The short answer
Remove and clean the trap first — most sink clogs are hair and grease sitting in the U-bend. Boiling water plus dish soap clears grease; a drain snake clears hair. Skip caustic drain cleaner, it damages pipes and seals.
Chemical drain cleaner is a temporary fix that corrodes your plumbing. Twenty minutes with a bucket does it properly.
Step by step
- Put a bucket under the trap and unscrew both nuts by hand.
- Empty and clean the trap — this alone solves most sink clogs.
- Reassemble and run hot water to check.
- Still slow? Feed a drain snake past the trap into the wall pipe.
- For grease: pour a kettle of boiling water with a squeeze of dish soap, in stages.
- For a toilet: use a flange plunger with a firm seal, not a cup plunger.
- Prevent it: hair catcher in the shower, no fat down the sink.
What it costs
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Drain snake | $10–$25 |
| Flange plunger | $12–$20 |
| Hair catcher | $6–$12 |
| Plumber call-out | $120–$300 |
Common questions
Baking soda and vinegar?
It fizzes impressively and does very little. Boiling water and soap outperform it.
When do I call a plumber?
If several fixtures back up at once — that is the main line, not the trap.
Enzyme cleaners?
Good as monthly maintenance, too slow for an active clog.