From Basin To Bottom: How To Clean Kitchen Sink Drain

Cleaning a kitchen sink drain can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be! With the right supplies and instructions on how to clean kitchen sink drain pipe and how to clean the kitchen sink drain, you can make quick work of a dirty drain. Cleaning a kitchen sink drain is an important task to maintain the cleanliness and functionality of your sink. Here’s a simple guide on how to clean a kitchen sink drain to get it clean and draining smoothly. 

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Step 1: Gather Supplies 

The first step to cleaning a kitchen sink drain is to gather the necessary supplies. You will need a sink plunger, a sink auger (plumbers snake), rubber gloves, white vinegar, baking soda, a bucket and a rag. 

Depending on how dirty your sink is, and if you’re dealing with a clogged drain pipe or a full grease trap, you may or may not use all these supplies. Regardless, have them laid out and ready to go as needed. 

Step 2: Clear Debris 

Start cleaning your sink drain from the top. Remove any debris from the sink strainer and whatever you can fish out from the drain pipe. This can include any food particles, hair, or soap scum that may have built up in the pipe. Spray some white vinegar on the sink strainer and at the drain pipe entrance and let it sit. 

Step 3: Dealing With Clogs and Blockages

• Use a Plunger 

If you’re dealing with clogged pipes, the first course of action is to use a sink plunger to try to clear the clog. Place the plunger over the drain and plunge vigorously for several minutes. Debris that’s stuck should get sucked out. Clear away the debris and test if the pipe is clear by checking how quickly water drains. 

• Use an Auger 

If the plunger does not work, you can try using a sink auger. A drain auger is a flexible tool used to clear blockages in plumbing pipes, including sink drains. It consists of a long, narrow metal cable with a spiral tip at the end.

Insert the auger into the drain and try to dislodge the clog by rotating the handle in a clockwise direction. This should allow the auger to wind up around any blockage. Continue rotating the handle until the auger has cleared the blockage. You may feel resistance as the auger encounters the blockage, but keep turning until it breaks through.

• Disconnect The Pipes 

If you’re dealing with a very clogged sink drain, proceed to disconnect the pipes to get to the blockage directly. Using a wrench, carefully disconnect the pipes from the drain. Take care to ensure that the pipes remain in their original position as you do this. Use a bucket to catch any trapped water and to quickly dispose of drain matter clogging the pipes. 

Step 4: Clean the Pipes 

Once the clog is cleared, it is important to clean the pipes from any residue on the sides. Mix equal parts white vinegar and baking soda into a paste. Using a rag, apply the paste to the pipes and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. Then, rinse off the pipes with hot water. 

Step 5: Reassemble the Pipes 

Finally, reassemble the pipes and reconnect them to the drain. Make sure everything is secured before you consider the job complete. Now would be a good time to check for leaks and reapply any sealant where needed. 

Step 6: Protect Your Sink From Clogging

To help prevent future clogs, you can install a sink strainer or use a sink stopper. If you already didn’t have one in place, pop in a sink strainer to catch food particles and debris before they go down the drain. 

Apart from sink strainers, a routine hot water flush is a good weekly practice to keep your pipes clear and smelling fresh. Simply pour vinegar down the drain and follow up with baking soda. Let it sit for 20 minutes before running down hot water. 

Step 7: Going The Extra Mile: Clean The Grease Trap

Cleaning a sink grease trap is an important task to maintain the cleanliness and functionality of your sink and plumbing. Grease traps are designed to capture fats, oils, and grease (FOG) that can build up in the pipes and cause clogs. Grease traps need cleaning around every 2-3 months, depending on how quickly FOG builds up. You’ll know your grease trap is overdue for cleaning if your sink drains properly, then gets clogged after the water has been running for a long time. A foul smell coming from your grease trap also means it’s high time to get the gunk out. 

To start cleaning your grease trap, we recommend opening all windows and maximizing the ventilation. You can expect a foul smell from old fat and oils to waft once you open the trap. 

Open the trap and scoop out all the liquid and gunk. You can use a spatula to scrape down the sides. Once the trap is empty, attach a hose to the inlet and outlet of the grease trap and flush it with hot water. For an extra deep clean, you can wipe down the inside of the trap with a solution of dish soap and bleach to get it deodorized and sanitized. 

Once you have flushed the grease trap, you can replace the lid and dispose of the FOG that you removed in accordance with your local area’s waste management protocol. 

The steps outlined above show you how to clean a kitchen sink drain from basin to the grease traps bottom. You can follow some or all of the steps outlined above. Depending to what degree of grime and build up your sink has, some days will call for a plunger and some hot water. Other days may require a full cleaning. Refer to the steps outlined above for how to clean the kitchen sink drain so you’ll know how to clean it in any state.