Easy Fix for a Kitchen Sink Clogged on Both Sides

Why is my Kitchen Sink Clogged on Both Sides? 

Double sinks in your kitchen are super handy, one to wash and one to rinse the dishes or prepare food.  Problems start when your sinks starts to drain water slowly.  It might be one sink at first and then both.   

Dealing with the problem right away will prevent larger problems like clogs, overflowing sinks, and even floods!  If you don’t have a drain auger, we will go over a few ways to unclogs your sink with things you have around the house. 

Why are Both Sides of My Sinks Clogged? 

Each of your sinks has its own drain and pipe located underneath.  Those 2 pipes however, join into one larger pipe before they go into the wall.  That means that all of the junk that goes down your drain can collect where the two pipes join together. 

That junction will collect gunk, food, debris, and anything else that gets washed down your 2 sink drains.  If the kitchen sink main drain pipe clogs up, you will then have a problem with both sinks, not just one. 

Double Bathroom Sink Clogged on Both Sides 

Are your bathroom sinks not draining but the pipes are clear? See above, both sinks drain into the same pipe underneath your bathroom counter and this can cause clogs in the main pipe and at the joint where the 2 pipes come together into one pipe.  The solution for unclogging is the same when you have a double kitchen sink clogged on both sides.

Kitchen Sink Main Drain Clogged 

If you’re main kitchen sink drain is clogged, that won’t be a problem.  Below are a few solutions you can try to quickly and easily get your drains running clear again. So, how do you unclog a double sink with standing water?

Double Sinks Clogged at the P Trap

If you’ve got a double sink that is not draining and there doesn’t seem to be a clog…new flash…there probably is a clog, but it could be in the P Trap. Your Kitchen sink could be clogged at or past this u bend in the pipes.

What is a P Trap?

Easy Fix: How To Unclog a Kitchen Sink Clogged on Both Sides 

What to do if both sides of your kitchen sink are clogged? How do you fix a double clogged sink? We have 4 quick and easy methods to unclog your kitchen sink drain.  Be aware that clogs happen not just because something random is in your pipes.  Clogs happen also because of built up gunk and grease  

1. Plunger 
2. Hot Water 
3. Talon Drain Cleaner
4. Drain Auger 

How do You Unclog Both Sides of a Kitchen Sink

Plunger 

Using a plunger on the drain should be enough pressure to get your drain flowing again.  Plunging the sink drain will dislodge any small things stuck in your pipes.  For sinks, you use what’s called a standard plunger, which is totally flat on the bottom.

Don’t use your toilet plunger, it’s got a special flap on the end that will stop you from getting a seal on your sink drains. Helpful in the short term but this is not a long term solution.  There is probably gunk built up in your pipes that needs to be removed.  Only a drain auger can do this. 

How do You Plunger a Double Kitchen Sink

Place your plunger right overtop of the drain on either side of the sink until it forms a seal over the drain. Then you use elbow grease to push the plunger up and down creating suction that should dislodge the clog. Run hot water down your sink to wash the clog away and confirm its gone.

Hot Water 

You can use very hot water to melt away some of the gunk and grease that has built up inside your pipes.  I recommend you plunge the pipes first THEN use hot water to attack the build up.  A drain auger is really the only thing that will solve your problem with build up long term. 

Talon Drain Cleaner – Professional Grade 

Exactly what you’d expect from a professional grade product like this.

You can grab Talon Drain Opener in either 1 pound or 2 lb containers. The bottle pictured here is the 2 pound container, which we always have on hand.  And the 2lb container is a great deal, costing only about 10$ more than the 1 pound container.

Our Verdict: WORKS AWESOME

Drain Auger 

The best drain augers are built with sturdy rust resistant metal cords with a bulb on the end.  When you put an auger down your pipes, the bulb and cord work together as you twist the handle, hitting the sides of the pipes.  This removes years of built up gunk like grease, food, and hair.   

Drain augers are super affordable and easy to use.  You don’t need to hire a plumber to get this done yourself.  

How to Prevent a Kitchen Sink from being Clogged on Both Sides 

There are a few things we recommend to stop your sinks from getting clogged.   

1. Drain traps 
2. Put grease and food in the garbage 
3. Regular Drain Cleaning with a Drain Auger 
4. Properly Using your garbage disposal

Drain Traps 

A drain trap is a super cheap and easy way to prevent anything from getting down your kitchen sink drain.  You can buy them for a few bucks online.  Place a drain trap in each of your drains to catch anything before it gets into your drains.  Then, just dump the stuff you collected in the drain trap into the garbage. 

Put Grease and Food in the Garbage 

If you cook anything that makes fat or grease, do not dump it down your drains.  This includes bacon fat, butter, oils, anything!  Instead use an old can or bottle and dump the grease inside that. 

Once its full, you can throw the can away.  This prevents build up inside your kitchen sink drains and in your pipes, especially where pipes join together. 

Maintenance with a Drain Auger 

Using a drain auger every 6 months or so, can help to keep your pipes and drain running clear.  A drain auger will remove all the gunk that builds up in your drains, pipes, and at the pipe joints/elbows, preventing any future clogs.  This is our recommended way to prevent clogs in all the pipes in your home. 

Preventing Clogs in Your Garbage Disposal

Homes with garbage disposals have more issues with their pipes and clogging. As soon as I moved into my new house, I removed mine because of this.

Make sure you run the disposal regularly, run it for longer than you think you should, cut food into small pieces before dropping it down the disposal. Frankly, we advise you to just use your garbage can and ditch the unit all together.

Home Remedies for Clogged Kitchen pipes: Fake News?

Home remedies always add hot water (nearly boiling) to their recipes. Everything from adding bleach, baking soda, salt, pop, vinegar, etc. Don’t buy into the hype.

What’s actually moving your clog is the hot water, as you pour it into your pipes it dissolves your clog just enough to allow water to pass through. Don’t be fooled though, the actual reason for your clog is still there and will, in the long term, cause more clogs.

What is a Drain Auger?  

A drain auger is a long flexible piece of steel cable with a bulb, spring, or pear shaped head attached on the end.  It’s attached to a handle or coiled up inside a canister.   

You can either manually hand crank the metal cable in your pipe, use a battery powered auger or a cordless drill. 

What is the Best Drain Auger for Double Kitchen Sinks that Aren’t draining?

Ridgid PowerClear Drain Auger

There are times when the clog is located so deep down the pipes that you need to use a drain auger to solve your problem.  Enter the Ridgid Powerclear Drain Cleaner. 

The Ridgid power drain cleaner is a quality built auger that can remove blockages in multiple drains in your home. The price is a good value, given the product’s performance and overall quality.

The ​Ridgid Powerclear drain cleaner is one of the best in the market and the auto-feed technology is its highest selling point. The fact that you can retract or advance the cord without manually doing is a very convenient feature. Now you can clean and remove clogs in sinks and tubs without getting your hands dirty.

One of the reasons why the Rigid Powerclear Cleaner is popular is its heavy-duty inner core cable. It’s made from high-quality and durable materials which guarantees it should last for a long time. It also increases kink resistance, which means it can easily clear hard clogs in your drains. 

The clear cover on the unit allows you to see the length of cable remaining while you are using it.

With the footswitch option, you can turn the auger on or off when needed without the need to use your hands. Some people may not really like this, but it is a good way to operate your drain auger because your other hand is busy with the cable, while the other can be used to support you while you are removing the clogs.

kitchen sink clogged on both sides : Steps to Unclogging Your Drain with an Auger

Get Your Drains Unclogged fast with the following step by step:

1. Remove the sink stopper
2. Feed the auger cable down the drain pipe
3. When you hit something solid, that’s your clog  
4. Feed about 6-12 more inches of the cable into the drain   
5. Tighten the auger cable
6. Crank the handle of your auger, which spins the cable   
7. Pull your auger back out of the drain while wiping it off  
8. Test your drain to make sure it is flowing  
9. Repeat if required   
10. Clean and store your drain auger

Conclusion 

When you have a kitchen sink clogged on both sides, you might panic and not know what to do.  I hope that our easy fixes above help you out until you can get a drain auger. 

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