Hello to our 15th article on bathroom cleaning – this time focusing on how to clean sink traps!
First of all, bathroom and toilet traps are always around, despite the fact that many homeowners and tenants may not immediately notice them. For one, even novice cleaners may not know about it!
Today, you will learn specifically about how to clean a bottle trap at your sink in detail. Before we start, you may want to bookmark this page with Ctrl D, because we have lots more of useful bathroom cleaning guides right here:
How To Clean:
- The Toilet Bowl
- The Shower Area
- Toilet Sink Area
- Toilet Windows, Ledges, Blinds
- Bathroom Floor Tiles
- Shower Glass
- Shower Curtains
- The Bathtub
- Shower Drain + Unclog It
- Bathroom Walls
- Bathroom Light Fixtures and Doors
- Bathroom Cabinets, Shelves and Fixtures
- Bathroom Mirror and Vanity Area
- Bathroom Faucets and Taps
- Sink Traps / Bottle Traps
Basic Understanding About Toilet Traps
What are “traps”?
These toilet traps are called “traps” simply because the help to trap any odor coming from waste in your toilet. From your sink, to bathtub, shower area and toilet bowl / WC, traps are really important for your bathroom to remain functional and pleasant to use. In our article, we focus on traps at your sink.
What should you know about them?
Also, there are a few different types of toilet traps. In Singapore, the common ones are called “P trap” and “bottle trap”. Although our focus of this article is on how to clean, it is really useful to understand how they work beforehand too! Read about it here. For simplicity sake, we will focus on how to clean a bottle trap at the sink area – as it is one of the more common scenarios faced by cleaners and owners!
Why clean a trap?
Actually, most toilet or sink traps are self-cleaning! Hence, cleaning of a trap is not usually required. Nonetheless, some home owners like to clean it once every few months to annually – depending on how heavily used the toilet is and varying hygiene standards.
That said, a frequent encounter for the need to clean a bottle trap, is when the water appears to be draining slowly down your sink, or there is some form of sink blockage. For such sink blockages, other than cleaning the bottle trap, you can also attempt to clear it via more methods: (1) by pouring boiling hot water repeatedly down the drain; (2) using a plunger, plumber’s snake (or D.I.Y. bent clothes hanger wire); or (3) pouring baking soda powder followed by distilled white vinegar.
Lastly, at times, it would be more ideal and cost efficient to simply replace the trap system rather than cleaning and putting it back. This is because if your trap or components are old, it may easily be damaged or broken in the process.
Tools To Clean Bottle Sink Traps
Before we start to clean a sink trap – let us get ready the required tools and supplies! In case you are wondering, yes, getting ready your tools is always essential for any proper cleaning session.
Cleaning Equipment To Clean Sink Traps
- Wide Pail to prevent wastewater, dirt, hair and debris spillage
- Smaller Pail for washing process
- Pliers / Wrenches
- Duct Tape
- Small scrubs*
- Bottle Brush*
- Old Toothbrush*
- Old rags*
*Due to the cleaning process being rather filthy, you may want to dispose of equipment after the cleaning.
Cleaning Supplies To Clean Sink Traps
- Rubber Disposable Gloves
- Face Mask
- Dish Soap
- CIF / GIF Cleaning Soap
4 Easy Steps To Clean Sink Trap
Remember, this process can be pretty dirty, so wear something that you are fine getting wet and dirty.
Step 1: Prepare the area
Beforehand, take a photo of the area, so that you can remember how to re-install the trap later on. If you are still unsure, it is best to first consult a plumber. If your sink is clogged or filled with water, use a stopper to block the sink drainage first. Otherwise, a gush of dirty water may flow out during step 2.
Then, clear the surroundings. Some bottle traps are located inside a cupboard and concealed. Thus, check first to ensure you can access the entire area. You may need to remove drawers too! Remove loose items (eg toilet rolls, shampoo bottles, etc.) from surroundings. Don your face mask and protective rubber gloves. Place the large pail or container underneath the trap. This will serve to collect any hair, dirt, oil, food debris and other “yucky” stuff tat would likely drop out once you start step 2.
Step 2: Dismantle sink trap
Next, identify the trap and its both ends. One end is detached from near the sink bottom, and another end should be detached from the waste pipe. Try to manually detach it with your hands by turning and unscrewing it. If it is too tight, use your plier or wrench to slowly detach the bottle trap from both ends. Cover the ends with duct tape if your trap is made of metal, so as to avoid damage. When both ends are loose enough, switch back to manual method using hands. The entire bottle trap should come off when it is loose enough. You may need to pull and jerk it slightly due to debris and hair in the way. Avoid dropping it as it may create a big mess or break. Do so by loosening the bottle trap with one hand and using another hand to support and hold the bottle trap.
Want more educational materials and great learning articles free of charge? MEIDE.SG delivers it to you fresh from the oven, specially for our subscribers only. Sign up now (it’s free)!
Step 3: Clean the sink trap
Place the bottle trap in your smaller pail and fill with moderate amount of water. Simultaneously, use your old rag or cloth to cover the exposed drain pipe and exposed sink pipe (i.e. both open ends since the bottle trap is removed). This will help reduce escape of odor and waste further.
Start wiping and scrubbing using your bottle brush, old toothbrush and scrub. Be sure to twist and open up both halves of the bottle trap and take off all parts. You can use CIF or GIF soap first, then rinse all components, followed by using dishwashing soap. Repeat this washing and rinsing procedure until the bottle trap and its components are completely clean.
Throughout this process, expect to dislodge and remove lots of hair, debris, dirt, food, oil and disgusting stuff!
Step 4: Re-install sink trap
Finally, once cleaned, dab dry and re-assemble all parts and both halves of the bottle trap. Repeat the procedure in step 2 but in reverse order. Remember to keep the large pail underneath the sink during this process too! Take care not to over-tighten the nuts (especially at both ends). Overtightening can cause the parts to break particularly if they are old and made of PVC/plastic. Turn on your tap and let the water run for a few minutes to ensure no leaking or dripping.
Kudos for completing your first bottle trap cleaning!
Looking for more help?
After all that hard work cleaning the toilet components, unfortunately, you are not done!
Other than the sink trap, bathroom components also involve many other cleaning processes. Check out our further cleaning tips here:
How To Clean:
- The Toilet Bowl
- The Shower Area
- Toilet Sink Area
- Toilet Windows, Ledges, Blinds
- Bathroom Floor Tiles
- Shower Glass
- Shower Curtains
- The Bathtub
- Shower Drain + Unclog It
- Bathroom Walls
- Bathroom Light Fixtures and Doors
- Bathroom Cabinets, Shelves and Fixtures
- Bathroom Mirror and Vanity Area
- Bathroom Faucets and Taps
- Sink Traps / Bottle Traps
Book your #1 home services today, or join our team!
meide.sg is here for you, always.