How to clean sink drain

Cleaning your sink drain

If your sink drain is clogged, it will not only smell bad but will also be unhygienic to use. You must keep the sink drain clean if you want to retain a fresh fragrance and avoid the growth of germs. Because a conventional sponge can’t get to the drain, cleaning a sink drain may be more complicated than cleaning a sink basin. Fortunately, there are ways that you may use to clear a regular sink drain or garbage disposal using natural substances like lemon and vinegar.

Using vinegar and baking soda

1. Remove the drain cover: Remove any drain coverings that may be present. To remove a pop-up drain stopper from the drain, spin the lid counter-clockwise. Remove any food or hair that has accumulated at the top of the drain. To begin cleaning the drain, first, remove all of the food and liquids from the sink.
2. Use hot water to clean up your drains: Before you begin, boil water in a kettle and pour it down the drain. This first flush will clear out the drain of any tiny debris that has accumulated there.
3. Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain: Use a measuring cup to scoop out 1/2 cup (110.40 g) of baking soda. Discard the powder slowly by pouring it down the drain.
4. Follow up with white vinegar: Using a chemical reaction, add the vinegar to the baking soda in the drain to clean and disinfect it. When the baking soda starts to fizz, you know it’s working.
5. Leave the mixture to sit: Remove any possible blockages or buildup by letting the solution rest for 10 minutes and working its way down your drain.
6. Use hot water to finish cleaning out your sink: Pour boiling water down the drain to remove any leftover baking soda and vinegar. Continue flushing the sink with a saucepan of hot water if the vinegar smell persists.

Cleaning a waste disposal drain

1. Slice a lemon thinly: To make ice cubes, slice a lemon thinly enough to fit into each compartment of the tray.
2. Pour vinegar over the slices: Vinegar should be added to the ice cube pan. Garbage disposal drains benefit from the deodorising and sanitising properties of vinegar. The trash disposal sink’s crevices will be cleaned as well.
3. Leave to solidify for at least three hours: Allow the ice cubes to solidify entirely by placing the tray in the freezer overnight.
4. Use your trash disposal to put the ice cubes: Make a mess in your trash disposal by dumping ice cubes that have broken free of the tray.
5. Run your trash disposal until all ice has been broken up: Turn on the trash disposal and run cold water over the ice cubes. Turn off the water. Citrus and vinegar will freshen the scent and clean your drain as the blades break up the ice. Run cold water down the drain once you’re finished to make sure it’s clean.

How to keep your drain clean

1. Wash your sink often to avoid clogging the drain: Drains become blocked for various reasons, one of which is because you’re flushing the incorrect stuff down them. Food, hair, coffee grounds, and grease may all create blockages in your sink drain if they are washed down there. To get rid of oil, pour it into a glass container after cooking and toss it in the trash.
2. Use hot water to clean your drain after each use: Pour boiling water down the drain after thoroughly cleaning your sink basin or washing dishes in your sink. If you do this, foul drain smells will be avoided.
3. Use a drain screen or cover with a mesh: Using a drain cover will keep items out of the drain, reducing the frequency you need to clean it. A mesh screen may be used in place of a drain cover if you don’t have one.
4. Pour bleach down the drain regularly: Pour bleach down the drain once or twice a week and let it rest overnight. This will assist keep your drain clean by preventing the growth of germs and the development of bad smells. If the smell of bleach bothers you, you may absorb it by pouring baking soda down the drain after you clean your dishes.

Simple ways to keep your sinks clean

1. Remove all items from in and around your sink: To begin, take everything out of the sink and give everything a good rinse.
2. Use a generous amount of bicarb: Bicarbonate of soda, in a generous amount, should be sprinkled into the sink.
3. Scrub using circular motions: Scrub the bowl in circular motions with the sponge. Stainless steel does not become scratched when cleaned with bicarbonate of soda.
4. Add vinegar: Vinegar should be used to clean the sink once you have finished cleaning it. When the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda react, the sink will be organically disinfected.
5. Rinse the sink: Fill the sink with water and run the faucet to clear the gunk.
6. Use some lemon peels: Use part of the lemon peel to scrub the stainless steel sink, being careful to rub the skin and not the pith on the stainless steel. This aids in eliminating any faint vinegar odours while also shining the steel.
7. Lightly coat with olive oil: Rub your sink with a dish towel soaked with olive oil.
8. Enjoy your clean sink: Observe your beautiful new sink from a distance. After a few weeks, you’ll have to repeat the procedure to keep your sink looking new.

Cleaning a bathroom sink drain

1. Run hot water to remove any lingering odours: Put half a gallon of boiling water in the sink and gently pour it down the drain to loosen any stuck-on gunk. After waiting for five minutes, wash your hands under cold running water.
2. Remove any obstructions using a wire brush: Discard any accumulated material after removing the drain stopper or drain guard. Drain snakes may be used to remove hair from more stubborn blockages. You may also use a plunger to clear out any remaining obstructions in the drain. Sink stoppers may be removed even if the drainpipe is connected by unscrewing the nut and yanking it out.
3. Apply a drain cleaner to the area to be treated: On a nightly basis, pour 2 cups of a drain cleaner down the sink’s drain.
4. Let it sit for a while: Let the product sit in the drain for at least one night before removing it.
5. Give your sink a final rinse: After that, give everything a last rinse. The next day, turn on the faucet and let hot water flow down the drain for a few minutes.

Do-it-yourself drain cleaners

Here’s how to create five different drain cleaners using everyday household items.

Vinegar with baking soda

Pour half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar down the sink. For one hour, leave the drain plug. After that, flush a large pot of hot water down the toilet. If this doesn’t work, try it again and see what happens.

Lemon juice with baking soda

After that, pour 1/2 cup lemon juice down the drain, followed by 1/2 cup baking soda. For one hour, leave the drain plug. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil to complete the project.

Baking soda and salt

Pour down the drain a mixture of 1/2 cup table salt and 1/2 cup baking soda. Afterward, boil a pot of water and let sit for 30 minutes (or overnight if the blockage is very stubborn).

Baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar

Fill a sealable jar halfway with baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. Shake the container to mix the ingredients before closing it. Then, flush out half of the jar’s contents and re-use the remaining half. Boiling water is the next step after following the solution. Allow about an hour of drain time. Finish by rinsing with soap and water.

Vinegar, borax, and salt

Drain 1/4 cup salt, then 1/4 cup baking soda. After that, add half a cup of vinegar to the mixture. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil to complete the project. Run hot tap water to remove any leftover solution and let it rest for an hour or until it clears.

Environmentally-friendly drain cleaning solutions

Toxic chemicals provide a health risk to those who breathe in their fumes. Because they won’t damage your pipes, green remedies will save you money and time in the long run. In the end, it’s a fantastic way to assist the environment while still having fun.

Keeping your drain clean and unclogged

Preventing blocked drains is an essential part of maintaining a healthy plumbing system. Also, learning how to unclog a drain on your own will save you from having to pay a plumber to come out.

It’s better to avoid clogging drains by placing restrictions on what goes down them.

• Stay away from the kitchen drains by not flushing food or oil.
• Leave food in the trash or compost pile, not at the disposal.
• Fill a sealable container halfway with melted grease and place the lid on top. If you don’t want to recycle it, you may toss it in the garbage once it cools.
• Keep drains free of hair and soap residue. Use a perforated shower drain hair catcher or a mesh screen to cover your tub and shower drain. Either way, you’ll be able to gather the hair and let it pass through while you’re using it.
• When considering materials, stainless steel, silicone, or any mix of the two are good choices for shower drain hair catchers. A shower or tub stopper with a built-in screen may prevent hair from becoming stuck in the drain.
• Brush your hair before you go in the shower or the bathtub. This method gets rid of stray hairs and clears the shower drain. Place a washcloth over the drain if you must bathe your dog in the tub or shower. Even a standard shower drain hair catcher may get clogged by a dog’s bath time hair production.
• Keep an eye on what you put down in the toilet. In terms of functionality, toilets are designed to accommodate both human waste and toilet paper. Clogging may occur if you flush many thick, stringy, or bulky items down the toilet.
• If you have dental floss or feminine hygiene items lying around, don’t use them.

Cleaning services provided by experts

Now and then, most of us will use a damp cloth to clean the sink. However, it will require some effort to do this task correctly and completely. Consider hiring a professional cleaner weekly or biweekly if you don’t think you have the time or skill to clean your sink drains. This will offer you peace of mind knowing that everything is being cleaned and sanitised by professionals.