Sink Drains Slowly? How to Clear It and When It's a Bigger Problem

A slow-draining sink is an early warning. Ignore it and you are looking at a full clog, a backup, or worse. Here is what is going on under the sink and what to do about it.

Kitchen Sink vs. Bathroom Sink

Kitchen sinks clog with grease, food particles and coffee grounds that cool and harden inside the trap and the horizontal drain line. If you have a garbage disposal, a dull or jammed unit can make it worse — see garbage disposal repair & installation.

Bathroom sinks clog with hair, soap scum and toothpaste residue that collects on the pop-up stopper and in the P-trap.

Safe Things to Try First

• Remove and clean the pop-up stopper (bathroom) or the strainer basket (kitchen).
• Pour a kettle of very hot (not boiling, if you have PVC) water down the drain to soften grease.
• Use a plunger with the overflow hole covered.
• Place a bucket under the P-trap, unscrew it and clean it out.

We strongly recommend avoiding chemical drain cleaners. They rarely clear the full blockage, they can damage older pipes and they make it dangerous for anyone who opens the line afterward.

When a Slow Sink Is a Bigger Problem

If more than one drain in the house is slow, if the toilet gurgles when the sink drains, or if you smell sewage, the clog is past the fixture — in a branch line or the main sewer. That is a job for professional drain cleaning with a cable machine or hydro jetting, and often a sewer camera inspection to find out why it keeps happening.

Our drain cleaning teams serve Doylestown, New Castle, Lock Haven and hundreds of other Pennsylvania communities. Call (888) 809-6756 for same-day service.