How to Clear a Slow Bathroom Sink

Pull the stopper

1. Clear the cabinet and put a towel under the drain.
2. Behind the drain pipe, find the pivot nut where a horizontal rod enters the tailpiece.
3. Unscrew the nut, pull the rod back and lift the stopper out from above.
4. Clean the stopper and the inside of the drain with an old toothbrush or a plastic drain-cleaning strip.
5. Reinstall, making sure the rod passes through the hole in the stopper.

If that does not fix it

Place a bucket below the trap. Loosen the two slip nuts by hand or with a wrench and remove the U-shaped trap. Clean it out, then check the trap arm going into the wall with a flashlight. A small hand auger fed into the wall pipe clears what lies beyond.

Reassemble and test

Make sure washers are seated, tighten slip nuts hand-tight plus a quarter turn, then fill the basin and let it drain while checking for drips with a dry tissue.

Prevent the next one

• Clean the stopper monthly.
• Wipe hair from the basin into the garbage after shaving or brushing.
• Run hot water for a minute after using thick toothpaste or soap.

If several bathroom fixtures are slow at once, see bathroom drain cleaning.

What usually comes out

In most Brampton bathrooms we pull a grey rope of hair bound with toothpaste and soap scum, sometimes with a lost earring or cap inside it. If the trap holds black, gritty sludge instead, the vanity drain may be poorly vented or sloped; that is worth a look by a plumber rather than another round of cleaning.

Ready when you are. One call, a real plumber, an arrival window.