It emerged from the pipe like a dark, wet serpent. It was a clog of monumental proportions—a dense, felted cylinder of lint, fabric softener sheets (he’d missed one a month ago), and what looked disturbingly like a lost sock.
He stood in three inches of water, staring at the utility sink where his washing machine hose was currently gurgling like a dying coffee pot. The "Wash Cycle" had just finished, but instead of whisking the dirty water away to the mysterious realm of the sewage system, the water had decided to stage a sit-in.
He unplugged the washing machine and yanked the drain hose out of the utility sink. He peered into the dark maw of the drain pipe. It was dark, damp, and smelled of old detergent and regret.
: Carefully pour about a gallon of boiling water directly into the drainpipe to melt grease or soap residue. unclog washer drain
It was the most beautiful sound he had heard all night. The water vanished, leaving the sink empty and echoing.
He tried the plunger. He positioned it over the drain hole in the utility sink and pushed. Glub-glub. He pushed harder. The water swirled, bubbled, and then, with a sound like a wet burp, it threw a sludge ball right back at him.
He grabbed a bucket and a flashlight. He went to the garage and found a rusty, hand-cranked plumbing snake he’d inherited from the previous homeowner. It looked like a medieval torture device. It emerged from the pipe like a dark, wet serpent
Arthur stared at the black mass in horror. "How? Just... how?"
He turned the dial to "Spin/Drain."
Arthur watched the utility sink. The water began to trickle in. It swirled. It didn't rise. It went down. Gurgle, gurgle, whoosh. The "Wash Cycle" had just finished, but instead
: For clogs near the surface, a straightened wire hanger with a small hook at the end can sometimes pull out lint clumps. Method 3: Maintenance Checks Sometimes the issue isn't the pipe, but the machine itself. How to Unclog a Drain | How To Anything
"Got you," Arthur gritted his teeth. He cranked the handle. The snake twisted, biting into whatever obstruction was blocking the flow. He pushed, he turned, he sweated. The snake wouldn't budge further. It was caught.