The Dish Soap Hack That Will Cut Through Stubborn Kitchen Drain Grease

We pour everything down the kitchen sink. While scrubbing those pots and pans, plenty of stuck-on grease makes its way into the drain pipes, which, over time, can lead to slower draining and nothing but a hassle. Surprisingly, you might not have to pull out your phone and call a plumber right away — there's an easy kitchen hack you should try first. The next time you find grease slowing up your drain, pour a little dish soap down there and see if it does the trick.

Dish soap is intended to remove grease, which is why we turn to it for cleaning dishes. But that formula works the same way when the grease is in the drain. All you need is a little dish soap and some hot water, and you have a secret formula for clearing up that drain. (Keep in mind, though, that dish soap won't break through actual sink clogs.)

The process is easy. Take your regular dish soap and add a good squeeze into your drain pipes. Then, just run hot water over the drain pipes. The formula in the dish soap, coupled with the hot water, should remove any stuck-on grease and help your kitchen drain work more efficiently. Keep the hot water going until you see that the drain starts draining at its normal pace again; it could take a little while for the soap to work its magic.

The best way to avoid sending grease down your drain is to wipe out the plates and cookware prior to rinsing them in the sink. Wiping out as much grease as possible means you prevent that much more grease from winding up down the sink. Anything stuck on that can't be easily removed with a sponge might be worth putting in the dishwasher; just make sure the cookware is dishwasher-safe.

Not all clogs are created equal, and there's a chance that what's causing the blockage isn't grease at all. In this case, you might have to use something heavier duty or call a plumber.

Grease clogs have different symptoms than regular clogs. If it's a grease clog, there might be a funky smell to it, especially if it's been draining slowly for several days. Plus, when you do run the sink, it might make weird noises, like water is passing through but can't properly drain. In this case, you should use the dish soap method.

In most cases, a sink clog is caused from food scraps if not from grease, meaning the fix is probably pretty simple. A drain cleaner should cut through food with ease, so the clog will be cleared up quickly and you won't have to call for help. (You can also try a plunger if it's stubborn.) But if it's something more difficult, like a piece of jewelry, you might want to contact a plumber.