Hair in the Sink
Hair in the Sink
Is your sink plugged up again? And what a grimy job it is to clean up. A number of issues can cause the drain to clog, including hair getting caught in the pop-up stopper, and a build-up of soap products as they collect down the drain. The narrowing of pipes create back up and periodically need to be cleaned out.
Action Plan:
- Remove the pop-up for cleaning by releasing the bolt attached to the drain under the sink, or unscrew. Thoroughly wash it off.
- There are a number of tools you can use to collect hair: a long wire like a coat hanger that will pull hair but not necessarily clean out the slime; use it to scrape down the sides of the pipe while the water is running. The handy zip-it tool catches hair and other detritus material. Simply continue to ‘plunge’ and pull out until it comes back cleared of material.
- The good old-fashioned plunger works to unplug, dislodge and clear away debris.
- Another suggestion is the wet/dry vacuum to suck up gunk, although this might be messy and smelly when cleaning out.
- A homemade drain cleaner of vinegar followed 15 minutes later by baking soda dissolved in hot water is effective and also stops the smell. Borax is another effective cleaner.
- Pour boiling water down the drain regularly to melt any oily residue stuck or built up in the pipes that are backing up.
Hair and other materials will continue to be shed and get caught – blocking your drains. It makes sense to be proactive and keep the cleanups to a minimum.
Hair in the Sink
