Oh No!  Company is coming or you have an open house scheduled – and your sink is clogged! What should you do?

The plunger isn’t working and you definitely don’t have a drain snake (and who does?). Don’t panic, we’re here for you with DIYs to unclog your sink without a plunger or snake.

Unclog Your Sink Without a Plunger or Snake

  1. Empty the sink (if you need to). Is your sink already clogged and full of water? Grab a small bucket or a glass and empty it. You don’t want that stale water there once you start opening up the pipes.
  2. Try an (eco-friendly) alternative drain cleaner. Put in your drain stopper, turn on the hot water and let it pool in the sink. Add one cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar to the water and remove the stopper. The hot water, baking soda, and vinegar will flow down the pipes and help eliminate minor clogs.
  3. Remove the drain trap. Grab a bucket and put it under the U-shaped pipe that’s below your sink. This is a good time to open some windows — You’re going to want some fresh air when that thing comes apart. Use an adjustable wrench to carefully unscrew the trap and remove the pipe.
  4. Clean the drain trap. The trap and pipe are removed. Most likely, some gunk has fallen out as well. Try to ignore it for now and use a pipe cleaner or a small wire brush to clean the rest of the gunk out of the drain trap. Replace it and clean the area.

Pro Tip: If all else fails, try renting a wet vac for the day. Place the end of its tube on the pipe where your drain trap was. Turn it on and suck all the clogs out of your plumbing system.