Kitchen Sink Clogged? Here’s What to Do

This article was co-authored by Raymond Chiu and by wikiHow staff writer, Cheyenne Main. Raymond Chiu is the owner of Maid Sailors Cleaning Service, offering affordable residential and office cleaning services. Since its founding in 2014 in New York City, Maid Sailors has expanded to several cities, including Boston, Chicago, and Austin. The company has earned a reputation as one of the most reliable and best cleaning services in the industry.

There are 29 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.

This article has been viewed 2,666,852 times.

If your kitchen sink is slow to drain or if it’s completely stopped draining, you probably have a clog somewhere in the pipes. Don’t worry! We’ve got all the best methods to get it working correctly again. Whatever method you try, make sure to wear rubber gloves to protect yourself as you work. We interviewed a plumber and a home improvement specialist to find the best ways to unclog a kitchen sink at home, and a house cleaning professional for tips on keeping it unclogged in the future. Keep reading for more!

This article is partially based on an interview with Raymond Chiu, House Cleaning Professional.

Best Ways to Unclog a Kitchen Sink

1. Plunge the sink with a regular bell plunger.
2. Boil a pot of water and pour it down the drain.
3. Turn on the garbage disposal.
4. Pour baking soda and vinegar into the clogged drain.
5. Vacuum out the clog with a wet vac.
6. Disconnect the P-trap under the sink and clear it out.

Section 1 of 10:

Plunging the Kitchen Sink

• This is the best method to use if your sink isn’t draining at all.
• If there’s an overflow drain on the side of your sink, cover it with a wet towel to prevent air from escaping, which can decrease the plunger’s suction power.

• Create a tighter seal around the plunger by applying a small amount of petroleum jelly to the rim. [3] X Research source

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Thrust the handle up and down to apply pressure down the drain.Plunge with quick and deliberate thrusts, keeping the bell pressed against the drain. The air from the bell will push into the pipes, dislodging the clog. Continue for 20 seconds, then pull the plunger off the drain opening and see if the water starts to drain. [4] X Research source

• If the clog isn’t clear, plunge once more for 20 seconds. If the clog still doesn’t budge, try a different method in this list.
• Professional plumber David Balkan says “you never want to put in a chemical drain cleaner and then use a plunger because that will splatter and commercial chemical drain cleaners can burn” your skin. [5] X Expert Source

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Section 2 of 10:

Using Boiling Water

• Repeat 2 to 3 times, letting the pipes rest for about a minute between batches. [7] X Research source If the clog still doesn’t clear, keep reading for another way to get rid of it.
• If the standing water in your sink isn’t draining at all, adding more water will not unclog it. [8] X Research source If that’s the case, try another method.

Section 3 of 10:

Using the Garbage Disposal

Run the garbage disposal to see if that dislodges the clog. If your kitchen sink has a garbage disposal, home improvement specialist Allen Lee says to “go ahead and run some water and turn that garbage disposal on because sometimes food particles and stuff gets caught in the garbage disposal itself.” [9] X Expert Source

• If the garbage disposal isn’t working (and you’ve confirmed that it’s plugged in), press the reset button on the side or bottom part of the disposer under your sink. [10] X Research source
• If your garbage disposal still doesn’t work, you may need to call a professional or replace it.

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Section 4 of 10:

Using Baking Soda and Vinegar

• The mixture will bubble and fizz—this means the two ingredients are reacting, which can help break up the grease and dirt in your drain.
• If there’s no standing water in your sink, cover the drain and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes instead. [12] X Research source

• Repeat these steps 2 to 3 times, or until the clog is gone. If the clog is still there after that, try another method.

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Section 5 of 10:

Vacuuming Out the Kitchen Sink Clog

• If there’s an overflow drain on the sidewall of your sink, block it with a damp cloth or cover it with a piece of duct tape or painter’s tape. [15] X Research source
• If the clog is on one side of a double-sided sink, seal up the unclogged side with a rubber drain stopper first.
• Unscrew the P-trap underneath the sink and attach the hose to the pipe coming out of the wall if you suspect your clog is in the wall pipes. [16] X Research source

Section 6 of 10:

Using an Auger to Dislodge the Clog

Insert the auger into the drain and twist the hand crank. An auger, or plumber’s snake, has a long coiled metal cable with a hook or sharp piece at the tip, which grabs onto the clog. Insert the tip into the drain that doesn’t have a garbage disposal inside it. Twist the hand crank to release the wire cable deeper into the pipes. [17] X Research source

• If your auger doesn’t have a hand crank, simply feed the wire deeper and deeper into the pipe until you feel a blockage.
• Home improvement specialist Allen Lee says the garbage disposal can get “in the way of running a snake down that drain.” [18] X Expert Source

• Try not to push or pound the auger deeper into the clog—this can potentially damage your connectors or pipes.
• If the sink doesn’t unclog, continue to the next method.

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Section 7 of 10:

Unclogging the P-Trap and Wall Pipe

Place a bucket under the P-trap under your kitchen sink. Balkan says one of the easiest ways to unclog a drain with standing water on top of it is to unscrew the P-shaped trap under the sink. “The trap can be taken off with typical household tools and just dumped out and reattached in a matter of minutes,” he says. [20] X Expert Source

• The P-trap looks like a large curve or dip in the pipes below the sink, and it’s often found not far from where the pipe connects to the wall.
• Place towels underneath the bucket to catch any extra water that may come out of the pipes.
• Since the pipes under your sink aren’t connected to the water that comes inside your house, there’s no need to shut off the water to your sink.

• As you unscrew the connections, inspect the rubber rings inside them for damage. If any of the rings are broken or worn, replace them. [23] X Research source
• Wear rubber gloves for this process to protect your hands from anything that may come out of the pipes.
• If you can’t unscrew the pipes by hand, use a pipe wrench to loosen the connections.

• If you find the clog in the trap, reattach the trap. Turn on the hot water and see if the sink drains.
• If the sink is still clogged, follow the next steps to use the cable auger.

• If you feel a bend in the pipe and you have a large handle on your auger, rotate the handle clockwise until you don’t feel resistance anymore. [27] X Research source

• If the auger meets resistance again as you pull it out, continue pulling and cranking the handle clockwise until the cable catches on the clog.
• Your auger might pull out some gunk from the pipes, but usually, it pushes the clog through. [29] X Research source

• If the slip nuts do leak, turn off the water and retighten them.
• As you tighten the slip nuts, make sure the washers sit with the concave, or narrow, side pointing down into the pipe.
• If your sink is still clogged after this, you may have to call a professional.

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Section 8 of 10:

Using a Drain Opening Product

• Try to avoid pouring drain cleaners down the garbage disposal side of your sink. The chemicals can corrode and damage its metal components. [33] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source
• Enzymatic drain cleaners are a gentler and more environmentally friendly alternative. For the best results, look for a product that targets grease or food.

Section 9 of 10:

Calling a Professional Plumber or Drain Cleaner

• The average cost of hiring a plumber to snake a drain is around $250, but for complex clogs, the cost can be anywhere from $360 to $800. [35] X Research source

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Section 10 of 10:

Preventing Kitchen Sink Clogs

Try to avoid putting grease, oil, or other sticky items down the drain. Instead of pouring grease from cooking down your sink, house cleaning professional Raymon Chiu says to pour it into “sealable containers and throw [it] in the appropriate garbage.” He also recommends putting “leftover scraps in the garbage before placing [your dishes] in the sink.” [36] X Expert Source

Raymond Chiu
House Cleaning Professional Expert Interview

• Other items to avoid include starchy foods (like pasta, rice, and potatoes), fibrous veggies (like celery, corn husks, artichokes, or asparagus), eggshells, shellfish, and coffee grounds. [37] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source
• Consider putting coffee grounds and other food items in a compost pile.
• Chiu also recommends using “a drain strainer to capture any small food particles.” [38] X Expert Source

Pour boiling water down the drain once a week to melt the grease. Chiu says another way to keep your kitchen sink from clogging up again is to “Regularly pour boiling hot water down the drain to melt away the grease that may be stuck in the pipes.” [39] X Expert Source

• Alternatively, run hot water from the tap each time you use the sink to help clear the drain.

• The ice and salt scrub the sides of your disposal, while the lemon adds a fresh, clean scent.

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Join the Discussion.

My roommate did something to clog up the kitchen sink, and we just can’t get it to drain like normal. I tried running hot water and running the garbage disposal, but nothing seems to help. It is draining slowly, but it takes like 24 hours to fully drain if there’s even a few inches of water. What else can I try? I really don’t want to reach out to the landlord over something so mundane.

David Balkan
Professional Plumber & CEO of Balkan Sewer & Water Main

Have you tried plunging it? The good old typical plunger works well. Typically, sinks clog because something is sitting in the trap, which is the U-shaped pipe under the sink. It could be coffee grounds, food, random debris, you name it. If the plunger doesn’t work, you could remove the trap with household tools and remove whatever is stuck in there. People struggle with baking soda and vinegar and all of these crazy things, but removing a sink trap is typically very easy. If you don’t want to do that, you can use commercial drain cleaners. Just be careful because if you splash that stuff on your skin it will burn you.

I had some luck with clearing up my clogged sink by using a plumbing snake! If you’ve got physical debris clogging up your drain, using a plumbing snake will help to loosen up that debris. You can get them pretty cheap too.

See all 5 Replies and

Expert Q&A

I ran the garbage disposal, but it’s still clogged. What should I do?
Allen Lee
Home Improvement Specialist

Allen Lee is a Home Improvement Specialist and the Owner of Honest Lee Handyman Services, a licensed and insured handyman business servicing Sacramento, California, and surrounding areas. Working with homeowners and businesses to get their small repairs done in a timely and efficient manner, Honest Lee Handyman Services provides gutter and dryer vent cleaning along with fixture, fence, drywall, and toilet repairs.

Home Improvement Specialist
Expert Answer

I suggest you run a snake down the drain to see if that picks anything up. If that doesn’t work, you may need to take the trap apart to get to the source of the issue.

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What if you use Liquid Plumber and it still does not fix the clog?
Mark Spelman
Construction Professional

Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in constructing interiors, project management, and project estimation. He has been a construction professional since 1987.

Construction Professional
Expert Answer

Most clogging will take place at the p-trap. Remove the P-trap located under the sink and check that it is clear. Then, you can also run a snake into the pipe in the wall along with some more Liquid Plumber or Draino.

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What is a cable auger?
Mark Spelman
Construction Professional

Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in constructing interiors, project management, and project estimation. He has been a construction professional since 1987.

Construction Professional
Expert Answer

This is a tool that uses a flexible cable to unclog drains. There are manual and powered type augers.

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Wear gloves and safety glasses when trying to unclog your pipes.

If you’re not confident unclogging a drain, it’s best to call a professional who can make sure everything is cleared safely.

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References

1. ↑https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-use-a-plunger/
2. ↑https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-use-a-plunger/
3. ↑https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-use-a-plunger/
4. ↑https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-use-a-plunger/
5. ↑ David Balkan. Professional Plumber & CEO of Balkan Sewer & Water Main. Expert Interview
6. ↑https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/how-to-clear-a-clogged-drain/
7. ↑https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/plumbing/how-to-clear-clogged-drain/
8. ↑https://www.bobvila.com/articles/unclogging-a-sink/
9. ↑ Allen Lee. Home Improvement Specialist. Expert Interview

1. ↑https://www.bobvila.com/articles/garbage-disposal-not-working/
2. ↑https://www.bhg.com/homekeeping/house-cleaning/tips/how-to-clean-kitchen-sinks-drains/
3. ↑https://www.bobvila.com/articles/267-quick-tip-fixing-a-clogged-drain/
4. ↑https://www.bhg.com/homekeeping/house-cleaning/tips/how-to-clean-kitchen-sinks-drains/
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9. ↑ Allen Lee. Home Improvement Specialist. Expert Interview
10. ↑https://www.bobvila.com/articles/unclogging-a-sink/
11. ↑ David Balkan. Professional Plumber & CEO of Balkan Sewer & Water Main. Expert Interview
12. ↑https://youtu.be/idnven7Y5jA?t=142
13. ↑https://youtu.be/Iqv_Vl4hQ7U?t=111
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22. ↑https://youtu.be/1LRVU7927aw?t=723
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27. ↑ Raymond Chiu. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview
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29. ↑ Raymond Chiu. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview
30. ↑ Raymond Chiu. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview
31. ↑https://www.thisoldhouse.com/kitchens/21317716/how-to-clean-garbage-disposal

About This Article

Co-authored by:
House Cleaning Professional

This article was co-authored by Raymond Chiu and by wikiHow staff writer, Cheyenne Main. Raymond Chiu is the owner of Maid Sailors Cleaning Service, offering affordable residential and office cleaning services. Since its founding in 2014 in New York City, Maid Sailors has expanded to several cities, including Boston, Chicago, and Austin. The company has earned a reputation as one of the most reliable and best cleaning services in the industry. This article has been viewed 2,666,852 times.

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Co-authors: 46
Updated: June 4, 2025
Views: 2,666,852
Categories: Sinks | Blocked Drains

To unclog your kitchen sink, try using boiling water. Just bring a pot of water to a boil, then carefully pour it down the drain of your kitchen sink. The heat from the water should help break up the clog. If that doesn’t work, try using baking soda and white vinegar. First, pour 1 cup (180 g) of baking soda down the drain. Then, pour in 1 cup (235 mL) of white vinegar. Let the baking soda and white vinegar fizz for 15 minutes, then run hot water to flush out the clog. You can also use a flat-bottomed plunger to plunge the sink drain. Place the suction cup at the end of the plunger over the drain so there’s a tight seal, then pump the plunger up and down until the clog gets sucked away and your sink drains properly. If you don’t have a flat-bottomed plunger, you can also try using a wire coat hanger to unclog your kitchen sink. Start by unraveling the coat hanger and bending the end into a hook shape. Insert the hooked end of the hanger into the drain as far as you can, and wiggle it up and down while twisting it to help break up the clog. If nothing is working, you may need to use a drain snake to reach further down into the drain. If your sink has a garbage disposal, try turning it on to see if that breaks up the clog. If all else fails, it might be time to call a plumber. If your sink is still clogged, read below for advice on how to drain the drain trap!

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