There are good reasons to try to unclog your clogged drains yourself before calling in the plumber. It might even be a quick and easy fix. If not, you can always call the professional after trying it yourself. You can use these ideas to give it a try without doing any harm.
The most common problems are with sink, tub, or shower drains, and with plugged toilets. The solutions offered here do not include chemical drain cleaners. There are good reasons not to use those, including safety and environmental concerns.
Make sure that you have the problem localized. If all your drains are running slowly, you may have a problem in the drain system leading away from your home. Or, if you are on a septic tank system, you may have a problem there. Home plumbing systems are vented. It is possible that a problem occurs because the vent is blocked, and not because the drain is blocked. If you are not up to investigating that matter, best call on a professional.
If it is a drain problem, check the strainer or other cover on the drain. Try to remove any solid material you find, such as hair in a tub or shower drain, or vegetable material in a kitchen sink drain.
Next you can try the sink plunger. If a gradual progression of plunging, from gentle to vigorous, doesn’t work, consider the next step.
If the first part of the drain isn’t where the issue is found, suspect the trap. It’s a U or P shaped section right below the sink. Its purpose is to block nasty and possibly toxic gases from returning into your home through the drain system. It may be possible for you to remove it yourself and clear a blockage in it.
Or you can try the snake. You can buy them in home supply stores quite reasonably. You feed the snake into the drain and turn the handle, or there are models that connect to an electric drill. There may be access points beyond the sink. Look for them, and try the auger there. That is about as far as most home owners are prepared to go.
An effort to open a blocked toilet usually starts with a plunger. The toilet plunger is the one with the extended collar on it. As with the sink drain, it is best to start the plunging action gently, and progress to more vigorous efforts if that doesn’t work.
If the plunging doesn’t work, the snake comes next. Remember, there are different kinds of augers for sink drains and for toilets. The toilet auger will have some provision for protecting the porcelain from damage. If the blockage is in the toilet or near it, as is usual, the auger may clear the block.
If these steps don’t cure the problem, there may be more serious issues further down the pipes, or even outside the house system. At that point, it is probably a good idea to get the clogged drain looked at by a professional plumber.