How to Clean Bathroom Sink Drain the Easy Way?

Cleaning the bathroom sink drain is not fun, but someone has to do it, right! So if you want to know how to unclog a bathroom sink stay a bit longer and read these tips.

You’re standing with your face over the bathroom sink, brushing your teeth. The next moment a bad smell rises into your nostrils from the bathroom sink. Ooh, not good so early in the morning. Wow, what is causing that stench? Yip, it happens to many people. The odor you smell results from the toothpaste you spit down the sink with clogged hair and other gunk.

The muck has built up with time in the drainpipe. Once you get to this point, there is no turning back as it can get worse. Eventually, it becomes a slow drain leading to a clogged one. The truth is it can happen to any drain in the home. Great, but how do I unclog a bathroom sink? Well, we’re here to help.

Cleaning Your Bathroom Sink Drain

Yes, it all starts with cleaning the sink weekly or daily. But one place you forget is the drain. When you add it to your bathroom chores, it will help take care of those areas. Check out this handy bathroom cleaning list. You can find a vast selection of bathroom cleaners to use on the market, from commercial to homemade brands. Now, if you get a clog, you can also get some great remedies to choose from. But before you call your plumber, we can help with some solutions here.

How To Clean a Bathroom Sink Drain?

Cleaning the drain is one of the best ways to prevent a clog from happening and needs to be part of your regular maintenance. You can start by removing debris from the drain in the sink every week. So how does one do this? The best is to use a cleaning drain pop-up stopper. Most modern drains have an adjustable sink stopper and are used to plug the sink.

You can remove it for cleaning. All you do is pull out that stopper and remove all the stuck hair from the rod using your hands. Take an old toothbrush to remove all the gunk to give it a pristine clean. Place the stopper in the dishwasher through a cleaning cycle to sanitize it further.

While waiting for the stopper, you can inspect the drain on the inside for stuck clumps of hair. Take your trusty pliers to remove it from the drain and place the stopper back.

Now, if the stopper works with a push and pull, you will find the rod located behind the tap and will need to remove the nut to pull it out.

The Best Way to Prevent a Smelly Bathroom Sink Drain

Now, if there is one thing that thrives in dirty and moist conditions, it is bacteria. Your bathroom sink is one place that can cause bacteria leading to a smelly drain. So it would be best if you took action using hydrogen peroxide, which is a non-corrosive liquid.

Further, it has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties to kill those nasty bacteria. Great, but what should I use? All you need is some baking soda as it absorbs smells and prevents odor.

Make your own DIY sink deodorizer and cleaner:

• 1/2 a cup of baking soda
• One cup hydrogen peroxide

Throw all baking soda down the drain and leave it to rest for a while, about 20-minutes. Next, take the hydrogen peroxide and pour it down the sink and see the magic happening. The chemical comes in contact with the baking soda and starts to fuzz. It kills the fungus stench and gets rid of those gnats as well. Next, clean the sink by rinsing it down with cold water and repeat it once a month.

Removing Rust Buildup Around the Sink Drain

When cleaning the bathroom, you notice these unsightly rust stains behind the sink drain. To clean this, you need one ingredient, and that is vinegar and a spray bottle. All you do is spray the rust areas with the solution and allow it to sit for 30-minutes. Then, take a soft scrubbing brush to remove the rust, or you can pour the vinegar directly onto the drain.

Unclogging Your Stubborn Bathroom Sink

Now sometimes, you get a nasty clog impossible to remove. But there is help using the following method of a homemade drain opener. All that is left is to use some muscle. You will need to gather:

• A plunger
• 1/2 gallon boiling water
• One cup of baking soda
• One cup white vinegar
• A drain snake

Let the unclogging begin:

• Pour the boiling water into the drain to break down the gunk.
• Use your plunger to force the water through the drain.
• Next, take the baking soda and pour it carefully down the drain leaving it to rest for 10-minutes.
• Now pour the vinegar in so it spreads over the baking soda. Alternatively, you can use cider vinegar or lemon juice.
• Push the drain plug in to close it as it speeds up the process. Wait while the two ingredients combine, resulting in foam up. Leave it for an hour.
• Rinse the drain with warm water.

Now comes the ordeal of using the drain auger that looks like a long piece of thin plastic with hooks on the edges. You can buy them online or at your local hardware store at an affordable price. Another alternative is a hanger made of wire. Next, insert the drain snake and pull it out. Kee is doing this to grab the gunk stuck in the drain pipe. Are you stuck using the drain snake? Check out this great video to help.

Other Natural Cleaning Products for Cleaning a Bathroom Sink Drain

When you need to clean any drain in the home, even the bathroom one, you can prepare your cleaning solution using baking soda as the main ingredient. The product is non-toxic with a mild alkali that dissolves all that greasy junk from the pipes. Start by putting on your kettle to boil water. Next, throw half a cup of the baking soda down your drain and leave to sit for a while. Doing this breaks up the fatty acids in the pipe.

Now pour the boiling water down the drainpipe and leave it for ten minutes to do its magic. Once done, turn the faucet and run some water down your drain to notice the clog is gone. Alternatively, you can also use 1/2 a cup of lemon juice with the baking soda. All you do is throw the baking soda down the drain, followed by the lemon juice.

Close the drain with the plug and leave it for an hour to do its work. Once the cycle’s completed, follow it up with some boiling water to wash away the gunk and cleaning product.

Now that you have some steps to follow to unclog a bathroom sink, we hope you find one that works the best for you. Using these methods is sure to leave the drain smelling good and helps remove unwanted clogs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)