Unclog a Slow Kitchen Sink Without Chemicals

Most slow kitchen sinks are clogged with grease, not hair. Chemical drain cleaners are rough on pipes, so try this first — it works more often than people expect.

How to do it

1. Boil a kettle of water and pour half down the drain to soften the grease.
2. Add a good squirt of dish soap and the rest of the hot water.
3. Wait five minutes, then fill the sink a few inches deep.
4. Plunge with a flat-bottomed sink plunger, 15 to 20 strong pumps.
5. Flush with more hot water.

If it's still slow after two rounds, the clog is deeper — that's when a drain snake or a plumber makes sense.