How to Clean a Sink Drain

Co-authored by Kadi Dulude

Last Updated: October 22, 2022 References Approved

A dirty sink drain can smell terrible and be unsanitary to use. If you want to maintain a good smelling and bacteria free drain, it's important that you keep the sink drain clean. Cleaning a sink drain can be much harder than cleaning a sink basin because it's difficult to reach with a traditional sponge. Luckily, there are methods that you can use to clean a regular sink drain or a garbage disposal drain using all-natural ingredients like lemon and vinegar.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Vinegar and Baking Soda

1
Remove your drain cover. Remove any covers that are on top of your drain. If you have a pop-up drain stopper, turn the cover counter-clockwise to remove it from the drain. Eliminate any excess food that's left over from washing dishes or hair that's built up near the top of the drain. Empty out of the sink before you start cleaning the drain.^{[1]
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EXPERT TIP

Try running a snake tool through the drain 3-5 times to gather any hair or debris in the drain, then flush out the drain with hot water.

Bridgett Price
House Cleaning Professional
Bridgett Price is a Cleaning Guru and Co-Owner of Maideasy, a maid service company that services the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. She holds a Master of Management from the University of Phoenix, specializing in digital and traditional marketing.

Bridgett Price
House Cleaning Professional
2
Flush your drain with boiling water. Boil a pot of water in a kettle and pour it down your drain before you get started. This initial flush will remove any smaller particles that have built up in the drain.^{[2]
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3
Pour 1/2 cup (110.40 g) of baking soda down the drain. Measure a 1/2 cup (110.40 g) of baking soda in a measuring cup. Slowly pour the powder down the drain.^{[3]
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EXPERT TIP

Bridgett Price
House Cleaning Professional
Bridgett Price is a Cleaning Guru and Co-Owner of Maideasy, a maid service company that services the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. She holds a Master of Management from the University of Phoenix, specializing in digital and traditional marketing.

Bridgett Price
House Cleaning Professional

Use an orange-scented cleaner for a pleasant alternative. I like to flush out the drain with hot water, then pour an orange-based product down the sink along with the heat. That will totally clean out the drain and scent, and it creates a nice scent that permeates throughout the bathroom. Then, when you turn on the sink to wash your hands, it will activate the scent again, so it's really lovely.
4
Pour a 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) of white vinegar down the drain. Pour the vinegar on top of the baking soda to create the chemical reaction that should clean and sanitize your drain.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Kadi Dulude
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 22 September 2019.} The baking soda will start to fizz.^{[5]
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5
Allow the mixture in your drain to fizz for 10 minutes. Let the mixture to sit for 10 minutes, and the solution will work its way down your drain to remove potential clogs or buildup.^{[6]
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6
Flush your sink one last time with boiling water. Boil another pot of water and pour it down the sink to wash the remaining baking soda and vinegar in your sink. If you still smell the vinegar odor from the sink, you can flush it again with another pot of boiling water.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cleaning a Garbage Disposal Drain

1
Cut a lemon into slices. Cut a piece of lemon into individual slices that are small enough to fit into each section of an icecube tray.^{[7]
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Put the slices into an icecube tray and top them with vinegar. Fill the ice cube tray with vinegar. The vinegar will help deodorize and sanitize your garbage disposal drain. It will also clean out crevices in your garbage disposal sink.^{[8]
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Allow the ice cubes to harden. Leave the tray in the freezer overnight and allow all of the ice cubes to harden.
4
Place the ice cubes in your garbage disposal. Break the ice cubes out of the tray and dump them into your garbage disposal drain.^{[9]
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5
Turn on your garbage disposal until you break up all the ice. Run cold water over the ice cubes and turn on your garbage disposal. The blades should break up the ice, and the citrus and vinegar should freshen up the smell and clean your drain. Once you're done, run cold water to rinse out the drain.
- Cold water hardens oils and grease so that the garbage disposal blade can break them up.^{[10]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Keeping Your Drain Clean

1
Keep grease, coffee grounds, and hair out of your drain. A common reason that drains become clogged is that you're putting the wrong things down them. Avoid putting food, hair, coffee grounds, or grease down your sink drain because it can cause clogs.^{[11]
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- If you need to dispose of oil, collect it in a glass jar after cooking and throw it away in the garbage.
- If you are shaving over the sink, you can line the basin with paper towels or grocery bags to catch the hair before it goes down your drain.^{[12]
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2
Rinse your drain with boiling water after you wash your dishes. If you do a deep cleaning of your sink basin or wash dishes in your sink, pour boiling water down the drain afterward. Doing this can prevent odors from forming in your drain.^{[13]
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3
Use a mesh screen or drain cover. Using a drain cover will prevent things from going the drain it which will allow you to clean it less frequently. If you don't have a drain cover, you can also get a mesh screen as an alternative.
4
Regularly pour bleach down the drain. Once or twice a week, pour bleach down the drain and let it sit overnight. This will help prevent bacteria buildup and odors inside of your drain.^{[14]
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Research source} If you don't like the smell of bleach, you can sprinkle baking soda down the drain after you clean your dishes to absorb the foul scent.^{[15]
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Community Q&A

Question

I cannot remove my sink drain cover as it has four holes which engage the separate strainer I use to fill the sink. Baking soda will not pass the holes and drop into the drain.

Paulamirada2

Community Answer

I have the same sink drain cover. I use baking soda and vinegar first with hot water to deodorize. Depending on where your outside garden hose is located, you can try clearing your sink with more force directly. Make sure your garden hose is clean before bringing it inside your home, or lay a sheet or tarp down where the hose is going to come in. Then have someone hold the end of the hose pointed down into your drain with a rag around it. Have someone to turn the on water full blast and wait for you to call out "turn off," then repeat.