Is your kitchen sink full of soapy water, even though you pulled the drain plug out ten minutes ago? Is the water pooling up to your ankles in the shower? Is your toilet getting close to overflowing after you flush?
Then, you have a drain clog. Read this to see how you can clear it all on your own.
Table of Contents
The Shower Drain
Your shower/tub drain is clogged with hair. The only way to get rid of this type of clog is to pull it out — but how? Use a drain snake! You can purchase one at your local hardware store. Slip it down the drain and carefully pull those knotted strands out.
You may have seen advice to remove the bathtub drain with a drain wrench to access a clog. Don’t do this. Removing the drain improperly could accidentally crack your tub or the drain, causing lots of expensive plumbing problems. It will also break the seal of your drain. You’ll have a leaky tub if you don’t reseal it properly.
There are plenty of thin drain snakes that are designed to go down tub drains. These will have “teeth” along the edges to snag and pull up hair clogs.
Once you’re done pulling the hair out of the drain, you should put a drain catcher in the drain to trap fallen strands and avoid this problem again.
The Kitchen Drain
The best way to unclog a kitchen sink is to use a sink plunger. A sink plunger is different from a toilet plunger (a toilet plunger has a flange to reach the toilet’s lower drain). Do not use a toilet plunger for this job.
Plunge the drain until the obstruction dislodges and the water goes down. After that, make a DIY natural drain rinse to thoroughly clean the drain and dispel any foul odors.
The Toilet
If your toilet is close to overflowing, turn off the water valve behind the toilet. Turning off the water valve blocks your toilet’s access to more water, so you can minimize the risk of an overflow.
After that, you should grab your toilet plunger to dislodge the clog until the water goes down. If the plunger isn’t working, you may need to unclog your toilet with a drain snake.
What If It’s Still Clogged?
If you can’t seem to unclog the drain, or the side effects of the clog have gotten much worse, you need to call up a reliable plumbing company right away.
You might be hesitant to call up the plumber because you know that you’ll have to pay a hefty fee for their services. You can’t afford to make that unexpected payment with your budget. The truth is—you can’t afford to ignore it, either. The longer you leave plumbing trouble to fester, the worse it will get. You need to deal with it immediately.
So, how can you cover the service fee? If you don’t have an emergency fund, you could try applying for a personal loan online to cover the repairs. It’s one of your potential options if you need money now and you don’t have any savings readily available. As long as you meet the qualifications, you can apply for the loan. You just might get approved for it.
Drain clogs aren’t out of the ordinary. You should know how to handle them.
