Teen bathroom blocked sink hell!

[coffeerevelsrule]

My dc have sole use of a bathroom as I have an ensuite. I do enforce regular cleaning of it but it has come to light that the sink is completely blocked. Water isn't draining at all. I have used soda and vinegar to no avail, though loads of delightful black bits are now swimming about in the water. I've also used hot water and washing up liquid, with the same result.

Any other recommendations? I've bought fairly expensive products in the past that have done nothing for less serious cases than this and have always had success with the above, but have obviously acted on past cases a lot sooner!

Help - please!

Yes sorry I think I got it mixed with that other Soda they put in toothpaste - I heard people say they clean their fridge with it so thought it must be edible. I shall make sure to check what Soda I'm using. Thank you.

They are teens not toddlers tell them to use You Tube and clear it.

I have a snake thing v useful for getting blockages out hoover hose. Mine was a £1 job from Tesco though. Handy to have or something range. I also have a sink unblocker works like a pump, you need an extra set of hands to cover the waste then pump until you blast out the blockage. Fiver from screw fix

@coffeerevelsrule block the overflow with something like a sponge or flannel and then plunge away

Hmmm, don't even think I can get the u-bend off without taking the whole pedestal thing off. It's inaccessible. I'll keep trying the other suggestions. Just what I wanted from Saturday!

As PP said, you need to block the overflow before you plunge. Otherwise you're not creating a vacuum.

Hope not!!

Thanks for the tip about the overflow - never knew that!

They need to use less toothpaste if there is enough going down the drain to block it. The amount that is shown in advertising is far more than is actually needed. A pea-sized blob is about right, not a squeeze that covers the whole head of the toothbrush. It won't help you now, but might help prevent the same situation in the future. Plus you won't have to buy toothpaste as often.

If there's a bath in the same room and they have connected drain pipes then you need to put the plug in the bath when you plunge the sink, to get a better seal and force any blockage out of the pipe.

Yes definitely block the overflow. DS's was blocked with vomit when he was a teenager 😷

The only problem with this and the Mr muscle is that if it doesn’t work, you’re left with a u bend full of pretty horrible stuff.

I can say this doesn't work as we have the same problem as the OP and I tried that stuff first.

I don't see how to get to the bend as it's close to the wall in a confined space. I think it's hair as DD brushes her long hair over the sink. Would a plunger be any use?

If all else fails, OP, we've called out those people who unblock using water jets! Different sink and problem then though. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that as it's an expensive fix; was nearly £200 15 years ago.

Old enough for their own bathroom = old enough to do the plunging and clearing out the U bend.

Also once you get it to drain, make sure you put some drain cleaner down and run plentiful hot water to get it properly clear.

God no, you dint want yo be ingesting caustic soda 😆 cleaning Isle

Look under the sink and unscrew the bottom of the drain trap or the U section of the bend.
Have a container below to catch the water.
You should be able to remove the blockage and flush the pipes through.
Caustic soda is good for removing some blockages and Veet hair removal cream dissolves hair ball blockages.
Hope you have some success.

Tesco sell a cheap “snake” for £1 . It cleared my sink of hair and grot .!

Erm... I'd say it's the teens that should be doing all of the above..

I got one of those snake thinks from a Tesco extra for a quid. They have a small section for useful bits of hardware.

My kids have very long hair, I was hauling lugs like dead mice out of the plug hole. Disgusting but kind of satisfying.

I've got rid of the standing water and blocked the overflow and the plunger is doing absolutely nothing now. I'm going out after lunch to get a wire thing (hopefully) and will try caustic soda maybe.

They are certainly involved in this but I can't just leave them to it. They're 13 and 15, both have exams coming up (obviously big mocks for the 15 yo) and if I can't do it, they probably can't either! I'll be talking to them about less toothpaste and acting as soon as it drains slowly in future though.

Mine is 13! I couldn't have her clearing out drains and taking out pipes.

This.

You never know, at least one of them might have a knack for it or have something to talk about at a plumber apprenticeship interview, leading to a lucrative career without the bother of going to university or ££££s of student loans.

Hand them the plunger and the snake thing now OP.

Very hair removal is a genius tip! We have some of that.

Veet

Cross posted. But be careful with the caustic soda. Use it as a lesson in chemistry and PPE use, not first aid and emergency medicine.