A blocked bathroom or kitchen sink can be a nasty job to fix as all of the grime and soapy scum can finds its way out of the plug hole and make the entire experience one you would not rush back to.
But to get this fixed, you might not need to call a plumber or find yourself a plunger.
Experts over at My Plumber have shared five top tips to get those sinks back to normal again and none of them involve a huge plunger or the need for a professional - you just need some simple kitchen staples and tools.
A spokesperson for My Plumber told The Express: "Weird smells, strange gurgling sounds, or slow draining water is your sink's way of telling you to get the clog taken care of soon."
But there are ways of sorting the issue yourself and they have shared their five top methods.
Baking soda
Using bicarbonate of soda is a simple and very cheap way of freeing your plughole of all the nasty grime.
Start by boiling some water in the kettle and once that has finished you can pour it directly down the plughole so that it can start getting to work.
Right after this, get the baking soda and pour one cup directly down the plughole as well, you might need to use a funnel to make sure it gets directly down there.
After a few minutes, add in a cup of white vinegar and wait for the sizzles as the ingredients find each other and react.
The expert said: "Pop the plug back in and let the baking soda and vinegar work like magic in about five minutes. Boil the kettle once more and then pour it down the drain."
Soda crystals
To use this method, start by pouring some boiling water down. Then put one cup of soda crystals in the plughole followed by one cup of hot water and wait five minutes. Pour in another kettleful of boiling water to flush and clean the drain.
Washing powder
This is an everyday item you might not expect to be using to unclog a sink but the experts say it can work a treat.
They advise pouring two tablespoons of biological washing powder down the plughole and then flushing it through with boiling water. You may need to repeat the treatment a few times though, depending on how bad the clog is.
Drain snake
If you have exhausted the other options you might need to try this.
.The plumber said: "It’s the secret weapon for homeowners and plumbers to clear stubborn pipe blockages."
Feed the tool down the drain gently but never force it down.
Gently push the snake until you can’t feed it any further down the pipe. Then use the handle to unravel the coil so the snake finds its way into the obstruction.
When rotating the handle, you should feel the blockage starting to break up. Carefully continue until no more resistance is felt.
Rewind the snake back up the pipe and remove it from the plughole. Turn on the tap and see if the water runs down the plug freely. If this hasn’t done the trick, go through the entire process again.
Wire
This is very similar to the drain snake as it is about feeding the wire through and trying to manually break the blockage.
Just gently push the wire down the plughole until you find the blockage. Give it a little jiggle and gradually apply more pressure until the blockage is dislodged.
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