A Guide on How to Clean Sink Drain – Best Ways

Introduction

Sinks are some of the most common fixtures found in homes, and as such, it is often difficult to avoid the hassle associated with the drain clogs. Sink drains are particularly susceptible to buildup of debris because they are shallow in depth and almost always run beneath cabinets or countertops. The regular cleaning of your sink drain should be performed twice per week. But the question is “how to clean sink drain?” There are many different methods for cleaning the drain, depending on your personal preference and the type of debris you want to get out. The most popular methods are given in this article.

• Materials/Tools Needed
• How to Clean Sink Drain with Specific Steps
• How to Keep Sink Clean

Materials/Tools Needed

Sink drain is almost always associated with bacteria, fecal matter, mold, and most importantly, cooking grease. When these items are found in the drain, they will clog the drain. You can minimize the chance of clogging the drain and clogs by keeping it free of such debris. Use the following material to keep the drain free of grease and bacteria.

• Clear plastic soda bottle
• Dish-washing liquid (i.e., Drano, Aquafresh)
• Scrubbing pad
• Lighter
• Pair of Cleaning Wire
• Small squirt bottle (Note: It is best to use a squeeze bottle or a child’s paint pump sprayer because the squirt bottle will be very hard on the faucet if used in large quantities.)
• Toilet Brush
• Rubber Bands
• Spray Cleaner (Note: Be sure to clean out your sink drain’s pipes beforehand.)
• Water
• Vinegar (Note: Vinegar is an ideal choice for this project because it is very effective at removing mildew, gunk, and grease. It also can be used for washing windows or cleaning the paint in the garage.)

We will discuss how to clean sink drain with bleach or vinegar in next the next section. Keep reading. Smelly bathroom sink drain remedy is also very effective in removing oil from drain pipe.

However, it is not safe for use on other types of drain, and it will definitely leave streaks. Cleaning drain with it will result in quick results. In order to get rid of drain smells like sewage, you will need an industrial cleanser.

How to Clean Sink Drain with Specific Steps

There are many methods for cleaning the drain, but we will explain the most popular methods below. If you already know the method by heart, then there is no need to repeat it here, but feel free to reread it if you need to. Let’s get started with easy methods of how to clean sink drain smell:

How to Clean Sink with Baking Soda

Do not worry if you do not have any baking soda at home. We can assure you that almost any local pharmacy or supermarket will have baking soda. You can also get it from Amazon. We use it often when we clean our own sink. It is a very good option to use because it can clean any type of drain. Let’s begin with the step-by-step procedure so that the query “how to clean sink drain with baking soda” will not be unanswered anymore.

Steps to follow:

1. Fill a cup with water and sprinkle baking soda over the mixture. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
2. Spray your faucet’s drain with water.
3. Let the baking soda soak in for 30 minutes or more.
4. Rinse thoroughly with running water. The spray will have removed all the baking soda from your drain.

How to Clean Sink Drain with Vinegar

This is a typical vinegar method that you would use to clean the sink drain. It is relatively inexpensive and easy to do. If you do not have any strong smell (the smell of vinegar is strong), then you can use it at home.

Steps to follow:

1. Fill a cup with water and pour some vinegar over it.
2. Leave it for 15 minutes.
3. Rinse thoroughly with running water.

You may be wondering how this method gets rid of the strong smell. The answer is that it is because the vinegar gets into the pipes’ interiors, and therefore, the strong smell is just the results of this process. But how to clean a smelly drain in bathroom sink? It’s simple and easy to clean with this method.

How to Clean Sink Drain with Bleach

Although this method is not really common, we have actually used it. But first, we should tell you a bit about bleach and then we will discuss how to clean sink drain with bleach. Bleach is a strong disinfectant, which basically means that it kills bacteria in the drain. Bacteria is the reason why a sink drain smells. Bleach is therefore also good to remove the bacteria from the drain. In order to use bleach in this method, you must have a good variety of drain cleaners.

Steps to follow:

1. Fill a cup with water and add a small amount of bleach.
2. Let it sit for a minute.
3. Rinse thoroughly with running water.
4. This will make sure that all the dirt and debris in the drain are removed, and also that the strength of the bleach solution will have been diluted.
5. You can add a small amount of baking soda or washing soda to dilute the strength of the bleach solution.

How to get rid of a smelly sink drain is not a big deal. These methods are great for cleaning old, worn drains that are prone to attracting a strong smell of bad bacteria. Before using any method, make sure that the drain is full and get some good quality drain cleaners.

How to Keep Sink Clean

Here’s a very important tip about keeping a clean kitchen sink or sink drain. Just as in the bathroom, you should not simply clean the drain with a water spray and some vinegar. In fact, if your drain has been blocked, you will have to pour a lot of fresh water into the drain. And this might cause a mess, because you will have to remove the scum from the drain.

But if you have only had the drain partially blocked, you can spray water into the drain and use some strong-smelling drain cleaners. This might take a long time to clean the drain properly, but it will definitely clean it, and help you to get rid of the strong smell of scum and filth. Here are few more tips that will help you keep the sink clean.

• Maintenance

You should also make sure that you do not overload the drain by using things such as pots and pans or other things that could jam the drain. You can always use your helper to clear out the drain. You should also remember to avoid opening the sink drain during heavy rainfall.

• Invisible cleaning

You should always do a close inspection of your sink drain and ensure that you have the drain outlet pipe pointed away from the base of the sink. When there is a lot of blockages in the drain, you will have to use a stronger drain cleaner. But this is the time when you should use some strong cleaning agents that will help you clear out the obstruction.

• Pump the Sink Drain

If you cannot handle the deep cleaning of your sink drain yourself, you can always get your local plumber to do the job for you. He’ll pump the drain, and even remove the scum and extra dirt from the drain.

Conclusion

Let’s wrap up our sink drain cleaning guide, which will make sure that we all know how to clean sink drain in pthe roper ways, and never have to worry about any smelly sink drain ever again. These are three popular drain cleaning methods you can use to get a properly clean sink drain. So, don’t let your drain stay dirty forever, and if you want, you can always clean it properly with some drain cleaner.

FAQs about How to Clean Sink Drain