Why The Kitchen Sink Won’t Drain? And How To Fix It

How many times do we face this in a day? While washing the dishes,we tend to suddenly realise that they’re all floating in standing water! And then begins the fumbling for spoons, forks, and all those teeny-weeny cutlery items nowhere to be seen in the ‘flood’ that seems to have gorged up our vessels. Even the scrub goes missing in the pool.

Is there no permanent solution to this perpetual problem faced by millions like us when the kitchen sink won’t drain? Now comes the good news. There is and quite a simple one too. The very mention of the problem might take you down a thinking lane flocked by expensive chemical treatments and professional plumbers to solve the problem.

But we suggest otherwise. There are simpler, safer, and cheaper methods that can help you get rid of a smelly kitchen sink drain. But before we get to that, let’s get a brief idea on why exactly our kitchen sinks tend to clog up.

Causes for Kitchen Sink Getting Clogged Up

• Greasy stuff –We all love French Fries but cleaning up the greasy pan next morning can leave all the slimy stuff behind, obviously in and around the drain area. And the liquid oil that sticks around the drain line soon hardens up resulting in clogging.
• Tea and coffee powder – The most common mistake lot of us make. Tea/coffee sieved into cups and their grounds left behind with the saucepan in the kitchen sink. When mixed with water (the next time you open the tap),they become heavy and clog the drain pipe.
• Eggshells – Who doesn’t love hot boiled eggs? But what we don’t like is clogged drains, all a result of peeled eggshells that we end up chucking in the sink itself (mostly unconsciously). The thick shell waste clogs the sink pipe.
• Veggie peels – Onion, garlic, potato, carrots, and beans – all to be stir fried together and while peeling one after the other, where do all the peels go? Most conveniently in the kitchen drain.
• Leftovers – Same is the story when food leftovers find place in the sink too – uneaten pasta and rice, especially – all going down the drain and blocking the water flow for days together. If it’s a regular thing that you’re left with crumbs lying in and around the sink, it’ll be most suitable that you get a dedicated garbage disposal as a permanent solution.

How to Unclog a Kitchen Sink with Standing Water?

Here are 4 simple ways on how to clean a sink drain (cast iron or stainless steel) which you can try yourself at home, without the need to use harmful chemicals or spend high on professional service charges. The given solutions also work with copper sinks and granite composite sinks.

Method 1: Plunge it out

The cheapest and easiest way to unclog a drain of all possible dirt, grease, and food particles stuck therein. Place the plunger cup carefully over the drain opening such that it fully covers it. You will need to ensure that all other drain outlets are covered with wet rags before you start plunging. Now hold the plunger in an upright position and forcefully plunge the drain a few times.

Method 2: Use Baking Soda and Vinegar mix

This combination works almost everytime in all kinds of clogged drain pipes. Take half a cup of baking soda and pour it down the drain. Repeat the process with half cup of white vinegar this time. The mix creates an acidic reaction. Now pour hot water over the drain and your pipe is unclogged in seconds.

Method 3: Baking Soda and Salt

Baking Soda and salt combination has known to work equally well for unclogging pipes. Take 1 cup of baking soda and half a cup of salt. Pour the mixture down the drain and leave it overnight. Next morning, pour 2 cups of hot boiling water over the drain.

Method 4: Create a snake hanger

You can use an unused cloth wire hanger at home, twist and unbend it to shape it like a snake. It can now easily pass through the drain pipe and can be used to pull out stuff (big ones if any) or push down stuck objects through the pipe so as to clear it out.

Note: In case any or all of the DIY methods fail to produce the desired result, it’s best to call a plumber to get things sorted.

Simple Ways to Get Rid of Smelly Kitchen Sink Drain

Everyone likes to keep their kitchen neat and tidy, wipe it clean after cooking, and maintain it well, but what’s the funny smell you get when you enter it? You may fail to guess however hard you think but it’s actually your sink drain that’s stinking.

For obvious reasons, of course. Your kitchen sink has to bear a lot the whole day through – dishwashing soap residues, grease, food leftovers, vegetable peels, eggshells and what not. All of these not just clog up the pipe, they are major contributors to the stink too. The Shape Of the kitchen sink could also make a difference in the process of cleaning.

Try these simple ways to keep your sink clean and stink-free at all times:-

1. Lemon rings – Don’t chuck away the ends of a lemon ring after squeezing it out to make lemon juice. Citrus is great to remove bad odour. Rub the lemon around the sink and turn on the tap. Instant way to deodorise your kitchen sink in a jiffy.
2. Borax – Pour down 3 tbsps of Borax and ice into the garbage disposal drain and leave it overnight. It will help disinfect the drain pipe of all bacteria. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice the next morning for the final cleaning.
3. Ice and salt – Ice helps clean the pipe blades and the salt works like an abrasive scrub, besides acting as a disinfectant. Follow this method regularly (say every two weeks) to avoid your kitchen drain stinking again.

Conclusion

Take care of your kitchen sink drain just the way you pay attention to the rest of the kitchen – the burner, the countertop, and the tiles. You want to be sure that everything looks sparking clean. Your drain needs to be clean too not just at the outside (which can be achieved with the garbage disposal cap) but also deep within. To prevent these issues from happening continuously, you could try one of the best kitchen sink in 2021.