Bathroom Sink Draining Slowly? 5 Fixes, Starting With the Stopper

A bathroom sink draining slowly is usually a hair problem. Hair wraps around the pop-up stopper and the rod that moves it, catches soap and toothpaste, and slowly closes the drain. Most of the time this is a 15 minute job, and you do not need chemicals.

If only this sink is slow, the clog is close: the stopper, the drain or the trap under the sink. If the tub, the toilet and this sink all drain slowly or gurgle, the clog sits further down the line, and the steps below will not reach it.

Start With These 30-Second Checks

1. 1Lift or twist the stopper up and look at it. A gray mat of hair on it is your answer.
2. 2Fill the sink a little and watch. Water that drains slowly but steadily points to the stopper or the trap; water that does not move at all means a solid clog.
3. 3Run the tub or shower nearby. If that drain gurgles too, the clog is shared, past the sink.
4. 4Smell the overflow hole under the rim. A sour smell means soap scum inside the overflow channel, which is a cleaning job.

1. Clean the Pop-Up Stopper

Many stoppers lift straight out or come out with a quarter turn. Others are held by a horizontal rod under the sink that goes into the back of the drain pipe.

1. 1If drain cleaner went into this sink and water still stands in it, stop and call a plumber. Otherwise put on rubber gloves, and eye protection too if drain cleaner went in.
2. 2Try to lift the stopper out with a twist. If it comes out, skip to step 5.
3. 3If it does not, put a small bowl under the drain pipe in the cabinet and find the pivot nut on the back of the pipe, where the horizontal rod goes in.
4. 4Unscrew the pivot nut by hand and pull the rod back a little. The stopper now lifts out from above.
5. 5Pull off the hair and the slime with a paper towel, scrub the stopper with an old toothbrush and rinse it.
6. 6Put the stopper back, push the rod through the hole in its tail, and screw the pivot nut back on by hand. Check that the stopper opens and closes with the lift rod.

2. Pull the Hair Out With a Drain Tool

With the stopper out, the drain is open. A plastic barbed strip from the hardware store pulls out what sits further down.

1. 1If drain cleaner went into this sink and water still stands in it, stop and call a plumber. Otherwise put on rubber gloves, and eye protection too if drain cleaner went in.
2. 2Push the strip slowly down the drain as far as it goes.
3. 3Pull it back up while you twist it a little. Expect a lot of hair.
4. 4Repeat until it comes up clean, then run hot tap water for a minute.
5. 5Put the stopper back and test with a sink full of water.

3. Clean the P-Trap

If the stopper and the drain are clean and the sink is still slow, the clog sits in the U-shaped trap under the sink.

1. 1If anyone poured a drain cleaner into this sink, stop: do not open the trap. Call a plumber and name the product.
2. 2Put a bucket under the trap and put on gloves.
3. 3Unscrew the two slip nuts by hand and take the trap off. The water in it goes into the bucket.
4. 4Clean out the trap with a bottle brush, and look into the pipe that goes into the wall with a flashlight.
5. 5Put the trap back with the beveled side of each washer facing the joint, tighten the nuts by hand plus a quarter turn, run water and check for drips.

4. Snake the Drain Line

If the trap was clean, the clog is in the pipe inside the wall. A small hand drain snake, about $10 for a 20 foot one, reaches it.

1. 1If anyone poured a drain cleaner into this sink, stop: do not open the trap. Call a plumber and name the product.
2. 2With the trap off and a bucket under the opening, feed the snake's cable into the pipe in the wall.
3. 3When it stops, lock the cable and turn the handle clockwise while you push gently.
4. 4Pull the cable back out slowly, wiping it with a rag, then put the trap back on.
5. 5Run hot water for two minutes. If the sink is still slow, the clog is further down the line, see the last section.

5. Clean the Overflow

The small hole under the rim leads into a channel that joins the drain. Soap scum builds up inside, smells, and holds more gunk.

1. 1If drain cleaner went into this sink and water still stands in it, stop and call a plumber. Otherwise put on rubber gloves, and eye protection too if drain cleaner went in.
2. 2Push a thin bottle brush or a pipe cleaner into the overflow hole and scrub.
3. 3Pour a jug of hot tap water through the overflow hole to rinse it.
4. 4Repeat once a month if the smell comes back.

When to Call a Plumber

HomeAdvisor puts a plumber clearing a kitchen sink at about $110 to $215, more for a clog deep in the line. It is time to call one when:

1. 1Several drains are slow or gurgle at the same time: the main line or the vent is blocked.
2. 2Water backs up into the tub when the sink drains. If the shower is slow too, see shower drain clogged with hair first.
3. 3The snake hits something it cannot get past.
4. 4The toilet backs up at the same time, see clogged toilet.