Common Causes of Sink Clogs

Sink clogs are the worst.  You need the sink or you wouldn’t be there. Most of the time, you have no idea why it is clogged, but suddenly, whatever you were doing is put off while you figure out what is causing the clog or, at the very least, how to clear it.  Let us help you identify some of the most common causes of sink clogs and how to handle them.

Sink clogs in bathrooms are typically caused by
hair or debris that has been sent down a sink in error.  Hair, of course, is the most common. We all
have hair, and the average human loses 70 hairs per day, many of those while
brushing your hair, which we mostly do over the sink, in front of the
mirror.  To keep those clogs at bay,
stand back a little when you brush. And don’t cut your hair over the sink. 

Another common cause of bathroom sink clogs is
stuff that gets dropped down the sink. 
Not the odd contact lens—those flush pretty easily.  But the eyebrow pencil stubs are a different
story. Of course, that dropping problem isn’t confined to the bathroom sink.

We drop all sorts of stuff down kitchen sinks
because we do so much work in the kitchen. And those sink clogs are complicated
by grease and table scraps that are often flushed down kitchen sinks.

For both of these types of clogs, the good old
plumbers’ helper is the best approach to begin with.

Another common solution that is surprisingly
effective is the baking-soda-vinegar-hot-water approach. 

If your sink clog is a kitchen disaster stemming
from misuse of the garbage disposal in your sink, you can best start with not
putting potato or other peelings down the sink, and really watch out for those
popcorn kernals that didn’t pop.

You hit those peelings with the plumbers’
helper, but you might have to take apart the drain under your sink because
peelings can be impossible to clear any other way.

As for those unpopped kernals, you can
completely ruin the motor if those get caught, but the tool that comes with
your disposal can help if you use it correctly.

Otherwise, call us.