How mom and daughter fix and repair nasty, smelly, clogged up kitchen sink

Abby told me her kitchen sink was clogged up and starting to smell a bit. She mentioned that her and boyfriend Matt had made an attempt at fixing it with Liquid Plumber and availed nothing. I am married to a plumber so I offered my husbands services. David just loves it when I do that. Abby said, 'the landlord will be over tomorrow with her plumber, the son in law to fix the sink, so we can wait.'

I do not know how many days passed in between that conversation and walking into her house. I would guess two or three. I walked in and thought I would be ill.The smell took over my senses and overwhelmed me. I really thought I would fall over or be sick, possibly both. Abby told me I was a bit dramatic. Just to think my daughter thinks I may act out a little bit. We had to laugh but we both agreed the smell was horrific. Similar to trash that sat way to long in the hot heat. The dishes were piling up. it was obvious the landlord did not show up as he intended.

'We can fix this Abby, I have seen David do this time after time.' They have a baby so what is a grandma to do? I went to the Dollar Store around the corner and ran in and got two generic liquid plumbers , 16 ounces each. In minutes I was back in the house with the goods.

Step 1. Safety first. Make 100% sure the Garbage disposal wall unit is turned OFF. Abby got out the rubber gloves and the toilet plunger. We each tied a bandanna around our face. The smell was nasty. The grease was floating on top and under the Grey brown water. A few dishes were piled from the original clogged drain. 'Yuck', was all I could say. After removing the dishes Abby and I took turns pulling stuff from the drain and placing the remnants into a doubled, large plastic bag. It was a blessing the baby was sleeping or I would have been digging out the remains of food myself.

Step 2. I open and pour each bottle of 16 ounce generic liquid plumber down the sink. I figure if one is good, then two are better! Then Abby and I took turns and plunged away at the drain, putting allot of effort into the motion. We let it sit around ten minutes and took a break. The directions said to run hot water down the sink but since it was near full of water that instruction bypassed. Upon returning we could see the plumber was working and disintegrated the grease and other food elements.

Step 3. I took the plunger and turned it upside down to the stick end. I delved it into the sink and put the stick inside the drain. I lodged it into the disposal part and turned it at 300 degrees and around, and back and forth in a half circle. The water seemed to be draining a bit more. We needed the garbage disposal. We said a prayer. God is all or nothing and Abby and I agreed He was right there with us. We hoped to save the landlord money for a garbage disposal. It was obvious he would not be in a big hurry to get it installed.

Step 4. After turning the garbage disposal again and pulling out other food chunks the true test of time would tell. I was able to run hot water down the sink for about a minute.

Step 5. I opened the cupboard door under the sink. I mentioned to Abby,"watch this.' I have been around a few years so have this down pat. Make sure the garbage disposal switch on the wall outlet is still OFF. The garbage disposal has a red button at the bottom of the unit. Push the button in and out around ten times to prime it up.

Step 6. Turn on the cold water and cross your fingers. Turn on the switch and hopefully the garbage disposal will run in normal mode. If not, pump the sink with the plunger while the cold water is running and prime the garbage disposal again.

Yes! The repair worked. On came the disposal loud and clear. I believe Abby and I surprised ourselves. I was really wondering if the sink would need a new disposal. Oh me, woman of little faith. We praised God, gave out three or four cheers and prided ourselves in a job well done.

I told Abby all of 22 years old about grease going down the drain. A no no. I think everyone does slip on occasion and pours it down but over time it adds up and could be a costly repair meaning a garbage disposal and or pipes to repair or cupboards to replace and then some.

So Abby now knows how to repair a clogged drain. Get the rubber gloves, plunger, Drano and save a few bucks on Plumber costs or waiting on your man or landlord to fix and repair. Pass this along and pay it forward, please.

Hey plumbers with all these articles on Plumbing tips I hope you do not run yourselves out of business. JK.

My Love,

In Christ, Skye

© Copyright Skye Tudae