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Woman reveals 'simple trick' to prevent sink from clogging: 'This is so smart'

"I need to start doing it."

One homeowner shared how to prevent a clogged sink without needing a plumber — and all you need is hot water.

Photo Credit: TikTok

Homeownership is a lot. Any small problem can quickly get expensive and become a major headache — unless, of course, you have a savvy do-it-yourself attitude like TikToker Steph Wagley (@steph.wagley).

"A plumber told me this simple trick to keep my sink from clogging, and it actually works!" Steph wrote.

@steph.wagley A plumber told me this simple trick to keep my sink from clogging… and it actually works! 🔥🚰 Just hot water every few weeks 👌 #PlumberTips #HomeHacks #CleaningTips #fyp ♬ original sound - Steph Wagley

The scoop

"If you don't have a garbage disposal, it's recommended to actually completely fill your sink with hot water," Steph began, plugging the sink, watching it fill up with hot water, and then simply pulling the plug. "You want to see a tornado… means things are flowing well," the video creator added.

"Just hot water every few weeks," Steph summarized, reiterating that it doesn't take much effort or money to prevent big messes.

How it's helping

Prevention is the name of the game when it comes to plumbing issues. Calling your local plumber is likely to be a big bill, no matter what the issue is. But by educating yourself on green cleaning hacks, you can save that phone call to the experts for the moment you really need it. 

But hopefully, you will never need to call them in. There are easy chemical-free hacks for unclogging seriously blocked sink drains, shower drains, and pretty much any drain.


You can also reduce your water bill by lowering your toilet's water usage or resolving a leaky toilet. Some of these may sound intimidating at first, but these basic hacks will save you major cash and boost your confidence in handling such issues!

Chemical-free hacks are important because the kinds of corrosive chemicals that promise to rapidly clear drains can just cause more problems. Corrosive products that scour drains of debris also weaken the integrity of the drain pipes — this is why plumbers unanimously disapprove of these products.

Chemical products are also much more expensive than lemons, a box of baking soda, vinegar, or hot water, which are the only tools you need to reclaim your drain.

What everyone's saying

"This is so smart, I need to start doing it," one commenter wrote.

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Other TikTok users were familiar with this hack and had variations, with one saying: "I boil water and dump it every night."

"I put a little dishwasher detergent in there too. [I don't know] if it does anything extra, but it makes sense in my… brain," another wrote. 

"I lived in a 100 yr old house and every week I boiled a pot of water and dumped it down all the drains," another commenter said. "Never had a clog!"

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