My bathroom sink is draining super slow again, and I've tried the usual baking soda and vinegar trick a couple times already...no luck. I picked up one of those drain snake thingies from the hardware store but honestly, I'm kinda clueless about how to actually use it without making a bigger mess. Any tips or things I should watch out for?
You're on the right track grabbing that snake thing, it's honestly your best bet at this point. Just go slow and gentle when feeding it down the drain—don't force it too hard or you might damage something. Once you feel resistance, rotate it a bit to snag whatever's clogging things up, then slowly pull it back out. Heads up: it can get pretty gross, so gloves and a bucket nearby are your friends here. You've totally got this, it's easier than it looks!
Good tips overall, but I'd add one thing—make sure you're turning the snake clockwise as you push it down. Most snakes are designed to coil in that direction, and rotating the wrong way can cause it to kink or get stuck. Learned that the hard way when I spent half an hour wrestling mine out of the drain... not fun. Also, if you hit a tough spot, try gently pulling back a bit and then pushing forward again slowly. Usually does the trick.
Wish I'd seen this thread last weekend before I spent an hour battling my drain snake. Your tip about rotating clockwise makes sense now that I think about it—mine kept getting stuck, and I was probably twisting it the wrong way half the time. Honestly, I was skeptical at first because the instructions on mine were pretty vague, just something like "insert and rotate," which isn't exactly helpful when you're elbow-deep in dirty water.
I did figure out the gentle pull-back-and-push-forward trick by accident though. It felt counterintuitive at first, but after a few tries, it actually worked. Guess it's one of those things you learn by doing (and messing up a few times).
One thing I'd add from my own experience: wear gloves if you have them. I didn't think I'd need them at first, but trust me, drains can be nastier than you'd expect. Also, keep a bucket or some towels handy because once you finally break through whatever's clogging things up, there's usually a bit of splashback or dripping when you pull the snake out.
Anyway, appreciate your tips—they're spot-on and would've saved me some frustration if I'd read them sooner. Next time I'll definitely remember to rotate clockwise...
Good call on the gloves—I learned that lesson the hard way too. Another thing that helped me was going slow and steady rather than forcing it. I used to push too hard thinking it'd clear faster, but that just made the snake kink up or get stuck worse. Gentle pressure and patience usually does the trick. And yeah, having towels nearby is a lifesaver...drain gunk is no joke.
