Plumbing

Unclog a sink without chemicals

The water pools around the drain and takes forever to go down. A slow draining sink rarely fixes itself. It gets slower week by week until one morning it won't drain at all. The good news is that the clog is almost always within a foot of the drain, so you can reach it without chemicals.

Written and reviewed by Grab the Hammer Team · Updated Sep 2026
Under-sink P-trap diagram showing tailpiece, slip nuts, trap and a bucket placed below
The P-trap (4) under your sink holds water and catches most clogs. Put a bucket underneath (5) before loosening the slip nuts (2, 3) by hand.

What's actually going on

Bathroom sink clogs are almost always hair tangled with soap scum, a few inches below the stopper. Kitchen clogs are usually grease and food that hardened in the curved pipe under the sink. Either way, the clog is close, and you can reach it.

Why it happens

Hair and soap scum

In bathroom sinks, hair wraps around the stopper and binds with soap into a rubbery plug a few inches down.

Grease and food

Kitchen sinks clog when grease cools and hardens inside the pipe, catching bits of food as they pass.

A buildup in the P-trap

The curved pipe under the sink is designed to catch things. Eventually it catches enough to slow everything down.

A blocked vent

If the sink gurgles and drains slowly even when the pipes are clear, the plumbing vent on the roof may be blocked.

Before you startIf you've already poured chemical cleaner down the drain, don't plunge or open the trap, because it can splash. Flush with lots of water first and wear eye protection.

Let's fix it

0 of 5 done
  1. Pull the stopperMost bathroom stoppers lift out, twist out, or come loose when you undo a nut on the rod behind the drain. Brace yourself: sometimes the hair wrapped around it is the entire clog.
    Bathroom sink stopper lifted out of the drain with a clump of hair wrapped around its post
  2. Use the plastic snakePush it down the drain, wiggle it, and pull straight up slowly. What comes up will be gross, and that's the point. Repeat until it comes up clean, then run hot water for a minute.
    Plastic barbed drain snake pushed down a sink drain and pulled back up with hair caught on the barbs
  3. PlungePut a few inches of water in the sink and stuff a wet rag in the overflow hole so the plunger can build pressure. Give it 10 to 15 firm pumps.
    Cup plunger over a sink drain with a wet rag stuffed into the overflow hole
  4. Clean out the trapPut the bucket underneath, loosen both slip nuts by hand, and drop the trap into the bucket. Rinse it out, then put it back hand-tight plus a quarter turn.
    P-trap removed from under a sink and held over a bucket after loosening both slip nuts by hand
  5. Check for leaksRun water for a full minute and run a dry paper towel under each nut. Damp towel means snug it a little more.
    Dry paper towel held under each slip nut while water runs to check for drips

Still not fixed?

Sink still clogged after plunging? Make sure you blocked the overflow hole with a wet rag. Without that seal, the plunger just pushes air out the top.

If the kitchen sink backs up into the other side of a double sink, or into the dishwasher, the clog is past the trap, in the pipe inside the wall. A small hand auger fed through the trap arm can reach it.

Tip from experienceOnce a month, pour a kettle of hot, not boiling, water down bathroom drains. It softens soap scum before it builds up.
Time to call a pro if you seeSeveral drains backing up at once, or toilets gurgling when you run the sink. That points to a main line clog.

What a pro charges: Clearing a sink clog typically runs $125–$275 from a plumber. Main line clogs cost more, often $200–$500.

Common questions

Is baking soda and vinegar good for clogs?

It can freshen a slow drain but rarely clears a real clog. A plastic snake is faster and more reliable.

Are chemical drain cleaners safe for pipes?

Occasional use is usually fine for modern PVC, but they can harm older metal pipes and are dangerous if you later need to open the trap.

Why is my sink still clogged after plunging?

The clog is probably packed hair or grease in the P-trap. Pull the stopper and use a drain snake, or remove and clean the trap.

About the authors

Grab the Hammer Team

We're a small team of home repair writers and editors who test our advice against manufacturer instructions and common code requirements. Our goal is simple: help you fix what you safely can, and know when to call in a pro.

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