A bathroom basin or sometimes called a sink can be and usually is blocked up by Hair and Soap Scum.

Many a plumber has had a call from a customer with a slow draining bathroom sink. The phone call usually starts with "I've tried snaking it, but that has only made the problem worse, and now it is completely blocked". The homeowner often then goes onto explain "I have taken apart the trap below the sink, I am still unable to fix the problem, and I have made a complete mess in the sink cupboard below."

Slow draining bathroom sinks are not an uncommon problem, in fact, with all the hair, debris and soap that gets washed into the drain, It will eventually build up and restrict the diameter of the waste. The draining water will ultimately slow down and not be able to flow out of the sink/basin.

If you are not an experienced plumber and not trained to fix a blocked drain, then there is more than a good chance you are going to make it worse; damaging a waste pipe will mean a higher repair bill. With all that in mind, there still are steps the inexperienced homeowner with no plumbing experience can follow to fix a slow drain successfully.

Removing hair and debris from the drain:

A "Zip-it tool", easily purchased from hardware stores, can be put down the sink outlet to lift and pull out any hair and debris.

Unscrew the pop-up mechanism:

The pop-up is the round usually chrome plug you push down when you don't want the water to drain out of your sink. The spring mechanism makes the waste pop up, and can often catch debris and other waste. To remove the pop-up spring mechanism, unscrew the pop-up top, you will then be able to access the spring mechanism, a small shifter will be able to extract the mechanism from the sink outlet. Once removed, clean it and then re-install.

Make sure the sink overflow is clear:

The sink/basin overflow will provide air into the sink trap. Air will help water to drain faster. A zip tool can also help clear a sink/basin overflow.

Use a homemade drain cleaning solution:

If you think you have gotten all the large pieces of debris out, the homemade drain cleaning solution can be made and used to clean the remaining debris in the waste pipes. A simple recipe of Half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar will get any remaining gunk out of your drains.

Try using a plunger:

A plunger available from any hardware store can easily loosen and dislodge hair and debris in the waste pipe. Learning how to use a plunger can easily be sourced from countless tutorials on youtube.Try the above steps if you are a confident home handyperson, or call a professional to come out and fix it for you if you are not so sure, either way, you might be surprised how easy it is to clear a blocked sink/basin.