YOU CAN DO IT! A blocked sink
Does your sink smell bad or drain slowly, or is it completely blocked?
The most common cause is all the fat and oil that's poured down the drain
from plates, pots, and frying pans.
When the fat goes down the drain, it cools and hardens
until eventually it blocks the pipe.
So make sure you remove all the grease, when you've finished cooking and eating.
Use paper towels to absorb remaining grease.
Then throw the towels into the brown bag for food waste.
If you like frying, always pour used oil into a plastic bottle, using a funnel,
NEVER down the drain.
You can use a regular funnel or a special oil funnel with a lid.
Screw it onto a clean plastic bottle.
Make sure you keep the lid.
Let the fat or oil cool, then pour it in.
Keep the bottle until the next time you need it.
When it's full, unscrew the funnel and put the lid on the bottle.
You can then throw it away with the regular rubbish, or take it to a recycling centre.
Drain still blocked?
Try loosening the blockage by flushing with boiling water and washing-up liquid.
If that doesn't work, try using a plunger like this.
It creates a vacuum which can loosen the lumps of fat.
Be careful. It's very powerful. So before you start:
Open the sink cupboard so you can see if any pipe starts to leak.
Put the plunger over one drain and a plug in the other
and fill with water.
Then start pumping. Be careful at first, and don't pump for more than five minutes.
If you have just one drain, block the overflow with a wet cloth
to create a vacuum. Still blocked?
Contact your landlord instead of trying to sort it yourself.
You could end up with a leak if the seals aren't tight,
which could have bad consequences for your kitchen.
To unblock the sink, you need:
A roll of paper towels, some washing-up liquid,
washing-up gloves, a sink plug,
a washing-up cloth, a plunger,
an oil funnel or normal funnel,
and a plastic bottle with a lid.
Now everything should drain away nicely!