How to fix a blockage in the drain yourself

Getting a stop in the drain is both difficult and unpleasant. You may start to notice that the water flows more slowly down the drain when you rinse in the sink, shower or sink. As soon as you discover it, you should make sure to remove what is blocking before, in the worst case, it completely stops the drain.

Here we have collected some different tips and good advice so that you can take care of the problem yourself, which usually occurs as a stop in the water trap, and avoid calling a plumber.

Blockage in the sewage

Many people think that they need to use strong plug solvers when they discover problems and need to clean the drain. However, this is something you should avoid, as these are very corrosive and can damage the pipes and the water trap. They are also bad for your health and the environment.

By using various household products such as bicarbonate, vinegar and other things that work well, you can easily clean yourself when you have a blockage in pipes and drains.

Prevent sewer blockages

The first thing to think about is to prevent the stop. There is actually a lot you can do to solve the problem before it even has time. It is good to get in the habit of rinsing hot water from time to time to dissolve grease and dirt that has accumulated in the pipes but is not yet too tight.

By regularly pouring boiling water, you can prevent blockages in the sink, as hot water dissolves grease and makes hair soft.

Reasons for blockage in the drain

You should also remember to never flush down fats and leftovers. Namely, they form lumps that eventually clog the pipes and often cause blockages in the drain. Grease fat from frying and frying in a plastic bottle and throw in the trash.

The most common is that the stop is in the water trap, as it forms a bend where dirt and deposits can accumulate. But there are many more reasons why problems can start to show up. If you have children at home, it can also be the case that they flush down other things than things that the drain and your pipes can handle.

In the drain in the shower or from the bathtub, residues from hair and skin products as well as hair strands can accumulate, which together can cause blockages in the drain. To get rid of hair, you need to lift the grille at regular intervals and remove the hair and other dirt that is stuck.

To keep the drain free, it then helps to rinse with warm water with a little pressure or pour in boiling water.

It can also be the case that incorrect use of stoppers can aggravate the problem as grease that has first dissolved, solidifies and becomes even harder due to the chemical reaction. It instead gets stuck further down in the pipes and becomes much harder to get rid of.

Finally, you may need to hire a plumber to solve the problem.

Stop the drain in your kitchen

In case you get a blockage in the drain in the kitchen, you now know how to behave to solve it. Take the help of the methods mentioned above. Here, too, there is a lot to gain by cleaning the sink with detergent at regular intervals and cleaning the strainer and drain.

Stops in the kitchen should be remedied as soon as possible to avoid bad smells but also so that fruit flies and other things do not appear. Because this is where you cook your and your family's food, it is extra important from a hygienic aspect.

Stops in the sink and kitchen sink are often due to grease and food residues building up and then solidifying in the drain pipes and the water trap, which causes stops in both sinks. The cooking fat and leftover food then acts as a cement and can mean very difficult problems with stopping.

If you do not take the problems seriously, you will soon have to hire a plumber or resort to strong, environmentally hazardous agents that solve the blockage.

Loose stops in drains with bicarbonate and vinegar

When it comes to cleaning, for example, the sink to remove the blockage, the bicarbonate and vinegar method is popular with others who use it regularly. Here's how: Mix bicarbonate and a teaspoon of salt. Pour it into the sink and then pour on a deciliter of vinegar.

You can also pour the ingredients into a bowl and mix. Then pour the mixture into the drain and let it work. It will bubble but there is no danger, it is the reaction that dissolves grease and dirt. When it has stopped bubbling, you need to pour plenty of boiling water to rinse off any dirt that may still be left.

Be careful when pouring water down the drain and the boiling water will run down the sink so that you do not burn yourself on the hot water. For even better effect, you can use a sink cleaner to get a little more pressure.

Remove a blockage in the drain with baking soda and vinegar

Removing problems in the sink or sink with baking soda and vinegar is just as easy. Baking soda, however, contains a little less of the active ingredient than bicarbonate, so you need to use a little different amounts. Keep in mind that you may need to clean the sink from debris, so that the mixture drains down properly and can begin to dissolve the blockage more efficiently.

Mix three tablespoons of baking powder in half a cup of vinegar. Then you can pour the mixture into the drain. Let it work for a few minutes. It will also start to bubble but it is through this that it easily solves the blockage in the drain, both in the shower, the outlet to the bathtub and other things.

When the dirt and grease have dissolved properly, pour boiling water down the drain. To get a little more effect, it often helps to use a sink cleaner even with this method.

Should the problem still remain, solve it by repeating the procedure with baking soda, vinegar and hot water directly in the drain.

Stop in the toilet

Getting a stop in the toilet can be really unpleasant, but here too there are things you can do before it gets really bad. Again, it is important to prevent stops from occurring from the outset.

Remember to never flush anything other than toilet paper as it can directly cause a blockage in the drain. Of course, this also means that you should never throw cotton swabs or hygiene products in the toilet. Not even hair should be flushed down the drain.

Solve stops in the toilet

When there is still a stop in the toilet, it can be difficult to arrange on your own. However, there are a few tricks that you can try. The first thing you can do is use a sink cleaner and with the help of pressure solve the stop.

Another way is to try to dissolve with water and push off the stop. Take a bucket of water and pour a little bicarbonate, vinegar or detergent into the water. Pour the water down the toilet, let it have a little speed so that pressure arises when it flows down. Also make sure you use a sink cleaner more afterwards for a better chance of removing the blockage.

Stop in the sink

A blockage in the sink is often due to hair getting stuck together with toothpaste and soap residue. Let it become a regular habit to clean the drain in the sink because there is a lot that ends up there when you or the family washes morning and evening.

For example, pour hot water mixed with detergent and then rinse with high pressure to keep the plug away.

Bad smell in the drain by the sink

When there is a blockage in the drain, a bad smell can occur. Pour detergent and warm water straight down the drain. The smell can come from the very bottom of the water trap, so it is important that it reaches far down.

Of course, it is important that the strainer in the sink is clean and free of debris. Wash out both strainer and sink with water and detergent to avoid bad odor.

One reason why the sink can stop and start to smell bad is, among other things, that a lot of skin deposits, hair and above all bacteria accumulate there.

Stop in sink

The first thing you should do is flush the drain of all debris that is present and that you can see and remove it immediately. This means that funds and other solutions can be accessed better in the sewer.

Sinks are also equipped with water traps that you need to clean. To be able to clean the water trap, you must unscrew the lower part. Make sure there is a bucket underneath so that dirty water and other things do not end up on the floor. Once you have cleaned, just screw it on properly.

Flush water through the water trap before removing the bucket to make sure it is tightly closed.

Clean the stop in the sink with bicarbonate

To clean the stopper with the help of bicarbonate, do as described above. To really get down and clean the water trap properly, let the mixture work for a while before pouring a bucket of water into the drain. It has the best effect if you use hot water.

A sink cleaner can also help solve the last of the blockage if needed.

Clean the drain in the sink with baking soda

Just like above, the housewife tip with baking powder is similar. Here, too, you need to pour a bucket of hot water straight down the drain and may then need the help of a sink cleaner.

There are several types of sink cleaners, partly the standard suction cup but also long spring steels that are intended for the drain or models that you connect to a screwdriver.

Stop the drain further down

If, despite all these tips, you still have a blockage in the drain, it may be that the problem is further down the pipes than the various solutions can access. Then there are mechanical alternatives for your stop in the drain.

In the end, you may have to hire a plumber, who with the help of special tools solves the blockage in the drain. In the event that you live in an apartment, it is the landlord and the property manager you should contact in the first place.