of liquid dish soap and more boiling water.
Step 4: Use your plunger
If you discover your drain is still blocked after Step 3, try using a plunger to solve this. Put the plunger over the drain, ensure a good seal, push and pull it vigorously for around 20 seconds, and check if the water starts to drain. You can repeat this as necessary.
Step 5: Use a drain snake or wire hanger
If you have a particularly stubborn bathroom sink drain blockage, we don’t envy you. However, you can employ a drain snake or wire hanger to help sort things out. Insert the instrument into the drain and twist it to catch out any debris before pulling it out to remove the blockage. Rinse the drain with boiling water. Remember, if you choose a wire hanger, you’ll have to straighten it out and create a hook at one end before inserting it.
Step 6: Remove the drain cover
For deep blockages, you may have to remove the drain cover. To do this, employ a screwdriver to remove the screws holding the cover in place, clean the cover and remove any visible debris. To further clean the drain, use one of the methods above. Replace the drain cover when you are satisfied.
Step 7: Use a commercial drain cleaner
We should note here that this step is completely optional. If the natural methods you apply are not working, you could use a commercial drain cleaner as a last resort. Make sure you follow all the instructions and take safety precautions where necessary. Simply pour it into the drain and allow it to sit for the specified amount of time before rinsing it.
Step 8: Give things a final wipe
So, you’ve done it! You’ve tackled your clogged drain once and for all, meaning you’re almost there. Just do one more thing: wipe down your sink basin to eliminate lingering germs or marks with a cloth. Give yourself a pat on the back – you’ve just followed the best way to clean a bathroom drain!
How to Prevent a Bathroom Drain Blockage
If you don’t want to get to the point of asking how to clear the drain in the first place, you might instead want to know what steps you can take to prevent it from occurring.
You can:
- Utilise a drain guard
Buy and install a drain guard, which can catch all the hair and debris before they can even think about entering the drain!
- Create a maintenance schedule
As with any appliance, regular maintenance is key. Create a regular cleaning schedule, pouring your toilet blockage cleaner and boiling water down the drain at specific intervals – a monthly basis usually does the trick. This will prevent a build-up of debris in the long run. And remember – if you start to notice unpleasant smells or slow draining before you are due to clean, it’s best to tackle this immediately rather than waiting for a specific calendar date.
- Don’t pour grease or oil
Stop yourself from pouring grease or oil down your sink drain – these solutions can solidify and create blockages.
- Dispose of waste correctly
Like grease and oil, stop yourself from putting food scraps and other forms of waste down the sink. Food waste belongs in the bin!
FAQs
- Can I use bleach as a sink drain cleaner?
Whilst bleach is renowned for killing bacteria, we don’t recommend it for blocked drain cleaning as it fails to dissolve hair and scum – which are often the causes of blockages. Instead, use your best drain cleaner from the supermarket or make your own vinegar and baking soda solution.
- What if the drain is still blocked after cleaning?
If you’ve followed our guide on how to clean the bathroom drain and used your best sink-unblocking techniques, it might be wise to hire a professional commercial cleaning service. A stubborn blockage could hint at a more severe issue, so it’s worth leaving the blocked drain plumbing to someone with experience in the industry.
- What gets rid of the gunk in a blocked drain?
If your drain is blocked, this might be due to gunk rather than hair or food scraps. It’s best to follow the methods outlined above in our guide to clear a blocked drain with this problem. You can’t go wrong with a vinegar and baking soda solution!
- What might cause gurgling sounds in a drain?
If you can hear gurgling sounds, this may be an early sign of a blockage, especially when accompanied by an unpleasant smell.
Our Round-Up on Drain Unclogging
So, there you have it – now you know more about the best way to clean a blocked bathroom drain and will be ready to tackle this whenever the next gurgling sound or unpleasant odour strikes!
If you’re still struggling with blocked drain plumbing, don’t hesitate to contact us or check out our blog for more information. We can also reveal other cleaning tips, from cleaning a toilet brush to cleaning glass shower doors. We’re professionals in unblocking drains and are ready to put our best experts to the test!