Common Reasons Your Bathroom Sink Is Clogged

Imagine you’re getting ready for work in the morning, and as you brush your teeth, you notice the water won’t go down the drain. Not only is this an inconvenience, but it can be a bit of a mystery. What exactly is causing this stubborn blockage? There are actually several common reasons your bathroom sink may be clogged. Let’s roll up our sleeves and explore which culprits might be contributing to this issue and how you can prevent these pesky clogs in the future.

Wet Hair

Believe it or not, your shower drain isn’t the only place in your bathroom that gets clogged with wet hair. If you tend to brush your hair over the sink, strands will fall down the drain. The more hair that falls down, the more it will clump, tangle and cling to the pipe walls, causing a total blockage.

You can prevent this occurrence by keeping your hair brush clean and collecting loose hairs before they have a chance to go down the drain. While your best effort can stop most hair, you should still install a drain strainer or hair catcher if this is a common issue in your household. These traps make it easy to properly collect, remove, and discard wet hair!

Soap Scum

Soap is essential for many aspects of our life. We use it to wash our hands, body, hair, dishes—you name it! However, soap isn’t always friendly to our bathroom sinks and drains. When the fatty acids in soap mix with the minerals in hard water, it can create scum that builds up inside your pipes over time, slowing drainage or leading to a full clog.

You can combat this issue by being mindful of the soap you’re buying. Consider liquid soaps because they leave less residue. You might also consider regular drain cleanings with vinegar and baking soda to help break down soap scum before it becomes problematic. Installing water softeners can also minimize mineral content, preventing soap scum from forming.

Offset Joints

When your plumbing pipes don’t correctly align at the joints, that can offset and disrupt the drainage of your sinks. In fact, there are many common problems that offset joints can cause. A clogged drain from this issue can be frustrating. Misaligned pipes can bottleneck your sewer system and cause the water to fail to drain from your sink.

Because working with plumbing is challenging, we recommend seeking help from a professional service. Plumbers have the proper tools and expertise to handle this issue. If you were to do it yourself, you could cause a larger problem that could cost you more money down the road.

Don’t let a clogged sink drain ruin your day. Knowing the many reasons your bathroom sink is clogged is half the battle. But now, you’re ready to win the war! Next time your sink drain is acting up, you’ll know that it could be because of one of these issues.