How To Unclog A Double Kitchen Sink With Standing Water

How to unclog a double kitchen sink with standing water, do you know it? A kitchen is considered the heart of any home and is a very important space to keep the family nourished. This is a sensitive place because it directly affects the health of the entire family, thus it is very important to keep it free from bacteria, viruses, or any other contaminant.

A clogged sink is not only a nuisance but can get the water stale and attracts many different kinds of microbes thus becoming a health hazard. As many people have faced this problem they usually turn to the internet and look for “how to unclog a double kitchen sink with standing water?”. The good news is that there are many strategies and ways that can be used to overcome the issue of clogging the sink within a spick of time.

How To Unclog A Double Kitchen Sink With Standing Water

What Are The Agents Which Can Cause The Clogging Of The Sink?

1. Food Waste

Though there are waste disposal units under almost every sink, throwing food waste in the sink is a sure cause of clogging of the sink. Most of the food particles do not dissolve and thus result in the water standing and eventually in a clogged drain. To prevent this from happening, one should ensure that the plates are scraped properly before we proceed to do the dishes.

2. Oils And Grease

Fats, oils, and grease are often thought to not cause blockages but they reduce the draining capacity of the sink especially when cleaned using cold water. Grease is a pain to clean and with the right strategies it may help in getting rid of the fat that builds up over time.

3. Mineral Buildup

One of the most difficult agents that cause blockage is the mineral which is common in the areas having hard water. This residue builds up and causes the blockage of the drain and only a plumber can take you out of this issue. This can easily be the cause of a sink with standing water.

4. Small Objects

Many tiny objects can get stuck in the drain of the kitchen sink including coins, rings, earrings and can cause serious clogs. The user must act fast to prevent clogging so that the efficiency of the draining system is not affected. The above mentioned are some of the most probable causes of the clogging of the sink and thus it gets filled with water. Many proven ways can be used to unclog the sink with standing stale water.

How To Unclog A Double Kitchen Sink With Standing Water

How To Unclog A Double Kitchen Sink With Garbage Disposal?

Some of the proven and easiest ways that can be used to unclog the sink are-

1. Use Boiling Or Hot Water To Clean The Sink

This is till now the fastest and easiest way without being expensive. The use of boiling water helps in melting down grease and fat residue thus leaving the drainage pipes clean and smooth. If the water floats up in the sink, then, adding boiling water does not directly help. One needs to improvise in such situations. Another commonly asked question concerning the clogging of the sink is “how to unclog a double kitchen sink full of water?”.

Use of a small bucket, pot, or mug may help in removing the standing water. After all the dirty water is removed, boiling water should be poured into the sink. Wait until the water drains gradually. It is advised to pour water in small amounts to stop it from building up and you might have to repeat this process several times to get rid of all the grease and oils built up on the sink.

2. Using A Plunger

Double sinks usually have a garbage disposal on one of their sides and to clean it a kitchen plunger can be used. It helps in draining floating water. The process of doing it is very simple. Initially, we need to ensure that one side of the double sink is plunged with a garbage disposal unit. Use a plunger on the other side to check if the water is drained completely. If the clog still does not drain then reverse the process and plunge on the other side of the sink.

The plunger helps by creating pressure within the system and drives out the small particles or any sort of residue from the pipes. If the plunger successfully removes the clog and the water starts to drain smoothly then boiling water can be used in the system. Any oil or grease that may have accumulated over time will be cleaned using boiling water. This method answers one of the most commonly asked questions “How do you plunge a double sink?”.

3. Using Baking Soda And Vinegar

Magic is performed using baking soda and vinegar and there are a few steps that are to be followed appropriately. Take 1/3 of the baking soda and place it on the dish. Take an equal portion of vinegar and keep it in the dish. The mixture will fizz immediately which will cue to pour it down without delaying the process and helps to clear up every residue or grime and grease. The mixture created should stay for 15 minutes to an hour and if time permits it can sit there overnight to ensure that it thoroughly cleans the sink.

If this is not preferable, then place a large quantity of baking soda in the sink and pour vinegar over it in an equal amount. The mixture will immediately begin fizzing and once it has settled for minutes clean it with hot water. Using these chemicals will leave the sink functional and properly draining again and is as effective as any other drain cleaners.

How To Unclog A Double Kitchen Sink With Standing Water

4. Remove And Check The Trap

To deal successfully with the trap, undertake some simple steps and clear out the kitchen cabinet and proceed to place a bucket beneath the pipes. Use a wrench as it will help to loosen the pipe and the bucket helps in keeping the work area clean. Once the pipe is removed, check for the presence of any particles or debris and use a wire coat hanger to remove any stuck-up materials.

A clogged pipe has a thick mass of material that cannot be cleaned using a plunger. Take the trap outside and wash it up by running hot water through the pipe to remove the debris or any other particles that might be stuck in it. Once the trap is cleared, proceed to run hot water to confirm that the drainage system is working smoothly.

5. Plumber’s Snake

After removing the P-trap and cleaning up the residues some of the dirt may still be stuck inside the trap and removing it further in the system is also necessary. A plumber snake is a very handy tool that can be used to break the material deeper into the pipe easily. It drains and gives access to the areas where a hanger might not reach and you should consider buying this tool if a clogging sink is one of the most commonly faced problems in your household.

Set up the trap again after using the plumber snake and run the system with hot water to clean up all the grease, fat, or oil residues that might have remained in the system. Run the faucet and check if the plumbing system was effective.

6. Reset The Entire Garbage Disposal Unit

Kitchen blockage may be caused because of several different reasons and one of them can be when the garbage disposal unit needs resetting. Locate the disposal system from under the clogged sink and press the reset button to see if the drainage problem is resolved. Keep reading to know more on how to unclog a double kitchen sink with standing water.

If this doesn’t work another solution is to use an Allen wrench to turn the center crank in a clockwise direction and it loosens the blade. Since everyone cannot have access to a plumber’s snake, they can use a wire coat hanger. It is an improvisation tool that does not lead a lot of management and can reach out to the clogs while cleaning the sink.

How To Unclog A Double Kitchen Sink With Standing Water

Will Drano Unclog A Double Sink?

The first step of unclogging any drain is to put a strainer over a drain and remove it if any food or junk is present causing the clog. Use a plunger and fill the sink with water and then work the plunger down and up several times. If a double bowl kitchen sink is present stuff a wet rag in the drain opening it. If a garbage disposal is not present then use the Drano kitchen granules remover which creates heat inside the drain and melts all the particles present in the drain pipe. This also helps in dislodging the greasy clogs and for garbage disposal use the Drano Max Gel clog remover to remove the drain odor and the dual force foamer clog remover.

Final Words

A kitchen sink can sometimes produce an odor and it might be foul because of the organic build-up in the drainage system. Put a stopper plug and fill the sink with hot salty water. Thus, all the problems related to the clogging of the sink are mentioned in the article.