My toddler put some toilet paper in my bathroom sink enough to clog it, so here it is, clogged and I am putting off calling a plumber to fix this bec we have a tight budget do you have any recommendations how I can fix this on my own? Thanks moms!!!
Got an old wire hanger? You can take that apart and try to fish out the tissue. You can buy a snake at the hardware store to shove it down and clear the pipe.
I take a wire coat hanger apart and make a hook to stuck down ther and pull stuff out. The hardware store has a plastic device that is not very expensive and it is used exactly for this.
The other thing I do is pour boiling hot water down there, because of the build up of toothpaste, shaving cream, hair.. Many times 2 tea kettles of boiling water will do it. Then I pour a box of baking soda down there and pour vinegar on top.. It takes out any final residue and buildup and sends it away.
If suggestions below don't work, go to Walmart and buy the Turbo Snake. It's $10 and works WONDERS!!! We have a master plumber friend and he approves!
The wire hanger trick, if you think the stuff is pretty close to the opening on the pipe.
If its way deep and you can't reach, try one of those chemical products like Mr. Plummer. I use some in the tub and sinks once in every 3 months, just as a regular precautionary step.
Hanger for stuff that pulls out.
Draino / Liquid plumber for stuff that doesn't.
'Pea trap' / u- bend thin if yours is accessable (under the cabinet... Pedestals are harder or impossible. Turn off the water source. UN screw u thing. Get stuck stuff out. Also check vertical pipe for clogs. Screw back on. Turn water back on.
Yup to Laurie! I used all of her methods with success.
If those don't work, or work well enough, you can also take a plunger to it, but be sure not to use TOO much force. (and probably buy a new one... ick to use the toilet plunger in your sink. lol.)
Ditto on the vinegar and boiling water.
However, if you can SEE the stuff, maybe try chopsticks. If the clog is wadded up tight enough, you can lift it up, but if you need to, you can also take off the u-bend in the pipe, and use them to sort of dislodge the mess and push it through. I use em for the vacuum hose, too. (Never occurred to me, I must admit, to try a wire coat hanger.)
Hope it's fixed already, but I once got a dental hygienist's tool that they
use to get the plaque off your teeth.
They would have thrown out these old tools (worn down) and I used it
to poke around and "catch" lots of unbelievable crud out from the sink. Check at your dentist's office.
First, NO wire hanger. My husband loves that solution and we end up having to fix the plumbing afterwards. Second, what type of pipes do you have? If you have older metal pipes, no Draino or Liquid plumber ever even for a regular clog. They are corrosive and eat the pipes--found that one out the hard way. My husband is also a lover of that stuff and when we did have to get a plumber in, the stuff almost burned his face. Do you have a shop vac or can borrow one? That thing will get the paper out. We have had paper, baby washcloths, toys stuck down either the bathtub or sink drain and our vac always comes to the rescue. and no plumbing to fix.
Even without something stuffed in it, ours gets clogged with regular use. Sometimes the best thing to do is to remove the pea trap and unclog /replace it (depending on how much build up there is).
Use a wire hanger some baking soda and vinegar. The baking soda and vinegar should break up the paper and the hanger will help pull out (or push through) what is left.
