How To Unclog A Bathroom Sink Drain

One of the most common maintenance items for a homeowner is unclogging drains. With a little knowledge, this can be an easier task than you might think. Run through these 3 steps prior to calling in the pros to help save time and money.

Supplies

Tools Every Weekend Warrior Needs

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:32 Getting a Baseline On Your Clog
0:48 Step 1 - Hot Water To Loosen Clog
1:50 Step 2 - Removing and Cleaning Drain Stopper
7:14 Step 3 - Removing and Cleaning P-Trap
11:43 Last Notes and What To Consider

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[kimberlyreid]

I'm so grateful for videos like this I put in a maintenance request almost a month ago for my clogged bathroom sink but they never came . I'm so glad I was able to do this myself and the clog was a nice wad of hair mostly and it was where the plug is #1 I went ahead and took the p-trap off anyway because I needed to clean the drain out. Thank you for creating this video. If I can do this anyone can!

[kirkdavis]

Step 2 worked perfectly. A half filled bathroom sink drained in 20 seconds originally and drained in 4 seconds after applying Step 2. Thanks.

[kathyhawleyrocks]

Wow! Unscrewed the plunger ezpz... full of gunk... cleaned that... drains xlnt
! This is day 2 of trying to clear the drain and after your vid, it only took a couple minutes. You saved me a plumber's call. Thanks!

[StevietheTV]

The zip-tie trick was genius. Worked perfectly for fixing my issues. Thank you!

[peilin]

Thanks! On Sunday morning I followed this video and successfully unclog the bathroom sink - my wife looked very happy!

[benberkebile]

Hey man thanks for this video, I got my sink cleaned up in a jiffy. One tip for anyone looking to do this, if you have the style of drain plug that you need to undo from under before you can take it out, I'd recommend that you leave a bucket underneath your sink while doing it to keep any looseness from letting water fall down.

[carp]

thank you, because of this video I was able to help unclog my mom's sink : )

[Toyotajunkie]

Always #2. But that means the stopper screen is doing it's job. Ever since I started using that style I have not had to remove a p trap. If I am installing new faucets, the p trap gets replaced, and a good push to close/open stopper (usually included with the faucet kits, for those who don't know).
Thanks for your time and posting great information!

[blacksheep]

Thank you so much for sharing this information! You saved me alot of time, energy, and money as I was just going to auger the whole drain pipe but all I needed to do was to clean out the sink drain! Keep up the great content!

[tiffanyprice]

Wow! Thanks very much! I was trying to unclog a simple push-plug sink (without the little lift-rod thingy at the top) and this is the best 'how-to' online by far. So well-explained and easy to listen to/follow... even for me (I have no plumbing experience whatsoever!) Much appreciation! 🙂

[johnmeiners]

I found the clog in the drain in the drain stopper mechanism. I unscrewed the top and got access to the clog. The lav drains water very well now. Thanks much!

[luismelianilo]

wow this is the best & simple explanation I've seen on Youtube so far. Thank you!

[jacey]

I'm the most unhandy guy in the world and I think I can fix my drain after watching this video~ Thank you!

[howtofixitworkshop]

Great tips! I keep a Zip-It handy around the house for bathtub clogs where hair gathers, but I've also had a lot of success with a plunger for bathroom sinks. Typically the soap scum and slime gathers on the sides and at the bottom of the P trap. Using a plunger and a full sink of warm water will loosen and flush that junk down the drain in no time.

[kevinhayes]

Thanks Scott. My last problem was worse. I did the three steps, no success. I then removed the gooseneck again, note auger did not work, so I used Turkey baster several days to drop vinegar and baking soda. Still no success. I then used Turkey baster to carefully put drain cleaner down wall pipe. Since I wanted to protect pipes, I swiftly put sink back together and flushed with water. It worked. Note, drain cleaner melted the top of my Turkey baster. Need to be careful with your hands to keep drain cleaner off.

[ahmadkhalifa]

props to this gentleman, it works for me number 2, give it a shot, u won't be disappointed

[Baskerville]

Thanks. My bathroom sink has a push-'plug' and a plunger wasn't effective in unblocking the very slow drain. I came upon this video by chance....and I fixed the problem in 5 minutes. I couldn't get the inner bit out (my Allen key was too small) but I could remove a lot of hair & gunk around & below it. Saved possibly A100 in plumber's fees .

[roadshowautosports]

I’m with Jonathan on the p trap replacement!!!! Screw that cleaning the gross old p trap!!! Lol not for me, but a new one! Great video on the cartridge cleaning and numerous tips! You’re more of a man than I when it comes to the gross steps!
Thank you as always!

[alexfoxx]

Ewww, gross. I was so lucky that the second step cured the problem. Thank you for explaining all this so well. I’d been living with a slow-draining bathroom sink for weeks. So glad I found your video!

[amandajohnson]

Almost 10 mins to drain a half gallon of water to 18 seconds! Thanks a bunch!