How to Quickly Unclog a Kitchen Drain

Three Quick Tips for How to Unclog a Kitchen Drain

By Mark J. Donovan




Undoubtedly you’ve had to deal with a clogged kitchen drain in the past. And most certainly you’ll be faced with the same problem again in the future.

Inevitably, no matter how diligent you are in not pouring grease down the drain, over time food particles and small amounts of grease choke off the drain pipe and cause waste water to back up in the kitchen sink.

The next time, however, before calling a plumber to unclog your kitchen drain, or pouring a harsh drain cleaner down the drain, try the few simple tips explained below to attempt to quickly unclog your kitchen drain.

Partially Clogged Kitchen Sink Drain

First, realize the most likely place where the clog is occurring is in the P-trap underneath the sink. Use a hair dryer to heat up the surface area of the P-trap. This will help to soften any grease that is adhering to the interior walls of the P-trap piping.

Next turn on the hot water and allow it to run for a few minutes. If you are lucky you’ll flush away any grease that was adhering to the P-trap piping.

Fully Clogged Kitchen Sink Drain

If the kitchen sink is fully clogged then first use a pan to empty out as much of the water in the kitchen sink as possible. Then, once you’ve emptied as much as you can out of the sink with the pan, use a large towel to soak up the rest.

Next pour a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar into the sink drain. Allow the mixture to percolate for 30 to 60 minutes and work its way through the drain clog.

The JTRAP is often the spot where a kitchen sink drain is clogged.

Lastly turn on the hot water to flush out the mixture and hopefully the clog. With any luck you’ll have success.

Removing the P-Trap

If neither of the above two approaches unclog the kitchen drain, then you’ll need to disconnect the P-Trap using a pair of channel lock pliers. Once you’ve removed it you can clean the P-trap piping. Then simply reattach it to the sink drain and you should be good to go.

If none of the above solutions unclog your kitchen drain then I recommend calling in the plumber, rather than using the harsh drain cleaner.

One final note, every two to three weeks pour a third of a cup of baking soda into the drain. The bubbles will help to keep the kitchen drain free of grease and help to neutralize odors that emanate from the drain.

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