Plumbing services cost an arm and a leg these days and some plumbers take years to service your home, so what’s a person like you to do? The most practical solution is to roll up your sleeves and try to do the job yourself. Barring any problems that may originate from pipes in the walls, unclogging a drain may only take a few hours.

The tools you’ll need

Prepare a plunger, a small towel, and an empty bucket. Don’t depend too much on those so-called miracle drain opener substances. They only work if there’s some flow of water down the drain. If there’s something plugging it tight, then the caustic substance will only sit there and eat away at whatever materials your drain is made of. It will also damage porcelain and dissolve the plastic seals inside the pipes.

There are two types of plungers – the simple bowl-shaped one and the one with an extension lip that hangs down. If this is what you have at home, tuck this lip back up to get a flat bottom. You should also make sure that the plunger’s rubber is pliable enough for the job. If it has been stored away for a long time and the rubber has gotten stiff, run it under hot water for about a minute to make it soft again.

If you’re feeling particularly dainty, don a pair of rubber gloves before you start.

Get down and dirty

If you’re working on a bathroom drain, you’ll have to remove the pop-up stopper first. Some pop straight out while others may need to be unscrewed. Pull off hair that may be blocking the holes; this may just be what’s clogging it.

If you’re working on a double-basin kitchen sink, put the plug in the sink you’re not fixing.

Next, search for the sink’s overflow hole. This is the hole you’ll find near the top of the basin. Wet the towel and plug the hole with it so as not to reduce the plunger’s force.

Get down on your knees and position the bucket right underneath the drainpipes below the sink. If the sink isn’t already filled up with water, fill it up to about 4 inches. Take your plunger and give the drain about 4-5 quick shots, zeroing in on speed rather than on force. Overly forceful pumping may disconnect the pipes (which may have previously been weakened by drain openers), and this is why you’ve got an empty bucket underneath them.

Next, observe if the water in the sink clears. If it does, pour hot water down the drain to loosen and get rid of any remaining sludge. Pack up and continue working the next day.

If it’s still clogged when you wake up, you need to work on the P-trap. It’s that P-shaped pipe you see below the sink. Make sure you still have the empty bucket underneath the pipes. Use a wrench or groove-joint pliers to loosen the slip nuts that can be found at the sides of the curved P-trap.

Now take a hanger and straighten its end and try fishing out anything that may be blocked in it. If you can’t come up with anything, then the blockage may be further up in the pipes – that is, in a pipe within the wall. This is when you should wave the white flag and call a professional.