My kitchen sink stopped draining and it took 9 hours, 2 snakes, and a bucket to fix
Last month my sink backed up in my studio on the 3rd floor, so I tried baking soda and vinegar, then a plunger, then a 25 foot hand snake I borrowed from my neighbor. Turns out the trap was full of rice and coffee grounds from months of lazy rinsing, and I finally cleared it with a $22 drain bladder hooked to my shower hose after the snake just poked a hole in the gunk. What cheap tool do you keep around for clogs that actually works when a snake fails?
You used the shower hose for the drain bladder? Mine screws right onto a garden faucet or laundry tub spout and you have to hold a rag tight around the drain or water sprays everywhere. Also a hand snake poking a hole through the gunk instead of pulling it out is really normal, that's why the bladder or a shop vac was the thing that finally moved it. If you want a cheap backup, the plastic zip strips with the little barbs work okay on hair up near the stopper, but they won't touch rice and coffee grounds down in the trap.