Your bathroom sink probably doesn't clog too often since solids don't normally go down the drain. When a sink in the bathroom does clog, you might wonder what to do because you may not get a good enough seal to use a plunger effectively. Here are three reasons your bathroom sink can clog and how to fix the problem.

1. Hair Builds Up In The Drain

If you or someone in your family shaves at the sink or washes their hair in the sink, it's probably a matter of time before a hair clog builds up. Hair is the perfect clogging material because it twists together to form a huge hairball that gets stuck to the side of the drain or stuck in the p-trap under the sink. If the hair clog is near the top of the drain, you might be able to snag it and pull it out the top with a wire hanger or other tool.

If the clog is deeper in the drain, you may need to take the p-trap apart so it can be cleaned out. If your plumbing is fairly new, you should be able to take the p-trap apart yourself and scrape out the clog. If you have old metal plumbing, the connections may be stuck in place due to a buildup of hard water scale or rust.

In that case, you may want to call a plumber to work on the drain so you don't accidentally break the pipe while forcing a connection to turn.

2. Scale And Soap Scum Create A Clog

If your home has hard water, scale builds up on the sides of the pipe. It might take a long time, but this scale could eventually cause a clog due to the debris it sheds and its ability to snag soap, hair, and other solids that pass down the drain.

A scale and soap clog is more difficult to get rid of since you can't pull it out of the drain. You might try pouring hot water from the stove down the drain or try mixing baking soda and vinegar since vinegar can dissolve scale.

You may need a plumber to use a drain snake or hydro jet to bust through the clog and wash it on through the drain. The plumber may take the p-trap apart first since clogs often start in the trap, but if the clog is past the trap and deep in the drain, drain-cleaning tools are probably needed.

3. Small Toys That Get Stuck

Since a bathroom sink drain usually doesn't have a large opening, it's not easy for big things like toys to get washed down the drain unless you have the stopper out. When toys, jewelry, paper, or other things fall down the drain, the items might get stuck and cause a clog in the top of the drain, in the p-trap, or deep in the drain depending on if you're running water at the time.

A stuck toy or other hard item shouldn't pose too much of a problem for a plumber, even if the clog is past the p-trap, since the power of a water jet could force the item the rest of the way through the drain. However, the plumber might want to use a camera to look inside the drain to see if the object could harm the pipe and to determine the best way to remove it.

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