Using The Magnet Trick
It can feel like the end of the world when you drop something down the drain. If the item you dropped is metallic, retrieval should be possible with the help of a strong magnet.
Plumbers typically use a telescoping magnet for this process. This tool looks like a wand with a small magnet attached to one of its tips.
These magnets are strong enough to carry small objects out of the drain pipe, like necklaces, rings, and earrings. But for larger objects, you may need to resort to method two.
How to remove the drain plug?
The first thing you need to do in the retrieval process is to remove the drain plug from the sink.
Some drain plugs can be removed simply by pulling them out. Generally, the process goes something like this:
Note: Make sure to have a small bucket in hand to catch any excess water from the drain.
How to use the magnet trick?
How To Get Something Out Of Sink Drain
There are very few things as terrifying in the bathroom as that clanking sound of something valuable finding its way down your sinkâs drain pipe or garbage disposal.
Whether itâs your $5,000 engagement ring or maybe those earrings that hold sentimental value, that descending sound is enough to have your heart sinking as far as the item in question.
Immediately after you stop sharing in shocked horror, the very first thing that comes to mind will most likely be whether or not you know how to get something out of a sink drain.
Most people donât have the solution to this problem, a realization that will probably have their hearts sinking further. Thankfully, however, just because you dropped something down the kitchen sink or bathroom sink drain doesnât mean that it is gone forever.
What’s In This Guide? |
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How To Retrieve Jewelry From The Bathroom Sink Drain
Once in a lifetime, everyone lives through the heart-wrenching experience of watching some exquisite piece of jewelry fall down the bathroom sink. But dont worry!
It hasnt gone anywhere that you cant get it back from. There are several beginner-level options you can try before disassembling the drain pipe. These include reaching down in the drain.
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What Can We Use To Get An Object Out Of Shower Drain
So, one of the methods for clearing a clogged drain is to use boiling water. This method is effective against clogged drains caused by conditioners, grease, and other products.
Because these chemicals have a very low melting point, the great heat helps in their disintegration.
You need to boil and pour a pot of water down the drain to clear the blockage.
Tip: Make sure you are careful with the hot water to avoid burning yourself.
Below are tools you can use to get an object out of the shower drain:
Use of Natural Cleaners
Another technique is to use natural cleaners to create a fizzing effect that will break down drain obstructions.
Pour a cup of vinegar and a cup of bicarbonate soda down the drain, followed by boiling water.
Allow 10 minutes before adding more hot water. These have the ability to clear obstructions.
Caustic Cleaners
Another method of removing anything from a drain is to use caustic cleaners, which tend to be more effective on drain clogs.
Fat, grease, and oils dissolve in it, making it suitable for tougher obstructions. Before beginning, always read the package directions and ventilate the room.
Plungers
Plungers are another excellent tool for clearing blockages. It establishes a seal over the plughole, and then removes the blockage with vacuum action.
DIY Drain
Try using it to remove hair-based objects from the shower drain.
Pipe Relining
Use of Plumbers Drain Snakes
Precautions
Use Items In Your Pantry As A Diy Drain Cleaner

Did you know that you dont always have to use harsh cleaners to unclog your kitchen sink? You may have a natural drain cleaner sitting right in your kitchen. Here are some ideas:
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Use salt and boiling water. Sometimes you can unclog a drain with salt. After removing as much standing water from the sink as possible, pour about half a cup of table salt down the drain. Then, pour in about a quart of boiling water. Let it sit for a few minutes and then flush with hot water to clear the mixture.
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Try a DIY baking soda and vinegar drain cleaner. Remove any standing water from the sink before trying this technique. Pour about a cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by an equal amount of white or apple cider vinegar. The solution will soon start to bubble when it subsides, put the stopper in and wait about 15 minutes. Next, run the hot water to see if the clog clears. Repeat the process one more time if the water is draining but slower than normal .
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Use baking soda and salt. Mix about a cup of baking soda with half a cup of salt, and pour this mixture down the drain. Let the mixture sit for several hours, then flush with boiling water. You can repeat this process if it doesnt clear the clog.
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Bonus Tip: Install A Drain Guard
To prevent an item from falling down your drain in the first place, install drain guards around your home. This will prevent most items from falling down your drain, allowing only items that are small enough to fit through the holes to go through. This would be especially beneficial if you have young children in your home, but accidents happen to all of us. By installing drain guards, the items that are valuable to you are less likely to end up down the drain, saving you time and money in the long-run.
By Disassembling The Drain Pipe
The jewelry will most probably fall down to the bottom of the curved end. It is called the P-trap because of its resemblance to the letter P. You will need expert skills to disassemble the drain pipe.
Safety always comes first, so wear your gloves. Next place a bucket under the sink or the pipes to catch any water spilling out.
Make sure to turn off the water supply for that particular sink. Locate the nuts on the ends of the pipes and unscrew them with a wrench. Next, youll have to unplug the sink plug. Carefully lower the trap in the bend and let the water from the pipes drain.
Now you have to clean the wax from the drain and find your piece of jewelry. Once retrieved, reverse the steps and place the plug back in position.
Of course, there is a sense of panic when something falls down the drain. But were sure that with the help of this step-by-step guide, anyone can easily retrieve it back.
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Contact Express Drains For Help Finding Your Missing Item
If youve done all of this to no avail, and you are sure that the object isnt lodged in the pipes you removed, its time to call an expert for help. Fortunately, we have an entire team of emergency drain service technicians in Warminster, PA, and they are standing by to help you find your missing item. Contact us today for help finding valuable items that have fallen into your sink drain!
Tips To Avoid Foreign Objects In The Toilet
You can see how much work it takes for you to remove objects from the toilet trap. Obviously, the work is more intense if the object is in the main pipe.
All in all, this is not the work you want to be doing. So, here are some great prevention tips you can use.
- Always keep the toilet seat cover to keep children from throwing all sorts of things in the toilet. From toys to coloring tools, hairbrush, and more
- Avoid throwing things down the toilet if its not toilet paper. Even sanitary towels may get stuck in the toilet trap so limit waste into the toilet to toilet paper only.
- Teach your children about the proper use of the toilet.
- Always check the toilet bowl for blockers or objects before flushing
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Use A Flexible Wire/ Four
A long wire will reach far enough into the drain, especially since kitchens have long vertical pipes. Work the wire to hook onto anything you may have dropped in the drain.
Again, make sure it curves on the end to fish out the object. You can also use a four-pronged tool with retractable claws to reach down and use the claws to grab the object.
A flexible wire will also be handy if you want to remove something blocking the sink drain. Push through the clog until you feel the wire can go deeper than before and more freely. You will also need to run water down the drain for a few minutes to clear the blockage.
Need Professional Drain Cleaning
Maintaining your plumbing system is no easy task. If youre overwhelmed or feeling confused about your plumbing situation, contacting a professional to assist you with your problem is ideal.
Our technicians have years of experience under their belt. Whether its professional drain cleaning or sewer line installation that you need, theres no doubt that our plumbers can do it for you.
Contact us today to book an appointment!
Core ValuesYou Can Count On
Our company was built from the ground up by hard-working hands. Each day begins with a commitment to these core values: Be family. Be fun. Be amazing and be constantly growing & learning. Treat people like family. No matter what, theres no right way, theres no wrong way. When it comes to the customer, you just make it right.
We Look Forward to the Opportunity to Serve You & Your Family.
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How To Get An Object Out Of Shower Drain
A shower drain is a plumbing item that collects water and channels it into the sewage wastewater system. It is located between a shower enclosure and a drainage pipe.
Everyone is bound to experience it at some point. You flush something down the toilet or down the drain. Anything from a toothbrush to a bobby pin can be used.
Children frequently drop toys in the toilet, which become trapped, or you lose your ring, which falls down the drain.
Here are some ideas for getting the thing taken away.
While Cleaning the Home
While cleaning a home, most people overlook some areas, particularly the drains, sinks, and shower drains.
The necessity for drain cleaning isnt realized until a clogged drain causes damage to something.
A clogged drain can have a number of drastic consequences for a homes structural stability.
You should know that drains may become clogged due to dirt, tiny objects, food, and oil that it has accumulated over time.
A build-up of such substances in the drain can contaminate our water and may prevent water from flowing.
Tip: While cleaning, make sure to use a bin basket to empty all leftovers. Also, be sure to sieve off tiny particles that will lead to draining blockage.
Five Ways To Fix A Slow Sink Drain

Aaron Stickley is a licensed plumber with 15 years of experience in commercial, new residential plumbing, and residential service and repair. He started his own residential service and repair plumbing business. Aaron’s articles about plumbing on The Spruce span four years.
The Spruce / Sarah Lee
A slow, sluggish sink drain is a very common plumbing problem. The bathroom sink is the one most frequently afflicted with this particular problem, and several things can contribute to a slow sink drain. Often the pop-up that is used to stop up the sink can collect a lot of hair and debris, because the sink is used on a daily basis.
Also, soap and other products that are washed down the drain can slowly collect in the drain pipes. The build-up that naturally collects over time reduces the size of the drain, effectively slowing the progress of draining water. This drainage issue happens naturally over time and usually cannot be avoided. The only solution is to clean the drain periodically to keep it flowing.
There are several ways to address a drainage problem, as outlined here.
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What Should I Do If Something Falls Down The Drain
How To Get Things Out Of Your Drains. Most items that fall down a drain end up caught somewhere in the p-trap, between the fixture and wall. Start by removing the drain plug and using a pliers to search for your item in the drain. If you cant find it, locate and remove the p-traps overflow pipe.
Next time you drop something down the drain, dont panic! Getting it back may be surprisingly easy. All you have to do is follow each of these steps:
Using A Grasping Tool
If the item youre trying to fish out of the drain is heavy, a grasping or grabber tool might be a better option to use in that situation.
The grasping tool is a long flexible rod with a handle on one end and a grabber on the other. Its made of malleable wound-metal cables that can bend and bow where it needs to inside the drain.
Using a grabber tool allows you to reach further down the sink drain, making it easier to retrieve items that have fallen too deep into the drain.
How to use a grasping tool?
To use a grasping or grabber tool is simple. Just slide the end with the grabber down the drain pipe to where you think the item you dropped might be.
Next, squeeze the handle to open the grabber and release it to close the grabber back up.
Slowly pull the tool from the pipe to avoid accidentally dropping it again.
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Preventing Things From Getting Stuck In Your Drain
After you get your item back, you should take action to prevent the problem from happening again.
A drain plug, drain stopper, or sink stopper can prevent a drain clog by catching items before they get too far down your tub drain.
You should also do your best to prevent other items from clogging your drain, such as grease or soap scum.
Home Remedies To Unclog Drains
Despite the amount of drain cleaning tools plumbers have, some plumbers utilize tools that can be found within the home. A combination of baking soda and vinegar produces a bubbling reaction that can work to loosen a clog.
After using baking soda and vinegar, its a good idea to flush the drain with hot water. This helps remove the clog and remaining residue from the pipes.
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Dropped An Item Down The Drain Now What
Oh no! Youve dropped your favorite ring down the drain and panic is setting in. It may sound like a daunting task to recover the lost item, but youve come to the right place to turn this tricky situation around in no time. Stay calm BFP plumbing has some tips for you to retrieve your prized procession.
Sinks:
When recovering an item that youve dropped down a sink, you need access to the plumbing drain trap under the sink. Most small items like jewelry will sink and end up here. All you will need is a bucket and adjustable pliers.
- Turn off the faucet and valves under the sink
- Loosen the nut holding the P-trap to the tailpiece
- Unscrew the nut connecting the trap to the drain outlet.
- Remove both nuts, pull the trap opening down and away from the tailpiece, then away from the drain and out from below the sink, all the while holding the P-trap upright.
- The last step is to empty the trap into a bucket, and your lost item should appear.
Showers:
Its very common to drop something down the drain in your bathtub or shower. Turn off the water immediately to prevent the items from being pushed further down.
- Remove drain cover, including screws, but be careful not to also drop the screws down the drain.
- With a clean and empty vacuum cleaner, place the nozzle of the drain.
- The bag should have your lost item inside. If not, use a wire hanger to feel for it in the drain trap and then use the vacuum to suck the piece up and out of the drain.
Toilets
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Place A Bucket Under The Sinks P
The piping system below your sink is called the p-trap. It looks like the letter P. The traps other part appears like the letter J,. After switching off all the water supply, place a bucket beneath the p-trap.
The bucket will help catch any water from the piping system after opening it. Whether the sink you dropped your ring is in the kitchen or bathroom, it will have this kind of piping system.
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What To Consider Before Reaching Into A Sink Drain
A clogged drain may be jam-packed with substances that cannot simply be removed by theuse of a plunger or even an auger, so it is important to take action before you put your arms into the drain. It is extremely important to protect oneself when attempting to remove obstructions from a sink drain. If there are any chemical cleaners in the drain beside water, they might create dangerous fumes when disrupted by plunging or electrocution.
As well, it is absolutely vital to know what you are getting yourself into when reaching into a sink drain because if left unchecked, these obstructions can grow. Over time food scraps and other build-up will expand until the accumulation either backs up all wastewater flow through the sink orcauses the pipes to rupture.