An amazing trick! Our 1-minute video shows you how to easily retrieve anything that went down the drain…without a pipe wrench or a plumber.
Something Down The Drain?
Retrieve it Without a Wrench.
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Same idea, but … I recently cleared a stuffed air conditioner condensate drain line with a Shop Vac and a little duck tape (for a tight seal around the 3/4″ drain pipe). Good tip – thanks for sharing.
TC
Great tip! Hilarious transvestite joke.
Great idea,however you need to use a wet/dry vacuum,and be sure to plug it into a GFI outlet. Safety first,and no ruining a standard house vac that doesn’t handle liquids.
DANGER TO YOUR SOLUTION!
Shop vacuums have an armature in the motor that generate sparks.
Your sewer gas is methane with is highly explosive.
Sucking methane across a motor that generates sparks can create an explosion that can cause injuries. If you must do this, put the vacuum outside the door of the room where you do this and have someone hold the door closed. You at least have the door between you and the vacuum if it explodes.
We actually pulled out a dead bunny from behind, around the corner, and in a tiny area behind our kitchen cabinets with a shop vac several yrs ago.
I think you are gonna get someone hurt if you don’t correct this video to say ONLY use a wet/dry vacuum. regular vacuums aren’t built to suck up the water. It will short them out and could clog the entire inlet system and ruin the bag too! Sorry to be negative ,but a little common sense is so uncommon these days. Remember that nothing is EVER fool proof because the keep building more sophisticated fools !
A very good idea and very well presented. It was educational also in the replies and commentary it generated which revealed how very difficult it seems to be in this world with it’s great wealth of marvellous communication devices to COMMUNICATE. Virtually every important part of the verbal message you presented was missed by someone who replied. And who would have thought that so many would not know the difference between LOSE and LOOSE?
Now, for a tip from Lloyd
I just happen to have a wet or dry vacuum cleaner.
I spilled something on the carpet in the bedroom a couple of years ago, probably some juice, that was a little messy. I held the suction hose by the spill and poured water from a glass over the spill to flush out the spilled liquid as the water and juice was sucked up. The air flow even dried out the carpet. It worked very well.
Great idea Lloyd. You mimic a carpet cleaning maching. Water on the spot and suck it out. I’ll give that a go next time.
Best,
Michael
IF YOUR NOT ABLE TO VIEW THE VIDEO IT MAY BE BECAUSE YOU ARE ON DIAL UP. LET IT PLAY ONCE THROUGH AND THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO VIEW IT. IAM ON DIAL UP AND THAT IS MY PROBLEM WITH A LOT OF VIDEOS AND ESPECIALLY YOU TUBE. HOPE THIS HELPS.
Whenever I move to a new place, one of the first things I do is to buy a small strainer basket to fit into the bathroom sinks. I leave them in all the time. Of course you can’t stop up the sink but you can pickup a plastic dishpan for a couple of dollars and use it in the sink when needed. No contacts, jewelry or toys will go down the drain in the first place.
I didn’t read ALL the resdponses but in case it wasn”t mentioned, if you have a Rainbow vacuum with the water receptacle for the retrieved items, no problem. Let it suck as long as you want.
That is an awesome tip! Thanks so much for that! I will check back here for more helpful hints. My cat is always knocking stuff into the sink. Little monster! hehe.
Hi Mike,
I am a firm believer in freecycling (go to http://www.freecycle.org)
and if you used old vacuum’s for your wonderful sink retrieval system it would keep vacuum’s out of landfills.
I do have to say under ordinary circumstances I find that electricity and vac’s don’t mix so for safety sake wet/dry vac is safer and will keep you from needing a lawyer.
I find the idea ingenious however.
I have to ask what inspired you to do this initially?
Tonya Stewart
Hi Tonya,
Instead of Freecycle, I just take stuff to Goodwill. Freecyclers were constant “no shows” for pick ups and getting rid of several items required a lot of back and forth and making many appointments. Now I just make one trip to Goodwill and I’m done.
The inspiration for the drain tip came from being tired. It was early in the morning, I hadn’t had coffee yet and didn’t want to walk downstairs to the basement to get the pipe wrench. I had Shop-Vac in a nearby room so I figured I’d give it a go. It worked like a charm.
Best,
Michael
WHAT IS A SHOP VAC?
ANSWER:
It is a brand name for a large canister type vacumn originally used in maintenance, metal or wood shops for saw dust, metal filings, liquid spills, etc. It has a strong motor for increased suction power. It is known as a ‘wet/dry’ because it can easily be converted to suction either dry or wet substances.
Cool idea Mike, Thanks! (hey it may be an old idea but it was new to me and you took the time to get it out to everyone…)
The idea probably came to you cause you were still in your alpha state which is very powerful & creative. I have considered a problem just as I drifted off to sleep and woke up with the solution… Try it, expecting your mind to solve it while you sleep. But keep a voice recorder or paper & pen bed-side cause the ideas will fade quickly… (saying them outloud will also help you retain the ideas [or even dreams you want to remember] because speaking transfers them to the part of your brain with longer memory.)
My son sent the link to this. Cant wait to see what else you have on your site.
We moved into a rental house with very slow bathroom sink drain. My handy husband undid the trap and we found 16 toothpaste caps! I am going to try the shop-vac tips. Thanks
Hey Mike or anyone else that can help,
How do you remove a drain trap from the sink? I want to remove the one in my ensuite as the sink is plugged and I can’t get at the drain to see what is plugging it up. I tried Draino and it didn’t work…the drain trap is in the way.
TIA!
This works with a Rainbow Vaccum clean as well.
What an outstanding idea – makes me mad I didn’t think of it. I lost a diamond ring at at Captain D’s Cafe Restroom and, with no Vac/pantyhose, I was able to, after locking the men’s room door, loosen the pipe nut by hand, remove it and recover my very expensive diamond ring (one my Dad had given me). Sign me: VerySoGrateful.
Used this idea just the other day. We replaced our old front door, and the new one needed some little plugs poked into the screw holes. I had never performed this operation previously and found it very awkward, trying to hold these little tiny pieces of plastic in just the right position while tapping them into the screw holes. The shop vac/pantyhose trick didn’t help with that part of the job; but when I dropped one of the plugs into the small crack in the space between the floor and the new door (the trim wasn’t on yet) I just put a j-cloth over the vaccuum and retrieved the plug. The crevice tool didn’t fit into the crack but the item came up!
If you put a gift wrap tube on the end of the crevice tool and tape it so no air gets by you can vaccuum out dust behind a heavy book shelf without having to move it.
I have pulled an apple out of the toilet (after taking it all apart). Having no idea what was plugging the toilet the feel of my finger nail going throught the apple skin was so freaky! No more reaching up into unknown and less than sanitary places. This is such a great idea. Am thrilled to know I can use my new shop vac for this procedure in future. And the best part is that you thought to share it online. These little things just make life so much easier, thankyou…
I’d use rubber gloves if I absolutely had to fish for something in a bad place, and I’ve used my 6 gal. shop-vac for many things. When for instance, my washer plugged up and spewed water all over the floor, and when the dishwasher did the same thing. When the aquarium needs cleaning (remove fish first), and the outdoor pond needs cleaning. It blows out gutters and drain pipes, and the stuff that comes out isn’t that bad to look at. I have used it to retrieve small parts and toys that get under low couches or arms of stuffed furniture. According to what I’m fishing for, I don’t use panty hose, but of course, if I do, it’s a discarded one that’s saved for that reason. Any porous fabric will do, cheesecloth doubled into 2 layers is nice. You obviously don’t need a whole pair of hose, but a small square held in place with a rubber band. Leo obviously didn’t read or understand a thing you said, or he wouldn’t be worrying about fishing through mucky stuff in a wet bag. S-Vs don’t have bags. Thanks for the ideas from everyone tho, really enjoyed the ideas !
To Grama; the gift wrap tube extension is great for getting under the refrigerator, furnace, AC,water heater and any other unreachable spots. Great ideas ! Thanx
I have one of the new drain stoppers in the bathroom that you can’t pull out of the sink drain. The old ones you just pulled out and brushed off the gunk and put it back but this new one is connected to the trap and I KNOW it’s absolutely FULL of gunk. Will a shop vac work for this? How do you get enough suction to clean all that business from the drain when you have to go sideways on the drain stopper? I don’t have city water and sewage system, we live in the country and have a septic tank and drainfield.
Sure would appreciate your help. Thanks.
Hi Nicole, you have the same problem I do. How do you get the drain stop out without getting in under the sink and unscrewing the arm that holds it in place? There has to be an easier way but what is it? If you find out, let me know too. Thanks, Beth
Great tip, i could have used it three years ago when she lost her wedding band. But it stayed in the trap for a week until she told me.I will remember your tip for future use. Thanks
If you only have a normal vac it’s a bad idea to suck up water, it can be expensive, painful or, worst case, fatal.
If you have a large can, large paint can size or bigger, punch 2 holes in the lid the size of the vac hose. Put the hose that goes to the drain in one, pushing in almost to the bottom of the can. The other hole is connected to the vac using a length of suitable hose, and this hose only goes about half an inch into the can. Seal round the hoses with duct tape or similar and use as described in the tip with the can upright. You’re using the can as a water trap, and any water will stay in the bottom of the can and will not get into the vac.
Great fix Mike, but I have a comment for Evelyn, the gal who lost a diamond earring in the shower, then six months later loses the replacement earring, also down the shower: why do you continue to wear earrings in the shower, especially after you’ve already lost one?
I have 4 children. When they were young, one boy dropped squash seeds down the drain. The house I was living in was very very old, with a ancient plumbing system. Well a few weeks later we had a vine growing up my sink!
This works great for craft areas too. My kids love to make crafts with beads and sparkles and googly eyes etc. This worked great to pick all the extra off the floor and table and themselves. They also now love to help clean up since they get to use the vaccuum. This can use the standard vac as no water involved. Thanks for the tip!
dawn needs to call a plumber !
What a life saver! How come I didn’t think of something like that? Do you know how many hours I have spent fishing out stuff and taking off traps? You have saved lifetimes of time for us working slobs that pay taxes into a government that turns around and elects Obama so he can tax us more.
Great idea, but why cant people use their heads first and not take off their diamonds and other jewelery near an open drain?
this works well for me with a small vac when I’ve spilled beads all over the bead room!
To the people who are having trouble getting the stopper out. I’d try the vacuum trick with the stopper in. If the item went into the drain with the stopper in, it will probably get sucked out with it in too.
Best,
Michael
Thanks for the tip, I have a 99 year old mother in law who drops things down the drain all the time. Next time this happens I’ll know what to do without calling upon my husband to find the long twizzers to get it out.
I have done a similar thing when I dropped a box of beads on the carpet in my craft room. I used a regular vacuum (no water for risk of electric shock) and I sucked up all the little seed beads into a pantyhose toe. Probably saved me hours of looking for the little things and trying to get them up.
Never thought of trying something like that on a drain though!
Valarie
This absolutely did not work, either for me or for my plumber, after I dropped a diamond earring down the sink into the trap.
There’s another good idea down the drane! This should draw a lot or attention. Keep up the good work. Thank you
This is a very practical idea for many items, however, if my contact lens fell down the drain, I would bid it adieu. I won’t be putting any contact that went down the drain into my eye. Conjunctivitis anyone?
Thank you for a great tip.
For those who have tried, and didn’t work, and those who don’t believe it will work, you havent lost any money. Just be happy that you are not out for a paid subscription.
Good job for all of the tips applied.
Here is one. Use car wax on metal mailboxes. It will keep them looking new, and keep them from rusting quickly.
I agree with Joan!!!Why in the world would anyone wear earrings in the shower. Or clean rings in or near the sink??????????????????
M.
What a slick idea. Even if it didn’t work, occasionally, the other successful times would be invaluable. Sometimes we get careless, and drop something in the sink, or shower. This beats opening a shower drain in the cellar, during winter, where you inevitably get soaked. Some sink traps are extremely difficult to open. Your technique could save a lot of work, and save a marriage, as well. Thank you.
AWESOME!!! Even my 15 year old son smacked his forehead and asked “Why didn’t I think of that?”… TOTALLY AWESOME TIP!!!
Your Cool! Thanks for the tip. I’ll think of you everytime I use this. Thanks Again!!!!!!!
Years ago, some kids put sand in the school bus gas tank. The mechanics used a carwash vac to get the sand out and the explosion blew to top off the vac and it hit the ceiling. I don’t think methane is THAT powerful.
Thanks so much. We lost a contact lens just like that. Too bad we didn’t know you then.
I used this method years ago to get my son’s new 3″ eel out of the drain. He was dumping water from the bag so he could put the eel in the acquarium when the eel slipped into the drain. He’s screaming, “Mom, my eel just went down the drain!”
I went to the garage, got the wet/dry shop vac and put it over the drain. After a couple of tries, up came the eel. We didn’t think of using panty hose, and I forgot to empty the dirt out of the vacuum canister. So I got the strainer, picked it up from the dirt, washed it off and into the acquarium it went and lived for several years. It’s been a funny story to tell all these years. I always wondered what that poor eel thought going down the drain then being sucked up the vacuum! When “Nimo” came out, I could relate and foundly remember our event!
I’ve used this method several times since then, but I’ll remember the panty hose trick for next time! Thanks.
My husband heads up the maint. team for a large complex. He uses the Wet/Dry vac to clear drains all the time. Got a sink that won’t drain? Suck out the water w/the vac. Then with your hands create an air tight seal around the drain and vac. The pressure will clear most common clogs. It also works with toilets but I didn’t want to explain that one. Make sure to dump all water and clean the shop vac after using….they can become truly stinky!
I have also used the blowing end of the vac to send junk on out to the drain pipe. Handy for hair clogs and routine maintenance. The panty hose is a great idea.
Wow two years later and we’re still finding this gem. Great tip and love the flashlight shadow idea for finding stuff on the floor.
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