How to Unclog Your Sink Without a Plunger

Having to unclog your sink isn’t something that you should expect to happen a lot. As such, it’s helpful to give yourself a refresher of what it takes and some methods that don’t just employ the help of a plunger.

What Can I Use Instead of a Sink Plunger?

  • Boiling Water
  • Salt
  • Bicarbonate of Soda
  • Vinegar
  • Plumber’s Snake
  • Coat Hanger

Not everyone will have a plunger in their kitchen. Here are our tips of some non-conventional ways to unclog your sink.

Boiling Water

The most inexpensive and easiest way to unclog your sink. We can’t guarantee this will work but it’s worth doing since it’s so easy. Bring the kettle to boil. If there is standing water in the sink, drain it however you can.

Pour all the boiling water down the sink and see what happens. It could be that you need to repeat the process a few times. 

The heat should help to break down whatever is causing the clog. It’s a good place to start and works on most clogs.

Add Salt

If boiling water alone isn’t doing it, then adding some salt to the process can help. After you’ve removed all the standing water, add some salt. Roughly seven tablespoons of salt should be enough. Leave it to work in, then add boiling water again.

Salt & Bicarbonate of Soda

This is a good combination for taking on sink clogs. You want your mixture to be 2 parts bicarbonate of soda to every 1 part of salt. A good measurement is about half a pint glass of bicarbonate of soda. Add half as much salt to that and then put it in the sink. Let it sit overnight or for a few hours at least and then rinse down with boiling water. 

Bicarbonate of Soda with Vinegar

If the last combination doesn’t work, then don’t put the bicarbonate of soda away. Mix it with white vinegar instead. Mix half a pint of bicarbonate of soda with half a pint of vinegar. Put the plug in the sink and pour it in. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Run the hot tap and let it rinse. 

Plumber’s Snake

This is a useful tool to own and can save the day if you experience a clog. Especially if it’s a deep one that’s coming from deep down the pipes. You have to be a dab hand at DiY,a s this will require you to get to the stub pipe of the sink, this can involve removing some parts. 

Once you’ve done that, you use the plumber’s snake. This will go deep into the pipes and will start to experience resistance when it encounters the clog. It should just break through, you may want to look up some tutorials of how to use a plumber’s snake if you’ve never used one before. 

You can put them directly into the drain via the sink, or you can get under the hood and put them in that way. You keep threading it down the pipes until you encounter the clog and then it should break through itself, or you can shimmy it round and round to try and break through it. 

Coat Hanger

No plunger? No plumber’s snake? If you send a straightened wire hanger down there, you may be able to find the clog. These won’t go as far down as a plumber’s snake but could be exactly the quick fix you’re after for those stubborn clogs. Just be careful not to damage the pipes or to scratch your sink with the wire. 

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