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.
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.
I don’t want to think about how much junk my kids have flushed or dropped down the drain. I sure wish I had known to use the vacuum, this is a great tip. Thanks!
What a great tip! I kinda want to go home and drop stuff down my sink now. The vacuum-pantyhose concept would also be a good idea for other things like socks dropped behind the washer and dryer.
Good tip, which I used to use to retrieve stuff from the floor drain at a retail establishment I used to work at. Big caveat though! Always use a wet dry vac AND be prepared to drain gallons of nasty grey water from the vacum tank afterwards. The vacuum doesn’t discriminate between valuables and rat turds.
Dave,
A floor drain would definitely be a messy proposition. Fortunately, this happened in a bathroom sink so the amount of water sucked up was just the small amount in the U shaped drain trap pipe. There were a few specks of dirt caught in the pantyhose, but luckily nothing that fell out of the back end of a rodent.
Thanks for the comment,
Michael
This is a great tip! I remember (many moons ago) as a teenager I lost a contact down the drain. I luckily was able to fish it out using a spool of kite string with a cotton ball tied to the end of the string. Luckily, the contact stuck to the cotton. Your method seems much more foolproof.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing this. I’m definitely going to subscribe to the site. Keep it up.
[...] Roundup – Aug. 27th – Sept. 2nd Published September 4th, 2007 Uncategorized Down The Drain? Suck It! An amazingly simple trick to retrieve anything that has gone down the drain. No pipe wrenches or [...]
Michael,
My wife and I have two kids of our own and with one just now turning four and the other only 19 months old, I am sure that we will be using this method in the future! Very quality stuff.
Oh and by the way Tim’s four hour body methods are legit, so if you have toyed with the idea its worth giving it a try. Keep up the quality posts, as we are finding them more and more informative and entertaining.
Bunk
good stuff
[...] Originally Posted by cbrooke PLease help! I just dropped my earring down the drain. The water wasn’t running, it just dropped. Can I assume it’s possibly still sitting in the pipe? My husband isn’t answering his office phone and I am frantic. Please help me! This will get it back without a plumber or a wrench. Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. | Family Hack [...]
[...] yeah…they are featuring our “Drain Tip” on their site today so there is no question as to their impeccable taste in web sites. Share and [...]
[...] Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench An amazing trick! [...]
Cool tip!
Another related tip for you: if you ever drop something on the ground and can’t find it, the vacuum/pantyhose trick will work to pick it up, but if you don’t want to risk damaging it, hold a flashlight parallel to the ground… it’ll make the shadow of the tiny thing a few inches long, and you’ll spot it right away.
[...] Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. An accident that turned into a post. The next day the thing went viral…splattered all over the net. [...]
@Adam Kayce – Great ideas. Thanks for chiming in.
Best,
Michael
Umm transvestite?? Was that a Freudian slip?
Anyway. good advice. Thanks for the video.
Thanks! Great idea. I was able to retrieve a toothbrush that had fallen down a bathroom sink that had no stopper.
OMG!!!! It worked. My prized pearl earring (a gift from my husband on our wedding day) went down the shower drain!!! I was mortified. We had to take the stiff part off the shop vac and keep going deeper BUT FINALLY GOT THE EARRING OUT!!!! I was sooooo happy…..THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!
Hi Ana,
Thanks for putting a big smile on our faces. Comments like yours make doing Family Hack worthwhile.
Best,
Michael & Hannah
http://www.familyhack.com
Yesterday while cleaning my wedding band and engagment ring near the bathroom sink my engagement ring sliped out of my hand and down the bathroom sink drain that has no stopper! I was frantic to say the least! I was crying histerically when I called my husband. He assured me we would try to get it out when he got home by taking the pipes apart but couldnt promise anything. So while searching on the internet I came across this site and immediatley tried it! All I can say is Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!!! It worked like a charm and I am wearing my beautiful sparkling ring today! Thank you so much!!!!!
About 6 months ago my diamond earring went down the shower drain so I had my insurance company replace it. Today my replacement earring worth $3500 went down the shower drain, so I called a plumber because I was able to turn the shower off as soon as I saw the earring go down the drain. While I was waiting on the plumber I went online to see if there was any hope of retrieving the earring and came across this website. I thought I would try the technique and it worked!!!!!!!! I could not believe it!!! Not only did I get the earring, but I got the back to it as well. Thank you very, very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[...] I found this great article. You can read rest of it here : here [...]
Thanks Mike,
My wife was threatening to call a plumber !
You got me out of a jamb.
This just totally saved my earring from the drain in the shower. Thanks so much!
does it have to be a wet/dry vacume could it just be a normal henry vacume
I’ve used a normal vacuum without any issue but some viewers complained that it could possibly damage a normal vacuum. When I use a normal vacuum I just make sure I hold it over the drain for just a second so it sucks up as little water as possible.
Good Luck,
Michael
Thank you for this tip! I retrieved my daughter’s diamond earring today from the bathroom sink by the pantyhose/vacuum method-what an easy way to go! Thank you so much again!!
Thank you!
woooohoooo!! My computer just paid for itself with this little hint! Thanks.
What a simple but brilliant idea!
What a wonderful idea and blog! Thanks! I will be back!
I did this about 2 months ago to get my wedding ring out of the shower drain.
Thank you for sharing.
You asked where I found this link. I received an email from a friend with the link on it. I’m thinking you ARE going to get lots of traffic.
We tried this with wet/dry vac after receving from a friend. My husband bought me diamond studs for my 2nd ear piercing in Christmas ’07. I had cleaned them & the pair were laying beside the sink (actually had the drain closed); somehow I swept them into the sink, then scooped them up & against the sink w/my hand. One stud went into the overflow hole. Got my husband, he removed the pee-trap, put a bucket below, ran water into drain & poured water into overflow. Nothing went into bucket. He then brought his air hose from the garage into the back bedroom door & blew 120# of pressured air into the overflow……still nothing. So that was that; just couldn’t figure out where that little stud was hiding. Got this e-mail a few days ago & hubby said I’ll try that in the morning, but will clean out my wet/dry vac so won’t need pantyhose. Next morning brought the vac in, stuck the hose over the overflow hole, turned it on for a few seconds, & opened it up. I looked in & there in the center was my diamond stud. I said “there it is” & he said you’re pulling my leg. He still cannot believe the vac sucked it out from it’s hiding place of a year & I’m happy since he said he wasn’t buying me anymore diamonds since I have lost my wedding rings & a diamond hooped earring (not down a drain) through the years.
Might be more diamond jewelry in the horizon thanks to your great idea!!!!!!!!
I have tried this when I have dropped a contact lens on the floor with a regular vac hose and pantyhose over it. When the contact gets down in the carpet it can be hard to find. If you just lightly go over the area with the covered vac, you will suck it into the pantyhose. Works like a charm!
It would seem to me if results were not obtained, stoppering the overflow hole might produce results.
Most regular vacuums warn not to use outside, etc., I assume because of the electric shock factor and standing water. I would think using a wet/dry vacuum would be safter than using a vacuum appliance not rated to be around water. Would this be a good assumption for people’s safety? It seems to be a fabulous solution and by the looks of it, lots of people have tried it with success. Now, can you do this for people that drop things down the toilet by accident like keys, etc.
LOL Guess you’d need a really powerful wet/dry vacuum?
I wish we had known about this little trick 27 years ago when my husband & I were engaged during college. I had lost my engagement ring down the dorm sink and the guys from the physical plant had to come out and take the drain apart to get to it. DEFINITELY a big time and nerve saver.
Thanks so much!
Another trick if you drop something down a drain or in a drain outside. Chew a big wad of gum until the sugar is gone. While it is sticky, place it on something thin and straight,such as a long dowell. Push the dowell down the drain and hard against the diamond ring…presto, you will be able to pull the ring up on the bottom of the stick.
Smile !
Place chewing gum on the end of a stick or dowell and push the gum against the diamond ring in the drain. Presto, you can bring it up and out of the drain.
I plugged the kitchen sink with carrot peels. In the past my husband had to get under the sink and unplug it that way. This time he got his shop vacuum out and WALA…an unplugged sink. Thanks for the tip.
Wow that was great thanks. My basin gets clogged alot !
Man, I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF SUCH A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. YOU GO.
Believe it or not I used a similar system when a croquet ball (wood) was dropped down my sewer vent trap. Used shop vac and extensions provided and sucked the ball out. Ball was slightly smaller than lateral pipe.
Sure wish I had this tip 20 yrs ago when I did take the trap apart and ran the garden hose down the drain and caught a gold earring in the strainer held over the bucket.
thanks for a good one. Any more are always welcome. I wonder if Heloise knows of this one.
SEND IT TO HER.
Thank you all so much for the kind words. It still tickles me pink every time I hear that my hairbrained scheme helped somebody.
Best,
Michael
i have never thought about this at all ,but it is a great idea. keep up the good works. and make a whole bunch of people happy
[...] the drain? Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. at Family Hack He makes it look easy but if it [...]
HEY-
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT WOULD GET OUT OLD RED FRUIT PUNCH STAIN ON A CAR FLOORMAT? IT IS ABOUT A COUPLE MONTHS OLD
Another caution…when you vacuum out the water in the trap, you are allowing access to sewer gas to enter the vacuum. Sometimes sewer gas contains methane which is explosive. If you are vacuuming explosive gas and the motor driving the vacuum is not explosion proof, you might be exposing your bathroom to a total remodel. I hate to be a wet blanket, but proceed as if you are vacuuming explosive gas.
A magnet that is like a fountain pen and extends out is excellent for metal objects that go down the drain.
Wished we would have known this many years ago when I lost my class ring down the kitchen sink drain. My dad tried to retrieve it, no use, never got it back and it was only 10 days old. Paid alot of money for it, so lost out on the ring and the money, which my father didn’t really have alot but bought the ring for me anyway…I felt so bad for him that I was so stupid wearing it while doing the dishes…
I doubt this would work for objects those sink into the water… seems good only for floating objects… but guess we can at least try. Thanks
I lost several expensive ear-rings down the tiolet, a container with 6 sets from selves over top of my commode, I retrieved one set, the container, several of just one of each set. It’s been about 8 yrs ago, would there be any use to try to find them with a wet/vac? Please let me know what you think before I try.
Hi, Have any of you seen what comes out of a trap in a sink when it is taken apart ? I think the vaccuum is a good idea but let your husband do it, it may not be pretty.
Hey Mike, That’s great that you posted that little trick. An old trick well worth knowing about. I also use a shop vac to pull string through walls or tubes or anywhere that I might need to fish a wire through. Simply turn on the shop vac at the opening at one end, feed a stout string in from the other end, turn on the vac and as you feed the string in, the vac pulls it through and past most any obstacles. Then hook your wire to the string and pull it back out the otherwise inaccessible wall or tube or whatever. I use this to pull concealed wiring through motorcycle and boxed street rod frames also. Keep up the good work!!
I was very happy when I learned about this because I just dropped my tooth brush down the drain. I did it with my central vac but it didn’t work, probably the tooth brush is too heavy or my central vac is not powerful enough. I wonder if the demonstration shown was a shop vac, which I believe is more powerful.
THANK you – pay no mind to the naysayers – just sorry they didn’t think of it! It’s great that you share these things that can make life easier…on a different subject – have you heard of using listerine as a spray to keep bugs away? Seems kind of sticky, but prefer it to harsher chemicals. Thsnks!!
Great idea – I’ve been using a similar trick for years, but I was afraid sharp pointy things could cut through the nylons so I always use a plain crew sock. (Usually the mate of one that went MIA from its dryer mission).
Great idea. Anything to keep from calling professionals.
Although when absolutely necessary they are good to call.
I use an onion bag over the end and run vacuum drawers out, takes the dust and crud out but leaves the other stuff.
for the red stain on the carpet…. mix equal parts rubbing alcohol and amonia (non sudsing) saturate the stain. get a hot iron and some old white towels. place the towels over the stain and iron with steam. you will need to keep towel moving as it pulls out the red and keep ironing till its gone. this worked on nail polish on our new berber carpet!
wow you could maybe find something others left behind in drains from people moving out of rented places you never know.
Hey My daughter flushed down a ring in the potty! My husband so not so handy, ant easy ideas?
Thanks for the tip what a great idea.
I lost a favorite ring down shower drain about 2 months ago…is it worth trying to retrieve it, or is it long gone? I have know idea of the plumbing structure?
Good Trick,
Be sure to run the water right away to put the seal back in the pea trap, deadly gases from the sewer system can back flow into the room without a water seal in the drain U pipe.
This sounds like a keeper. By the way, somewone mentioned using Listerine as a bug spray. We tried it last summer- completely ineffective. The only result was that we both smelled strongly of listerine. As soon as the sprayed area dried, the skeeters resumed the feast. No effect as an area spray, or on our arms and legs. It was a nice thought.
What DID work was pennyroyal leaves from the herb garden. I was weeding and got tired of the mosquitoes. I crushed up a handful of pennyroyal leaves, rubbed it on exposed areas, and the mosquitoes left me alone for the rest of the time I was out there, about 2 hours.
Thanks for your advice! Good site!
Now.. this was a fabulous idea, a girl in my office shared it with me. As we were sitting here talking about it, we realized that you MUST have a very smart, shy wife who came up with this, but was just a little camera shy so she had her hubby showcase her trick.. haha
Just kidding, I can’t believe someone hasn’t came up with this before… its brilliant. Thank you for sharing.
Just got this one in an e-mail from my brother in law ! Great idea and I’m sure it would work. Hope I never need to use it. I had an A/C drain that was stopped up once (central air that drains directly into the sewer line) I called my a/c man and he said call a plumber.Well I got out the old shop vac and stuck it over the drain pipe and it sucked up the nastiest stuff you ever saw but unclogged the drain!!!! Maybe shop vacs should be right up there with duct tape !!
Michael
Thanks for the valuable info. Great Video ! Will pass it on to evereyone I mail. You’re a genius.
Vince
My parents just linked me to your tip… duh! What a great idea…. Wish I had thought of that before tearing the trap apart! LOL
What in the world is a shop vacuum, much less a wet/dry shop vacuum? It is frustrating to not understand theses”simple” household hints.
A “Shop Vac” is a brand name, but any brand of wet/dry shop vacuum will do. Here is a link to several: Wet/Dry Shop Vacuums
OMG shop/vac is one of the greatest inventions! I just can’t figure out why they can’t make a regular vaccum cleaner with as much power as a shop vac. We use ours for everything. That was a great tip though. I never though of using a shop vac for that, and we have dropped alot of stuff down the sink over the years.
I can’t begin to try to remember all the things that went down our bathroom sink but mainly my earrings. I now have one of many sets of earrings and if anyone has just one hole I’ll be glad to send them all to him/her!! In the meantime, if this happens again I’ll know what to do.
Thanks!!!!
Bev
Boiling water poured on a wine or fruit stain takes it away immediately.
Another hint – to unstop a toilet clogged up with toilet paper. Use soap for hand washing dishes. Put a good squirt or two into the bowl, wait 15-20 minutes and you will hear a gurgle and it is clear. If there isn’t much water in the bowl when you start, pour in a couple of glasses to build up the pressure.
I hve used this solution at least 3 times and it has always worked.
Mike,
I’ll take one good handyman/person over ten Mensa types any day.
Solving math problems is cool, but coming up with solutions to everyday problems is my idea of a real genius. And pantyhose over the nozzle of a wet-dry vac, to retrieve small objects from drains, is a genius solution to me! Keep up the good work.
WHAT A GREAT IDEA!! I am the 3rd owner of my home. I think I will get my shop vac out and see what kind of treasures the previous owners might have dropped down the drain
YThe vacuum idea may or may NOT work. Anyway you NO NOT need to use a vacuum cleaner. To fetch something which you lost down the drain simply unscrew the cleanout nut found under the sink at the bottom of the “U” in the drain pipe. No tools required because it should turn by hand.
Great idea can use the same panty hose idea on small items in thick carpet. Some time ago I dropped a emerald stone (loose) in/on my green shag carpet. Yep I used a cotton hankie over the end of my vacuum hose. Worked like a charm.
This is so cool!
Have you seen the one where you can retrieve a cork out of a wine bottle?
And I was just wondering if a transvestite didn’t have red panty hose, would blue ones do?
I haven’t seen the one about how to get a cork out of a wine bottle. Please share it. Regarding the panty hose, the color isn’t important. However, if you are a transvestite I’d highly recommend wearing panties under your skirt. It’ll keep your “tackle” from getting caught in the shop-vac. OUCH!!!!
Great Tip!
Mark
NationalClean.com
If this doesn’t work for anyone, try covering the overflow drain (the little hole at the top of the sink) and use the vacuum again! By closing off that hole, you’ll get a good deal more suction which could come in handy for some heavier items you might drop.
Good advice. But why do you have to use the comment about transvestites? It definitely shows your mentality and prejudices. Shame on you!
Your a genius, thanks for sharing.
Hey Michael…you didn’t mention that it is necessary to plug the overflow of the sink so that the vac gets suction. Major flaw in your plan that you left out!
C’mon Steve give it a rest will ya, it was said in a joking manner, whats the matter with people anymore everything has to be sooo serious……jesus lighten up and enjoy life, smile it will make u a happier being!!!!!!!!
Rick
Steve,
Sorry you took offense. Try decaf.
Gabrielle,
I didn’t know to cover the overflow hole and it worked just fine. I’m sure it had to do with the weight of the bottle cap and the power of my vacuum. I’m glad you and others have chimed in with that detail. It makes the tip that much more useful and shows why the Internet is such a powerful tool for sharing information.
Best,
Michael
Did anyone think about the flammable sewer gas you may be sucking up through your vacuum doing this? What happens when the vacuum sparks?
Ruth, don’t know if you will see this, but magnets will not attach to silver or gold. If you have silver or gold that attaches, you had better get it checked with a good jeweler.
Love this tip. With two boys I am SURE I will be using it! Thanks.
that5 was funny and i didnt know anything like that
Sounds great, but why was the only break in the video after you applied the hose to the sink and before you recovered the cap?
‘Hate to be a doubting Thomas, but…….
Jim
Dude I lost weight and my wedding band of .20 years slipped off my finger and went down the drain!!! I was devistated and my trap is cut into the the bottom of the vanity so I was going to tear it all apart. Instead, this worked awesomly and I got it back. One small problem, on an item like a ring, you need an indistrial shop vac. My central vac in the house wasn’t powerful enough but my shop vac was. Anyhow GREAT TIP, and you saved me big time. You have no idea telling my Wife 3 days before or 20th Anniversary ” Hey Honey I lost my wedding band” again THANKS
Mike
Just a comment from above, if the vacuum is sparking buy a new one cause mine doesn’t spark. The motor is quite far enough away from the end of the hose the motor has no problem with sewer gases, I have tried this over and over. Also the Transvestite joke was funny and I am sure a transvestite would find it also funny, People do take Life way to serious. Chill out and smell the roses life is too short to complain or nit pick about everything Dude.
Hi Jim,
Welcome my skeptic friend. I assure you there are no shenanigans. My wife shot me doing it from two angles, just to see which was the better shot. Once I saw the footage, I decided to get my geek on and try some video editing. It was totally unnecessary and doesn’t conceal anything. Try it yourself. It works like a charm.
Best,
Michael
Hey everyone,
I just used my diamond engagement ring to get a vacuum cleaner that had gone down the drain. It worked, also picking up two dead mice,
three racoons, four possum, and a partridge in a pair tree.
hey that was a great tip have you got any tips for getting urine stains out of a carpet
Mike
As a retired plumber of 43 years. I did service & repair for about 25 of those years. I used my small 5 gal shop vac to clean sinks, tubs, shower, floor and stool drains. Now I did have to replace the vacuum about once year, and did wash its water tank after each use. Hair, soap, drain cleaners, food, grease can have acids which cause damage to piping and equipment if not clean right a way.
My thought was last down the drain, first to come out. And it was amazing what would come up from plumbing drains. Would use the vacuum to remove water from stool tank and the bowl before replacing or removing the parts of the stool.
Ever try to solder copper pipes with water dripping from the line. You can pull the water from the line or in another direction away from the solder joint.
Pull air conditioner drain lines clean of minor stoppage.
To clean fixture drain lines. I would remove all the water plugging the fixture,( sink, lav, floor drain, disposal, ), By plugging any over flow holes or the second double bowl kit sink drain. You can pull the water & stoppage out, all the way to the vent stack. Then the vac will pull air and can not remove any more waste & water. Then you will need a drain cleaning machine, which there many styles in the home centers.
Or call you local friendly plumber. Check with a neighbor or friend for the name of a good service repair plumber. As with all professional people not every one of them knows everything about their trade.
Home repairs can be upsetting or fun. It is all in how you approach them.
Ken
P.S. In all those years, only smoked a few boards & walls with a gas torch. But never blow up any homes or bath rooms with sewer gas. That is not to say it could not happen.
Hi Ken,
Thanks so much for adding your professional experience to this discussion. So many great ideas. Glad you stopped by.
Best,
Michael
Don’t forget to run the water for a few seconds after you perform this. If there is no water in the trap you run the risk of allowing sewer gas to seep up the pipe and out the drain. Methane gas plus breathing people equal rare but potential problems.
heres a simle idea we always use when a storm could knock the power out. since we have a well when the power goes off no more water for flushing the toilet right? wrong we have two bath rooms so we fill one tub with water and put in a small bucket about one gallon open top of course. after using the bath room a gallon poured rapidly into the toilet will flush it.a full tub will last quite awhile. we also find out if the power comes back on refill the tub because lots of times the power only stays for minutes.then goes out for hours or days
Dave,
What a fantastic idea. Besides me being a ‘klutz’ every now and then, I have 6 grandchildren so this tip really comes in handy.
Thanks.
I’ll be checking back on your site for more handy tips!
Wonderful idea! Here’s another you might use with a vacuum. When my son pushed a bean up his nose one night, I hurried him to a doctor, who fortunately caught it before it went over the edge. But I was smarter when my next son did the same. No more trips to the doctor! I whipped out the vacuum and sucked the bean out quicker than scat! Much cheaper and good deal less stress!
A wet vac is essential for every household. My husband dropped his glass of red wine on my light blue rug and he immediately (after gasping) ran and got the wet vac and had me pour clear water over the wine stain while he sucked up the complete wine spill. I could not believe my eyes. Not a bit of stain remained. They have such great suction that they can even remove a wine stain if tended to right away.
I got my first Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner in the late 1980′s or early 1990′s and used it religously to get earrings, rings, caps, etc., out of my sinks. It worked very well for me and two teenage daughters!
Cindy
Excellent video. If folks don’t have a wet vac they can always buy the small but powerful 1 gallon capacity ShopVac wet/dry vac for a little more than $20 at WallMart. It will easily hold the water in any trap; even a 4″ pipe trap.
tell ‘Bev’, im happy to take her odd earrings! i have one more hole in one ear than in the other!
shelley
here’s bev:
Bev
May 12th, 2009 at 7:25 am
I can’t begin to try to remember all the things that went down our bathroom sink but mainly my earrings. I now have one of many sets of earrings and if anyone has just one hole I’ll be glad to send them all to him/her!! In the meantime, if this happens again I’ll know what to do.
Thanks!!!!
Bev
Several years ago my granddaughter spilled all the tiny beads that she was using to make a necklace, I got the DustBuster and kneehose to pick them all up from the carpet – worked like a charm!
Great idea to use the Wet/Dry Shop Vac for stuff down the drains!
Don’t have a WET-DRY VACUUM. so don’t guess I’ll have much use for your very helpful hints… Good idea, though…. Thanks and I’ll sure pass it along… Locve you… ~me~
Even if you damage your vacuum cleaner, it is cheaper to replace that than call a plumber.
I could not view the video. Is there some way to describe in words, how this is done?
Sandy
Can’t seem to view the video on “down the drain”. What do you do with the pantyhose? Sounds like a great idea.
For anyone having trouble with the video. There is a lower quality version on YouTube. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTIm1zQuypo
Fantastic & brilliant!!!
Michael, Thanks for sharing.
Question….would anyone WANT to put a contact lens in their eye after it went down the drain? I’m betting that there is no sterilizing one after that.
I didn’t go through and look at all answers to this cool idea but there is a reason to use ONLY A WET-DRY VAC, You will get killed if you use a regular vac. On your regular vac there is a warning do not use in wet locations or outside. A wet-dry vac is grounded to make it safe. John
I would also like to say how cheap DRAIN PLUGS are. I noticed how many people said they lost things due to no DRAIN PLUGS. There easy to install and can’t cost that much
Just wondering….the water that you are sucking out is from, what many call, the pee trap. Don’t you need to run water after doing this to refill the pee trap and prevent yucky fumes from coming up after? Just thought it was worth a mention…
Note to Al Yetman and anyone else wondering what he is talking about: not all drain traps have a clean-out opening on the bottom. In my experience (many apartments and houses in Indiana, Illinois and Oregon) most don’t. But maybe using such traps is common in other parts of the country. For those of you who have commented here about repeatedly losing items down the drain, it might be worth your while to go to your local hardware, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menard’s, etc. and buy a trap with a clean-out (although the vacuum trick is a good one.) If you do decide to replace your trap, it’s an easy do-it-yourself job. BUT BE AWARE that the county you live in might require you to obtain a plumbing permit any time you disconnect a trap! Mine does. (I would never advocate breaking the law, but I would guess most DIYers skip this step.) Also, if you do have to take a break, please rubber-band a sheet of plastic or a balloon over the pipe coming out of the wall, or somehow stop it up to keep any sewer gas from entering.
[...] info and tips on the Family Hack website. [...]
I used this method about 3 years ago to retrieve a ball flushed down the toilet that was stuck in the trap.
To Margery, that used a vacuum to suck a bean out of her son’s nose:
Please don’t ever do that again, m’dear! You could easily have collapsed some sinus cavities in your son’s head, which could have necessitated surgery. Also, the sinus cavities are directly connected to the ear canals, and he could be permanently deafened in one or both ears.
By the way, a brilliant tip, Michael!
My solution for a bean in the nose. Move a pepper shaker under the child’s nose and it will be sneezed out in seconds.
Thank you for the share.GOOD JOB!
I also retrieved my diamond earings from our shower drain after washing my long hair.It was not long after we moved in our new home. Yes I used my Vorwick & stocking(water safe when motor kept upright) it worked so well it bent the studs.Found out we had stones in the pipe too all clean now. Vett
Thanks! Good to know… Could have used that one a few times.
[...] Down The Drain? Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. at Family Hack __________________ 2006 Tundra replaced a 98 Dakota 3.9 automatic, long bed. Retired with [...]
[...] Something Down The Drain? Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. at Family Hack [...]
Shop Vac’s are wonderous things! After having our house reshingled, we noticed one of the downspouts wasn’t taking water. Turns out the grit from the old shingles that were removed, along with some old maple leaves, had bottled up in the elbow.
We removed the bottom elbow, stuck the vac hose in and wrapped a towel around it to keep the suction. My husband climbed up a ladder and held a towel at the entrance of the downspout. When I hit the on button a large clump of the mess flew into the shopvac tank. I’m glad to see someone else using it for odd jobs.
As one who has removed many drain traps to retrieve various articles and who owns a couple wet/dry vacs, great idea! In reading all the comments, I couldn’t help but think that an ounce of prevention is better than a trip to the garage. For all those ladies leaning over their sinks to use the mirror to install their earrings, pull the trip lever and close the drain. If that is not possible or your sink does not have the stopper in place as in the video, make a trip to the hardware store etc. There you will find a variety of sink stoppers and strainer baskets. Some strainers and inserts have a very fine mesh that would prevent even and earring back from passing through. Of course as with any good idea one must teach themselves to use it when necessary. It is no good having the strainer basket setting next to your earring box on the back of the sink, as you are putting in your diamond earrings!
This works on locating lost hearing aids, as well.
What a wonderfull idea! It saved my wifes two earrings!
Thank you so much.
I can’t seem to open the 1 minute video on retrieving something from a drain in a sink.
I just read all these posts and realized that people lose more stuff down drains than I realized. I’m totally blown away, though, that someone would wear a $3500 earring in the shower after loosing one just like it the same way. Good tip. Thanks.
If you lose anything on a floor and cannot find it. I use a flashlight down on the floor sideways. This causes the object to leave a shadow and generally you find it right away. Hopefully this will help someone.
Another thing I do if I lose a nut or bolt or screw on the ground while I am helping my husband work on equipment or cars–I do a kind of grid lock or like a square section and just look into that section and then go onto another square.
### Fake … see how it paused (different take) after he put the hose down…???
I do this every time I use the sink or tub (shower. Place a wash cloth over the drain. Catches your dropped stuff and cushens breakables, (like when cleaning your dentures).
Great idea, but what do we do, us single guys?
Neat solution, and yes, a wet & dry vac would be best as you don’t want any water being sucked into your electrolux. Of course, a toothpaste cap would be better left to flush on through the system with no harm done than to hassle with going to all that trouble to retrieve a 2 cent item. But losing your wedding ring down the drain would be something different.
Not only a great idea…but here is one for you. Reverse the vacuum and BLOW the drain lines open. Next time you have a clogged sink, use the blower method in one side while you hold the stopper in the other. Make sure that you stop the tub and bathroom sinks first. This worked so well that I took a plunger head, drilled a small hole in it and use it to put my air compressor head through, that has saved me hundreds if not thousands in plumbing bills. (more than one house)
Anyway, good on ya for sharing this tip.
Gary
Great idea!! I am an Engineer for more then 20 years now and I have never thought of that. Great Job,
Phil
Been there, done that. Beware …
Only use a wet&dry shop-vac that can draw water and be sure to remove the filter and dump any collected dry dirt before doing this. If you get even 1/4 cup of water in a regular sweeper you will at least create a wad of wet gum in the sweeper bag that will grow bacteria and fungus. The worst that can happen … short the motor with the water and risk the possibility of an electrical fire, or hopefully JUST trip a breaker or blow a fuse. Either way, your regular sweeper will be toast. Which is less expensive, a new sweeper or call a plumber? Another problem … if the drain contains any septic gas, common in rural septic systems and some ‘city’ systems if they aren’t well vented … it’s a form of methane – natural gas, you can ignite the gas as it goes through the armature of the electric motor of either a regular sweeper or a shop-vac. If you’re lucky, just a poof that will get your attention. If you aren’t lucky … a BIG POOF that’ll get the attention of the fire dept! Are you sure your house drainage system is adequately vented?
Be safe, be sure … call a plumber or pull the trap apart.
I’ve only used this trick on bathtubs (because it’s a pain to pull them to get to the traps) and when I’ve been absolutely sure that I can see vent pipes near every plumbing fixture. Oh yeah, I never used pantyhose. Never carried them in my service trucks. I’d just dump the shop-vac out and go treasure hunting.
very interesting.Thanks
Do you know that you can refill your Black Ink in any type Printer for about $5.00.? The color is a rip off but the “Do It Yourself” kits will allow you to refill any type of Black Ink Cartridge.
This is my lil secret to save people lot’s of Money!!!
Dave your killing the jewelry business… Just kidding.
I wish I had this trick to help my costumers back when I had my jewelry business.
I also use the nylon stocking and vacuum trick to pick up lead shot when reloading my shells for skeet shooting.
I use those short ones that only go to the knee but don’t tell my wife I have them.
Dennis
[...] Leave a Comment // Here’s a quick tip for when you (or perhaps your kids) accidentally drop something down your sink. When you need to retrieve something like perhaps a piece of jewelry or just something else that shouldn’t be in the sink pipes, watch the video found at Family Hack. [...]
you know what would be real kinky? if your girlfriend was still wearing the pant hose!!!
This seems fine but how does one remove the little cross bar in the drain which prevents the hose from going down the drain.
You do not show this in the video. All sinks have a cross bar to trap hair etc. How is it removed????
Great tip! BTW, “morning moron mode”… Is there a problem with that? It’s my normal mode!!
Hey, I’m a transvestite and I’m not offended. I thought it was funny. I wouldn’t use my own panty hose though. My wife throws away about a pair a week of those trouser length stockings (she wears the pants in the house). I’d use those and save mine.
Hi Elaine,
The hose doesn’t go DOWN the drain so you don’t have to remove the cross bar. The hose is larger in circumference than the drain and just covers the drain hole while making contact with the suface of the sink. For maximum suction, cover the sink’s overflow hole with your finger. I hope that clears things up.
Best,
Michael
[...] http://www.familyhack.com/2007/08/29/drain-tip/ [...]
ita going to stink really bad when you do this
Here’s a good one for you — we just did something like this after an Easter egg hunt. Someone who looks a lot like me (but I would never do something this stupid) hid one of those plastic Easter eggs in the tail pipe of my sister-in-law’s car. One of the kids saw it half sticking out (it wasn’t wedged in but rather sitting on some sort of “ledge,” if you will). But when he went to grab it, it slid backward and somewhat down — into a normal depression in the pipe, as it turned out. Nothing could get it out — until a cousin suggested pulling out the shop vac.
Worth trying just to see what’s been down your drains all those years. Might find a treasure !
[...] Down The Drain? Don’t tear that sink plumbing/trap apart.Here’s an easier way of retrieving items dropped down the sink drain. Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. at Family Hack [...]
Why is there an edit in the video at the crital moment of retrieval? Maybe this doesn’t work that well, and you had to “cut and splice” to make it appear effective? Bad edit by the way, since the camera position changes by about 3 feet…
Mike, Michael already explained the editing and the brief jump in action in one of his posts on this list. You missed it, but he said that he tried some editing of different views, while playing around and getting fancy with some editing software. But he said no tricks were done.
So try it. It works. Gosh, what a suspicious group. It’s not like he’s claiming to have invented the automobile.
the stupidest Idea ever…a vacuum? umm duh you have to fish the item out of the stinkin’ vacuum bag!!! thats worse! after you’ve cleaned up all the mess with the vacuum you have to dive right back in to retrieve something that fell down the sink..I’d rather just take apart the sink…lame
First, I did not read every comment since there are so many but, if it is not already said. After you retrieve the object, you may want to run the water for a couple seconds to refill the p-trap drain so the bad gasses don’t start coming back into the house.
Thanks for the post.
This was so timely! I was going to call a plumber in the morning….THANK YOU!!!
Leo@!!E#@#
So you can’t read. As well as not see and hear. Did you miss the PANTY HOSE???
Michael SAID “put panty hose over the end of vacuum tube end” So you missed that. and now you show your ignorance. What is the old saying? “Its best to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are stupid than open your mouth and remove all doubt”
That my friend is called thinking outside the box. Nice job! A very good tip. In my past life I was a plumbing contractor and today I don’t think any plumbing shop will send a truck and a licensed plumber out to your house for at least $80 to $100.. I mean, time are tough.
Nice!
The note below the vidio says it all but I thought I would add my experience
When we first started a cleaning business I thought it more efficient
to vacuum the hair and powder etc. out of hand basins and from
around the taps etc. once the area was vacuumed we would then
wipe the sink with cream cleanser (Ajax) etc. …. great result
AND it avoided getting all that powder and hair in our cleaning rags.
HOWEVER familiarity bred contempt and on one memorable
occasion I did exactly as described in the video (minus the panty hose)
to remove long hair that was caught in the plug hole.
It worked VERY efficiently so efficient in fact that it sucked the
water from the “U” bend and before you could say “240 volts” The
water had gone straight through the paper dust bag, through the
filter and into the motor.
The change in tone of the motor was quite audible and the
subsequent smell of burning plastic seemed to indicate the death
of the motor. This fact was later confirmed by the electrical
mechanic who suggested I try not to vacuum up water in future.
I doubt the panty hose would offer much protection from the water but the moral of the story is electricity and water do not mix and a wet and dry vac is essential to the exercise
Please please please do not do this with a standard carpet vacuum cleaner ( WET TYPE ONLY) can be very dangerous and will damage your cleaner and maybe you, air is ment to pass around the electric motor not water !!!!!
stay safe Keith the fire UK
I’ve actually tried this many many years ago on my carpet to find a contact lens and it worked!!!!!!
Great Tip… remember DO NOT USE anything but a WET/DRY Vac or you could face electrical shock.
This is a great idea. I don’t have a Wet Vac but I do have a Rainbow vacuum cleaner (no bags, a water basin instead)and this would probably work very well. I can’t wait to drop something down the sink to give it a try.
Here’s the scoop on vacuum cleaners. Most household vacuum draw air through the motor. There is a filter bag and additionally a secondary filter to insure that no dirt goes through the motor upon discharge. Again, air is drawn through the motor where the carbon brushes run on the armatures electrical communtator to make it go around. Some arcing takes place due to this sliding electrical contact that takes place. A wet and dry vacuum typically is constructed so that the motor is separated and isolated from the fan. As a result the vacuum air is discharged through a separate hole (which can be used for blowing as well). The motor section has its own air intake and discharge to cool the motor. No short cuts here. Use a wet or dry.
What a fantastic resource, thanks, Michael – as in all brilliant solutions, the simplest are the best. To those who had questions/doubts about Listerine as bug repellant: only the original formula has any value (discount brands work just fine), newer stuff might even attract bugs with all the sloppy sweet flavourings. The active ingredient of value is thymol, which comes right from the herb thyme. Its use is as an astringent, antibacterial and, to lesser a degree, insect repellant (different herbs, different bug repelling uses). I use a diluted form of the essential oil in a spray bottle on my bathroom surfaces & it leaves the air smelling very clean & fresh. A few sprinkles on some of the grumpy naysayers above might give them a new perspective as well…
awesome! I wonder if it would work on a ring, seeing as different vac’s have different sucking powers, but it seems as if the vac you have REALLY sucks! good hack!
Thank heavens! A SHOP VAC!!! My lips were getting sore from all that sucking around the drain. I think I banged my head a few times too many!!
I always cover drain with wash cloth and it keeps things from dropping down the drain in the first place
leave it up to a stupid man to think he’s come up on something super—-i’ve been doing that for years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Baditup,
Most people use it for rings, earrings or other valuables. Especially in a shower or tub where the drain goes into a concrete slab. In those situations it’s been a lifesaver.
Best,
Michael
***RISK OF ELECTROCUTION & SEWER GASES*** Hey, don’t use just any vacuum. You may get electrocuted. ONLY USE A WET & DRY VACUUM. Don’t forget to take out the dust filter in the wet & dry. Also, don’t be surprised if some of your heavy jewelry dosen’t get sucked out to the vacuum. Most large rings or necklaces are to heavy for the vacuum to lift out of the 1 1/2″ pipe. Once you suck out the water from your p-trap you need to replace the water to prevent sewer gases from entering your home.
Don’t be stupid!!! Be safe and call a pro if you value your life and your childrens lives…..
Not only good idea for retrieving stuff, but if you do the same thing WITHOUT the panty hose and WITH a wet/dry vac you can often unclog a stuck drain. Been doing that for years. CAUTION, what it pulls up ain’t going to be pretty.
Also, may have to block off the overflow to get good suction.
This also works for “stuff” that has been put down the pockets on a pool table rendering the ball trapped under the slate and the ball return usless.If you ever have to disassemble the entire top of a pool table and then lift trhe slate out to get a red plastic beer cup with a pool ball in it trapping it in place,you’ll love this shop vac method.
For those of you contemplating mosquito repellants: I heard of and tried taking 50 mgs of balanced B vitamins every day and it works. For me, my husband (who was the ultimate skeptic), and my children. We found ourselves visiting relatives in Oklahoma one summer who lived near a river. Everyone else on the front porch was swatting the bugs and complaining, but none of us got a single bite the whole time we were there (5 days). Can’t hurt to try it. My brother said that since the body doesn’t store B vitamins I am merely enriching the sewer system. I don’t care, I am allergic to mosquito bites and I have used this method for 26 years.
Sears has a wonderful small shop vac that you carry. I like it better than the larger ones that roll around. It costs $15.00. I use it for many things.
Does this also work if the is an overflow opening in the sink or tub. If not, just stuff something in the overflow opening and then the suction should work.
I’m sure I will then be in trouble with the wife for retrieving a 1 cent cap while ruining her $5.00 pair of pantyhose…..
This is not a very advisable tip to do. First of all a shop vacuum should be used that is made for sucking some water up. Secondly all plumbing is grounded pretty darn good and water and electricity do not mix very well. If this is done a proper vacuum that is able to suck up some water should be used and it should be plugged into a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. You never mentioned ever one my friend and some people will be dong this with a regular house vacuum and with no protection for ground faults. Shame on you.
MICHAEL! YOU are ABSOLUTELY BRILLANT!!!!Lucky me…I have the top of my tootpaste stuck in my bathroom sink and I even have a pair of white stockings….he he…YEP!!!!!! You guessed right! White nurses stockings, too! I can’t thank you and “FAMILY HACK” enough for such wisdom!! I am forever grateful and can’t WAIT TO MEET YOU IN PERSON!!!!! xo hmmmmmmmmmmmm
I’m off to Homey to get a Shop Vac tomorrow. I have so many “one earrings”!! Thanks for the tip.
FYI: Using a knee hi or ankle stocking would be alot better than ruining a $7.00 pair of hose!
Good information, an added caveat would be to plug any over flow drains in the sink so as to make sure the vaccum is working in the area that you want it to… i.e. the trap.
On second thought…. what better use of a “typical” mother-in-law or (insert anyone whom might fit the description) anyone who would have no problem sucking the life blood out of just about anything!
;;)
Wonderful tip, thanks:
The shop-vac is also indispensible in winterizing unused cabins, motorhomes, campers, etc. Suck the sink, traps, and toilet bowel dry. The pipes should also be evacuated as they swell a little each time it freezes until a lump appears and the pipe splits.
Charles
Really cool!
Good idea to save disassembling the plumbing. I am sure many have noted these two issues….the sewer gas would be very unlikely to explode as the air being sucked in from the drain never comes into contact with the electrical side of the motor. That is why it is possible to suck up liquids without shorting the electric motor. However….sewer gas is deadly for humans and animals so it is absolutely necessary to run water back down the drain in order to fill the trap so that sewer gas cannot escape into your living space. Secondly, when you buy a wet/dry vacuum, many times it has been set up in the “dry” mode, meaning that there is some sort of filter in there which needs to be removed if you are going to suck out a drain full of water. Gets kind of messy if you leave the filter in it when you suck up liquids, plus it ruins the filter which gets expensive.
This works with a regular vacuum for small items on a rug or in corners, etc. The drain bit is great!
Brilliante!!
Thanks Hack!! I charge $65 to do that.. Now I will have to go on the Obama dole due to people like you that can do it yourself. hahaha
12 years ago I sucked a trap out from an old tub I was replacing and sucked out a Class of 1912 Belfast HS, ring. I cleaned it up with muriatic acid and left it with the bill. The woman I was working for dropped her Grandmother’s ring down the drain 60 years ago and never said a word. She almost flipped when she got it back, I used the shop vac method. Better than a metal detector, I’ve found diamond earings and a necklace in a house trap.
My question…..why would someone wear diamond earrings in the shower in the first place.???? Very Good Idea to retrieve items from drains!!!!!
Whoopie,
I will pass this on to those with small children and old farts like me who are not always clearheaded while putting in contacts etc.
I was loosing so many hard contact lenses that my husband made me learn how to remove the trap in our sink. Now I have this knowledge so I was able to get rid of the no longer necessary husband ( not for that reason though, he was caught getting other things stuck in
whores.)
Still smiling anyway. Ha ha
bc
Thanks for the tip!. As I was watching this I did think of one other thing that should probably be mentioned. After retrieving the object, make sure you run water back in the sink to fill the trap again. The water does provide a barrier against the sewer gasses and we don’t want that to backup into the room. Keep the good ideas coming!
I wish I had read this a few years ago – when my son tried to flush a jello cup. I had to remove the toilet to figure out what it was – it floated just enough for the water to drain slowly, and the auger just looped around and came back. Since it was clear we couldnt see it. I could easily have drained the toilet and used a vacuum!
Let me go drop something down the drain see if it works
Awesome tip! I’ll be sure to remember this if I ever lose jewelry down a drain.
Great Idea! just reading through the posts and it’s funny that you even get complaints from people who haven’t tried it. I liked the transvestive comment. Made the video even more worth watching.
I liked the transvestite comment as well as the transvestive one.
I have used a wet vac also. My jewelry was in the shower drain. I taped a piece of garden hose to the vac hose and retrieved the jewelry from the tank. It helps to have a clean tank before you fill it with water. Using panty hose to strain one the end of the garden hose is a good idea.
Use windex w/ammonia to take red kool aid or red stains out of carpet.
Am I the only person in the world who doesn’t know what a Shop Vac is ???? This e mail was sent to me by a cousin in the States. Where I live, we have many varieties of vacuum cleaner but I have never heard of a Shop Vac.
I have used the trick many times but have never stuck the hose into water!!
I am highly amused by the comments and replies,the sense of humour and the sense of the ridiculous never ceases to amaze me. Thank you all for a very pleaseant and helpful half hour…….B.
Hack, thanks to you and your ”tips,” people don’t call me anymore to remove stuff from their drains. My business has fallen off to the point that I’ve had to take a second job to support my family. So, thanks for nothing!!!
Poor Ralph had to join the unemployed father of a family club. Boo Friggin Hoo your not the only one without a job.
Great tip, thanks. I’m going to forward this to my daughter with 5 kids.
Hey Michael,
Very cool tip!
I own at least two wet-vacs for my business and never thought about using it for sucking debris out of drains, but it’s the perfect tool for such.
I’ll have to visit this website more often. Oh, I see you have free email updates… consider me the newest subscriber to your list.
Thanks again!
This is not a new idea at all. I used it eons ago when my daughter dropped her ring down the toilet. Worked like a champ.
Very Good. Great idea, however I should point out to anyone who has an English style wash hand basin or sink that these appliances have over flow holes incorporated in them thus making the use of this idea difficult to say the least. The overflow opening should be plugged with either a rubber bung or a face cloth, wadded up tightly, and forced into the ceramic sink or Wash Hand Basin prior to trying out the vaccum suction method. Unlewss these openings are plugged the vaccum idea is a no-no. IT WONT WORK, your machine will only suck air. Hugh McLernon, Retired plumber.
[...] This really sucks. I wonder if it would work if we dropped something down into our engines? Probably not but a neat trick never the less. Rog Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. at Family Hack [...]
Wow, I wonder if I should be impressed?
Here is a similar trick that this reminded me of. Something I used to have to do in the oil change business. In this instance let’s say you have a leaky oil pan drain plug on your car and you want to change or repair it but you don’t want to drain the oil. Then you just go under the hood, remove the oil filler cap, put enough cloth over your vacuum tube and seal it off with the remaining cloth. (requires two people to do this) With one person holding the now sealed vacuum hose on the filler tube the other goes below and removes the drain plug and does the repair. The vacuum will suspend the oil for you. Not a stunt that you need very often but it surprises people that the oil will remain suspended. Just a fyi. MC
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.
[...] I got an email from my friend today. I was like wow… Click and then see yourself… Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. at Family Hack [...]
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.
I’m a new homeowner and this is a brilliant tip! I’ll be passing this info along. Appreciate the free intellectual capital.
Unless you’re ready for a new household vacuum, don’t use it. Wet/dry vacuums are for water. Household vacuums are for dry stuff. You suck the water into the paper bag of a household vacuum…. well you know what’ll happen in no time. Unless of course you remove the bag immediately after the suction operation at the sink and a quick unplugging of the vacuum. I think this video is irresponsible because of this little factoid.
As far as I could tell this was a hose from a wet vac . I haveneve seen a in house vac with such a heavy industrial looking hose. Forgive me if I am wrong.
The man said “Don’t use a household vacuum, use a wet/dry vac”
Steve is a freaking idiot.
he clearly stated to use a wet/dry vac
I COULD HAVE USED THIS INFO LAST WEEK, WHEN MY ELECTRIC RAZOR HEAD CLIP, THAT HOLDS THE SHAVING HEAD FELL OFF AND DOWN THE DRAIN IT WENT, I WAS LUCKY THOUGH BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VACCUUM HOSE DOWN THE DRAIN AND RETRIVED THE CLIP.
HOPEFULLY IT DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN BUT I WILL KEEP THIS SUGGESTION IN MY FILE OF HANDY GAGGETS.
THANKS FOR PASSING THE SUGGESTION ON.
Marvin
I like the tip for the carrot shavings. We have had to take the trap off the kitchen sink more that once having gotten potatoe peels jammed. Next time I will grab the shop vac instead.
Just wanna make sure everyone realizes that this will only work some times. It is not a fix all. Reason being the cheap $59 fake cultured marble made in China lavy sink that he has…looks like it has NO overflow. You know the overflow holes that are cast in the sink in case the faucet is left on. This allows most of the water to travel back down thru those holes and into the pop-up assembly, in theory anyway, and prevent the sink from overflowing. If you try to vacuum with a sink that has the overflow holes, it will almost ALWAYS draw air down thru those holes and not from the trap. You can hold it there all day as no vacuum can occur. Thus leaving the item that was dropped still sitting down at the bottom. Also he called the Pop-up stopper a drain trap. And then called the trap underneath a drain trap. The item under the sink is the trap. Trust me,these are cute idea’s but your best bet is to call a tradesmen depending on the importance of the item dropped.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your comment. Our sink does have an overflow hole. It’s just not visible in the clip. Since other commenters recommended plugging it, I’ve done it and it makes a difference. I think it worked well in the video without the overflow being plugged due to the light weight of the bottle cap and the high power of my shop vac.
Best,
Michael
Geez Daniel…did you get up on the wrong side of the bed? He’s just trying to give a helpful tip. Lighten up!! I don’t think by him calling it a ‘drain trap’ that anyone was confused beyond comprehension. You are obviously a plumber.
Why don’t you try blocking the overflow hole with clear packing tape or a rag to create the vacuum? Sounds to me like you’re in the business and hate it when homeowners fix things themselves…
all you would have to do to remedy this is cover the overflow hole…
THANK YOU VERY MUCH THE AVERAGE BEHIND THE DESK ,JOG IN THE MORNING DOESN’T HAVE A CLUE WHAT IS BEYOND THE BLACK HOLE IN THE BOTTOMOMOF HIS SINKS. I AM ALSO A 40 YEAR VETERAN OF THE TRADES.
NEIL
Sounds like Daniel wants us to call him and spend $250 on a plumber visit!
A decent shop vacuum will easily draw more air than can come through the overflow drain, but it’s a piece of cake to plug that with a wet sock or just about anything!
If the item doesn’t come back up, and it’s valuable, sure call Daniel. Plumbing isn’t THAT complicated! Otherwise plumbers would have nerdy reps, not the moon-crack thing!
If your sink has an overflow hole, just cover it with wide packing tape or a thick wet rag and the vacuum cleaner will draw air you need to retrieve the object. Make sure the area around the overflow hole is dry or the tape will come off and be sucked down the drain.
all one has to do is take a wet washcloth and hold it over them little holes as u call them and the wet vac does it’s job. apparently u arent a real tradesman ur self or u would of thought of this yourself. savings 100 dollars
Daniel Cannuli you being too anal! All you have to do is tape up the overflow hole. We all know what he mean’t even if he did not use your proper terms. Your just jealious you didn’t think of this!
Even the cheapest $39 metal sink bowl from Lowes has an overflow hole. It’s obvious that you really didn’t pay much attention to the video, based on your comments. Also, WTF is this about: “Reason being the cheap $59 fake cultured marble made in China lavy sink that he has”. Did someone mention you were a bit anal? Your an A%S as well as anal. He calls the stopper a stopper and the trap a trap. Vacuum out some of those Q-tips out of your drain and clean out your ears!!!!! Nuf said!
PS – Please Daniel, do reply so I can rip you some more!
[...] get something out of a drain, if you have the correct tools, oh and without taking off the pipe. Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. at Family Hack __________________ The Strength Of A Family; Like The Strength Of An Army; Is In It’s Loyalty To [...]
Michael, you are very kind and polite to respond to some of these idiots so gently. They don’t deserve it if they can’t read a bit of the posts before they post such hateful criticisms…AND before they try it.
They don’t have to ruin a good pair of pantyhose if they have one that has a run in it, an odd sock, or any lightweight fabric. They could just think before they speak!
[...] to remove items from a drain (without pulling out your pipe wrench), share in the comments below. Something Down The Drain? Retrieve It Without a Wrench [Family [...]
I use this this method to pick up small craft items like beads that I inevitably always spill.
The shop vac is good for many uses. If air conditioner drain plugs up use shop vac to unplug it. Trick of air cinditioner repair men. Much cheaper if you do it yourself.
Geno
Not the geno who used to mess up western managkent ac’s is it?
Fredy@55
Sometimes I drop something down the drain and don’t turn the water off quickly enough. Would this work on a septic tank?
Is that really a serious question?
Looks like a neat trick, except that when you drain the water from the trap, the elbow below the sink, you remove the cap on sewer gases, which are not only unpleasant but toxic. You need to run the water for a minute to fill the elbow back up. That’s why they’re there.
And if you try this with “any vacuum,” you will trash it if it’s not a wet vac and could electrocute yourself.
Happy vacuuming.
Since I am a skeptic even when I see some things, I think it would have been more convincing if you would have tied a very small yellow ribon around your wedding ring and tossed it down the drain. Heavy things sink to the bottom and don’t come to the surface very easily.
Try this little trick when you little son repeatly flushes his toy car down the toilet. Believe me you have to take the toilet off the floor and turn it upside down and shake it. I have been there many times. He’s grown up now, thank you.
This guy is a genius! I’m truly blown away by his ingenuity. Oh, and I’ll never open another attachment from my Mom again!
Great tip! I worked in maintenance in a hotel for 7 years. It’s unbelievable how many calls we received to extract especially jewelry from sink drains. This tip would have saved us a lot of time.
Wish I had known this years ago.
That’s a great trick!
I have been in the vacuum cleaner business for over 24 years, and I specialize in the RAINBOW Cleaning System. It uses water to capture the dirt and dust, instead of a bag. Of course, if you use a bag-type vacuum to pull up anything from your drain, you just might ruin the vacuum cleaner motor. However, since the RAINBOW can be used to pick up liquid spills, it is easy to get anything back out of your sink as well. I have done this many times. The water basin (which captures everything that is picked up) can easily be sifted through to find those valuables someone has lost!
Willis Manning
[...] Bill N. sent this great tip: Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench [...]
That’s another tip that will save me a hundred bucks!:)
[...] call the plumber or use a pipe wrench to take apart the pipes cause there is an easier way. Over at Family Hack I found a video on how to retrieve something you have dropped down a drain. I was so impressed by [...]
I love tips like this, sure worth trying. I dropped a lens off of a borescope into an aircraft cylinder, and retrieved it with a compressor (using similar principles), saving a $100s to pull the cylinder. (Saved the lens, too).
Very good tip for the drain & other things, I could listen to you talk all night, Michael!!
Very nice video!!!! Simple, yet very helpful. We may use the great tip one day. Thank you!
If it is something heavy (like a ring), you might have to plug the vent hole(s) in the side of the sink in order to suck it up. You’ll also get all the water and other material that is in the trap, but it would work.
Great tip ! And yes you are a remarkable hunk of man meat so no need to be humble about it.
And yer pretty cute says this fat , no “fluffy” , greatgranma .
Well, well. A little “fluffy” GreatGrandma lovin’. Thanks for making my day. Psst…don’t tell Hannah about our “thing”.
Big Smoochies,
Michael
Great idea, I will keep it in mind for the next time I drop something down the drain!!!
Great tip BUT; now I have every one in the house ( all six kids and the wife) throwing things down the drain and trying your tip to get them out! It works, BUT my ball point pens are now ruined and my small change has all disappeared into other peoples pockets. Just great. Now I am broke and with a wet leaking ballpoint pen in my shirt pocket.
Hi Spike,
At least it’s not your “Spike” that’s leaking.
Thanks for the chuckle,
Michael
This is a great idea. To add something to this, one time someone accidently dumped tiny beads on the carpet. My brother who was in grade school thought up this same idea to vacuum them up. It worked great.
Thanks for sharing. Very ingenious. It’s also interesting to read what others post. Appreciate all the good advice. The world needs more people like you.
Very nice! I’ll be sharing this tip with my readers!
[...] something down the drain? Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. — Family Hack I couldn’t figure out where to post this it’s not funny, but pretty cool __________________ [...]
Thank you for the tip, Michael. Kind of you to share this. It may not work with heavier items like jewellery, but there’s no harm in trying before calling some cut-throat tradesmen, right? From the comments posted one can easily tell who are the appreciative people who are basically happy, and those who never appreciate anything good from others, and are basically unhappy.
Mr. Cannuli, you did not get out of bed on the wrong side. You are simply one crabby individual who is unhappy with his lot. If you don’t appreciate the tip, Cannuli, just ignore it. There is no need for you to call Mr. Davies’ sink “cheap”. In fact, I think you’re cheap….and common! A sink is a sink, you cretin. Michael is just trying to be kind and helpful by giving out this tip. Your attitude reminds me of the muslims who are wounded by bombs from their own kind, and even after their lives have been saved in an Israeli hospital, they continue to hate the Jews. No wonder the world is in the mess it is, with people like you around!!!
No matter how kind one is, there will always be those who will NEVER be grateful!!!
Muslims and Jews? Really? Wow…I didn’t see that one coming. I appreciate the kind words but me and my trusty shop-vac don’t have time for religious wars. We’re very busy with the whole sucking on the Internet thing.
I feel stupid that I never thought of that…what great common sense this man has! Thanks for the tip!!!
That is a neat trick! I personnaly have used a li’l “gizmo” that most home stores sell.It is about 22″ long flexible,w/3 holes at the top kinda like a cherry pitter.Push down on the middle hole w/your thumb and 3 little hooked fingers come out the bottom.I have used this “thing many times to remove “wads “of long hair from bathroom sink drains.’course sometimes I’ve had to remove the stopper,no big deal.Personally I would never use a contact lens after it was in a sink drain.Know what I mean?It wouldn’t be of any value anyway after the 3 fingers got it.Okay ,just my 2 cents.
HOW I WISH EVERY HUSBAND FOR EVERY WOMAN IN AMERICA COULD BE AS FUN IN SOLVING EVERY DAY SIMPLE SILLY PROBLEMS…..YOU SEE THE MAJORITY OF US WOMEN ( WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES BECAUSE WE LIVE IN THE USA) GET TO HAVE FUN WITH WONDERFUL MEN LIKE YOU.. BUT MOST, TAKE IRAG DO NOT….. BECAUSE .. EGO…PRIDE AND MADNESS HAVE OVERTAKEN THE JOY OF THIS LIFE AND TAKEN AWAY THE POSSIBILITIES AND THE MEANING OF IT ALL …DID YOU KNOW THAT 40 PERCENT OF THE WORLD LIVES ON LESS THAN 2.00 A DAY…..ANOTHER BILLION LIVES ON LESS THAN 1.00 DAY…..PLEASE, LET US AS A PEOPLE…UNDERSTAND WHAT IS IMPORTANT NOW…TIME IS VERY SHORT…WE MUST AS A COLLETTIVE STRIVE FOR A NEW WORLD…NOT THE ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT THAT IS SOON TO BE…BUT ONE FILLED WITH THE CREATORS LIGHT… MUCH NEGATIVE IS SOON TO COME ON US ALL BUT LOVE IS TRULY THE ONLY WEAPON THAT WILL OVERCOME….JUST LIKE CHRIST TAUGHT……GOD WINS……KNOW THAT!
Wow…a cap down the drain…a simple handy solution…all leading up to world peace! You must be something special Michael!! LOL Great tip…I loved it!
I can’t make the video work.
Try this link: http://blip.tv/file/2209313
There is also low res version on YouTube as a last resort. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/qFyGA
Brilliant! Will share this one with hubby. Good thing he has a shop vac! Yes, I can see why you don’t want to use a reg vac, water.
Thanks so much!
Michael,
Thank you for making my job easier. I see my responsibility as a service provider is to not only solve problems I am called for, but to aid customers in preventing future situations like the one your helpful clip demonstrates. Always remember; give a man a fish and he eats today, teach a man to fish and he may eat for his lifetime.
The world needs teachers like us to empower people to dignity and self-respect.
Blessings, Steve
BRILLIANT! I’ve dropped a contact down our bathroom drain not once, but TWICE. Luckily, my husband is the BEST handyman ever — he can fix virtually ANYTHING, and although he complained a lot, he took apart the drain and retrieved my lenses.
I just found this clip and he was listening over my shoulder. We both agreed — I don’t even have to ask him the next time I stupidly (because I should be closing the drain before removing it!) drop a lens — this is a fix I can actually do myself!
cool! Thanks!
Marty in Connecticut 6-5-09
Barbara Martindale: I once retreived an opal earring with a baby bottle brush.
I have used this trick for retrieving small items from the heat vents (floor) for years. I have a Rainbow vacuum, with a water reservoir so it works great for the drain.
Very Classy:
1- Wearing a hat inside…
2- Transvestite….
3- ” I am sure any vaccuum would work…electric and water ….
4- Did not seem to know what he was talking about….
Hi Kenneth,
Ya got me there buddy. My only defense is lack of sleep and stupidity. The video was shot 20 minutes after I was dragged out of bed. Totally off the cuff. Which led to:
1. The Hat: The hat covers my hair. Which first thing in the morning has been know to scare small children. Consider it my gift to you.
2. Transvestites: Transvestites are funny…and a little sexy…if the lighting is right and you’ve had more than your body weight in Tequila.
3. The “any vacuum will do” comment was me talking off the cuff and without my morning coffee. A dangerous combination which will eventually lead to a divorce or some jail time. I added an update in text below the post after the fact.
4. You’re right. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Hell, I should blow of my day gig and run for public office.
Thanks for the chuckle.
Kisses,
Michael
Kenneth,
What are you, 10 years old?
Crawl back in your hole. Don’t come out until you get something going between your ears.
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!! Good one Sam!!
Brilliant idea!
Great idea Michael… thanks!
Very interesting comments followed your video. So what’s the problem w/ Daniel C and Kenneth? World peace was so long and all IN CAPS (that’s “yelling”) so I skipped that one.
-another “Fluffy” lady in SoCal
WORKS GREAT WITH YOUR HOOVER UPRIGHT, TOO!
One minor tip, some sinks (not all) have a vent hole for overflow.
You can put your finger over that hole, but it seemed to work better if you don’t block it off entirely – just partly cover it.
Now, I don’t have any pantyhose, but I found a thin dishrag that worked just as well!
This is certainly worth a try.
As for getting your vacuum cleaner bad wet, well they don’t cost much and the mess is very minor. Guess what, those Shop vacs all have a paper filter inside of them, too. It gets wet and drys out pretty fast from the high air flow. So, worry not.
For some reason the video ,”Something Down The Drain?
Retrieve it Without a Wrench,” did not appear on this website (http://www.familyhack.com/2007/08/29/drain-tip/). Could you check it to see if there is something wrong? I would love to see this video. Thank you.
Bravo Michael – you did a speedy re-do of the video since I viewed the video today and wrote my comment:
Sexy black pantyhose, rather than nude.
Large white bottle cap, not the small red one.
Wet/dry vac clarification.
Is DANIEL happy now?
Yep, it’s a new video. I’ve been meaning to reshoot it to include a few tips that readers added and finally got a chance today. Hope you like it.
Fabulous idea!! Seriously, as a single mom, I can use all the tips, ones that work! Thanks!
WOW! My aunt sent me this, hadn’t heard of you before but I believe I will stay tuned for the info and the comic relief. Your philosophy on hugging and throwing kisses to idiots had me rolling with laughter. Ah, how the grumpy hate to be loved on!
May your blessings be many and your troubles be few.
I’m guessing that some of you did not watch the whole video. He was very quick to tell you not to use the regular household vac for the reasons the non readers stated and he was very clear that for the heavier Items you would have to Tape or plug the vent. For those who were worried about the sewer gas he stated to run the water for that simple reason.
I recorded a new version of the video to include the oversights and tips like covering the overflow hole. Prior to that, the commenters were all correct and quite helpful in helping me make a good tip even better. Sorry for the confusion.
Will you mary me? ? ?
lol….
[...] Zen forwarded this my way and I thought it was a great tip for anyone who is in this sort of situation where you dropped something down the drain and don’t want to call a plumber or use a wrench to get it out. I was at a hotel contemplating this just the other day, so it was, for me, timely. Enjoy this fun little video. [...]
Mike,
I have also used a shop vac to unclog drain pipes way past the trap. You have to put duct tape over the air pipe on the roof. This works sometimes. It is worth a try before you have to call Daniel (LOL) Oh yes, you have to put tape over the over flow holes. Even if they are cheap Chinese made.
Bob
We just tried this, and you are a genius. It worked like a charm. Thank you!!
Yes, I would have to agree with many of you. It sounds like a few of these comments are made by jealous people that wish they were only half as smart as Michael to come up with great idea’s like this.
Always some kind of idiot that tries to debunk something good. In there face because I don’t see any videos of their ‘not very smart’ tips!!
Yes, I have done this before to vacuum under my stove, dressers, beds, just so that I don’t suck up anything I don’t want to.
Great idea, thanks Michael, we need more wonderful people like you!!
Chantel
An easier answer is to put a screen over the opening. It will prevent any object from entering, including hair and other objects. They are less expensive than wet/dry vacs & plumbers.
Nice tip Michael, However I have not seen in most of the homes i’v been in a sink like yours without a pop -up blocker . Some homes i’v seen without pop -up blockers have metal bars across the drain hole. These bars help prevent dropping large items down the drain.
Still a great tip for those that don’t have pop up blockers in their sinks.
P.S. Most pop-ups have stopper strips down the side to prevent dropping items down the drain. But you still can drop something down the drain. Still a great tip…
The Shop Vacuum works on sinks with a stopper too. Whatever went down the drain past the stopper is guaranteed to be small enough to come back up around it.
Well most People don’t own a wet dry shop Vac. When you use a Vacuum on a sewer pipe such as you did there you are breaking the water seal from the trap, Causing the vacuum to fill your house with toxic sewer gas at a very fast rate. the whole reason the slip joint nuts are on the pipe is to easily remove them to retrieve something that might fall down there, further more if you don’t have the gumption to remove a slip joint nut how are you going to reinstall the pop up?????.. As a plumber I get more calls from people that always start by saying I saw this guy on the web… Keep up the job security…
Wow, don’t know where you have been, a lot of people DO own a wet dry vac. I wouldn’t have a home without one! My kids always know where to borrow one.
People who own large birds have them. I could not even imagine the mess in my ancient Kirby that would incur from my Congo African Grey.
Hermit crab owners also have them. Nothing is better to get the damp sand from the bottom of a large aquarium.
I am fortunate to have both.
For people who have a bad back, this little helpful tip is great. Especially if you are on disability and have quite the fixed income.
At the very end, he talks about running water to refill the trap. Did you not watch all the way through?
I thought it was quite entertaining.
I can’t think of even one time I have lost something down the drain, but I do know people who have and I have had to go rescue them.
I don”t have one, my next door neighbor don’t have one, only one out of my nine friends own one.
so most people don’t have one like Daniel said.
I have two, a small 1 gallon size one for the cars & mini jobs and a 14 gallon size one for the house and all of my neighbors have at least one….
so most people probably do have one like Laura said. What is up with the girls having the wet/dry vacs and not the guys?
Daniel, He specifically said to run the water so that you get that seal back and DON’T fill your house with sewer gas. If you’re going to be a smarty, at least listen!
JLM, you are the one not paying attention. Daniel said the shop vac will quickly fill your house with sewer gas which is true since it is pulling air from the sewer system and pumping it into the house. This has nothing to do with resealing the trap when you are finished. If you are going to be a smarty at least be smart enough to comprehend what you read.
So 2-3 seconds of vacuuming will “fill your house with toxic sewer gas”? It wouldn’t even fill the bathroom. Once the vacuuming is done, the vent pipe will draw off most of the sewer gas (courtesy of the Venturi effect) until the water is replaced in the trap.
Besides, bathrooms are generally required by code to have either an exhaust fan or a window. Simple solution: close the bathroom door, and use either the fan or the window to vent any sewer gas that does get into the bathroom.
I take my “pop up” out and clean the line with a long fondue fork to get the gunk from clogging it and then just slip the “pop up” back in. Just see where the U shaped hole on the “pop up” is and put that into the thingamajig that hooks on to the “pop up”.
Omie
As a wife of a plumber I must thank idiots and lazy people across America for keeping my husband employed. You don’t need a wrench or tools to take off the “hand-tight” p-shaped trap under the sink. Most are made of pvc and you can loosen them with a twist of the wrist.
Annie, you mat have PVC in your part of the country but a large part use metal piping which is not hand tight. Some parts of the country have glued ABS piping as well and the p-trap can not be unscrewed. A poor design but they are still there. It is in these cases where the demo will work well.
As for idiots and lazy people…..there are people who are not inclined to do that type of work, not lazy or idiots, just prefer to have someone else deal with the mess properly. I am sure that if they new your husband referred to them in such a manner he would not have much work.
OOOPS… the last post should have read “Annie, you may have “. Never said I was perfect…..lol
Annie, your comment about your husband’s customers was very rude! Idiots & Lazy people?? Does that mean your husband preys off people who do not know how, or maybe are disabled & can’t fix thier own plumbing? I can tell you, if I used a plumber, i’d be sure & ask his wife’s name & IF IT WAS ANNIE, I definitely would not use him!
Annie,
So what part of the country do you live in where PVC pipe is used in all your indoor pulmbing?
I’ve found, on our place, that what looks like a simple job can turn into a big unexpected mess. I’ve also found that if I’m not sure I’m doing the correct thing that I should cease before I make myself more work. A few trips to the hardware store can be expensive & counter productive. And if you hang out and watch a professional do a repair, you’re better able to handle future problems. I’ve also experienced a plumbing service try to sell me an entire new septic system when it turned out to be a towel stuck in a pipe. Guess we’re all not totally idiots, huh?
I’m from TX and all our interior plumbing is done with PVC pipe. It is not uncommon at all.
There’s a big difference between “common” and “most”. PVC is common, to be sure. But to say that “most” are made of PVC would require over 50% of all US homes to use PVC.
According to the US Census Bureau, the median home construction year is 1973, about the time PVC was starting to be allowed by building codes. Since PVC did not have 100% usage starting in 1974 (a 1986 article in the Chicago Sun-Times indicates PVC was just then beginning to gain widespread acceptance), this precludes (on a national level) “most” homes from having PVC piping.
Now, it is possible that Texas may have a larger share of PVC since Uni-Bell is headquartered there, but “most” is still questionable.
Oh and P.S. You are a dummy if you throw carrot slivers and potato peels down your sink anyways…it’s still not a great idea if you have a garbage disposal either. Those can jam up and you’ll be cleaning one nasty mess out from under the sink.
After several incidents I finally starting listening to my dear hubby.
Annie, in your previous post you spoke of idiots. Your husband is a plumber and explained not to put that type of material down the disposal but it took several incidents before you listened to him????
TUSHAY!
or the french version: touché
Thanks Mike for the great tip.
I might just go and retrive some of the stuff I know my daughter has dropped down the drain over the years and has things running so slow. I’m pretty sure that a SHOPVAC can pick up a ring. (Maybe not a Superbowl ring, but with that ring come a plumber anyway) It’s main uses is to help clean up the shop…example nuts and bolts, yeah maybe some saw dust. I have a baby one that’s about 12″ tall and can pick up bolts. The perfect size for an apartment.
And Daniel don’t hate, There are lots of lazy people who would rather give you their money then to fix it themselves. And if you keep in shape and your grooming up, maybe some “Desperate Housewive” will call who is really bored.
Thanks Pops! for the link and Keep the tips coming Mike!!! Mad respect for you! A man that can fix things and thinks on his feet…”SEXY HOT!!” A man that can’t and is jelous of those who do… “SOOO NOT”!!!
P. S. Remind the MRS. how lucky she is!!!
deeestelle
Love it. I think this will be a super blog I am going to mark as a favorite. Try the info site, it may be an answer to the travel part.
I’ve been using the wet/dry vac for quite some time to remove clogs. Haven’t had to use chemicals or plumbers for 10 years. The stocking trick is a great idea, so you don’t have to fish the item out of a bunch of sludge. Make sure you remember to remove the filter before any wet vacuuming.
Cool tip! I hate dropping things down there! Thanks.
Mike:
The same principle works on a transmission. I broke off a safety sensor on the side of my tractor transmission whle doing some brushing. The ensor was below the level of the oil in the case. My HD mechanic buddie told me to place the nozel of a shop vac in the filler hole and leave it running while replacing the sensor. It worked well, not a drop of oil escaped. He said also to not seal the vaccum hose but leave it sucking a little air. Otherwise you would suck out ttransmission oil. The idea is to create a negative pressure inside the enclosed case. It saved me a lot of inconvinience as I didn’t have to drain the transmission case to get the 2 minute job done.
Jim McNAb
the same thing works on heating oil tanks with broken pet cock. had an oil tank freeze once and broken the threads of the pet cock and couldn’t figure out how to change it with out emptying the tank, a local heating oil company told me to use a shop vac to produce negative pressure, i was also told to block the vent so that all the air was drawn from the hole in the bottom on the tank when the pet cock was removed. worked like a charm. theres always more than one way to skin a cat.
I dropped a small screw down my garbage disposal. I wasn’t sure it went down the disposal (I had over 20 0f them so I not thinking turned the disposal on. Oh yea, I shut it down real fast but not fast enough to have it lodged in the space between the disc of the disposal and the circumfrance. I can feel the head but have tried a magnet, screw driver and can’t budge it at all. What to do? Thanks for any suggestions
all you need to do is find the correct sized hex wrench and it should fit on the underside of the disposal — that way you can rotate it manually..
This guy is absolutely adorable. Good information instructed with a sense of humor! love it!
Aw shucks…have you been talking to my mother?
Hello dear, you need to check this out. love, me
[...] Great Tip [...]
Great tip. You went over the reasons why you should not to use a regular vac, and why you need to run water when you are done. It also showed just how quickly this task could be accomplished without the EXPENSIVE plumber bill. Maybe your little blog hit a nerve for Mr. Plumber and his “devoted” wife. I’m sure there are PLENTY of people that don’t want to bother with your handy tip, and will continue to provide him with “job security”! (They just make more money than the rest of us! Keep up the good work, I’ll take handy tips everyday over another bill!
[...] curious kids. This was my introduction to Michael and his family. I highly recommend it:“Something Down The Drain?“ http://www.familyhack.com/2007/08/29/drain-tip/ When you peruse Michael’s site, [...]
A GREAT TIP MIKE, AND THANKS FOR SHARING,YOU CAN ALWAYS EXPECT SOME NEGATIVE FOLKS TO HAVE A COMMENT,BUT PAY THEM NO MIND,I WORK AT A DR. OFFICE, AND DROPPED A TINY HYFRACATER TIP DOWN THE SINK,THE BOSS TRIED TO GET IT, THE FITTINGS WERE SO TIGHT WE COULD’T BUDGE THE GOOSE NECK PIPE, AH YES, WE HAD TO CALL A PLUMBER,HOW I WISH I HAD SEEN THIS GREAT TIP THEN!!
Awesome. Now who is going to let me borrow the good ole sho vac? Or better yet, I just bought a panel van for a mobile “suck your pipe” service. The van and the shop vac only ran me $2500 and that included magnetic signs for the side of the van.
[...] www.familyhack.com/2007/08/29/drain-tip [...]
[...] http://www.familyhack.com/2007/08/29/drain-tip/ – seemsto work pretty well. You don’t need to remove the trap… [...]
i have used a smallshop vack to remove the water from a toilet at the bottomso when movin g the toilet outside it dosent drip water thu the house. I have an eighteen dollar shop vac from lowes hardware works wonders
dave
For Daniel the plumber……. didn’t you hear the part where he addressed the sewer gas and said to restore the water in the trap by running it afterwards?
As far as the stopper goes, mine can be taken out and put back in with no tools. Let’s not get too full of ourselves, ok?
Thanks so much! Your tip worked great – I dropped my diamond earring down but it’s back in my ear now! …and my drain flows so much better…
Reminds me of the time I was at a huge festival where it had poured rain overnight and the grounds were filled with huge, deep puddles.
Some brilliant person called the port-a-potty suction trucks who came and vacuumed up all the water out of the puddles! They also called a sod company who put down sod squares in the deepest , soggiest holes! And the show went on………
P.S. Thanks for another reason to love my shop vac.
Great tip Mike. Thank you – I was surprised by the negativity that your helpful tip received from a few people (I probably would be upset too if i was a plumber or related to one:)
Thanks again Mike
Safety Tip…
One Caution, the exhaust from the shop vac will be sewer gas from inside the drainage system beyond the sink trap. A follower of this method should open the window and exhaust the vac in that direction. Also, if your shopvac uses the intake air to cool the motor, there is potential to cause a methane explosion within your vacuum if your motor has arcing brushes.
to annie – meet me 4 an MGD. WHEN ? you little troublemaker, messin’ with all the hacks!!
signed, lazy idiot girl
I’ve done the same thing with a Dust-Vac, the hose is way smaller .. also with the mini vac I use on the computer to clean the keyboard .. excellent hint .. Joe The Plumber’s Wife can bite me, by the way .. PEACE OUT!
Thanks for the tip on getting your jewelry out of the drain! My earring fell out of my ear, made two bounces, with me trying to catch it and went right down my drain. Thanks to you, I was able to retrieve it in a hurry. Mexia, Texas
Hi, Just wanted to say thank you. The speaker’s final words were: “hope that helps.” and I think that is so nice of him
If you can fix it yourself and leave you house safe after the repair, good for you!!!! I work for a plumbing company that dosn’t want to just take you money for personal incompentance, but to do a service for people who either can’t do it themselves ,or do not want to take the time to resolve the problems themselves. 69.50 an hour
for a experianced service tech to repair whatever in a home related to plumbing , heating , air conditioning, boilers, waterheaters, faucets and fixtures, that arrives at a home with a mobile “shop on wheels” full of tools and material to do the repairs seems pretty resonable to me considering all the the fly by night residental “gotta beat the bid” construction practices out there. Most people buy a home assuming it should have beem plumbed “CORRECTLY” to start with, or that the same plumbing practices in place for a 1930′s home should accomodidate a 2009 lifestyle without having to pay a fair price to repair or remodle. Try to find a car mechanic cheeper in the end!
WRONG !!! If you are lucky ….maybe….once the water is sucked out (about 1/2 a cup) you loose vacuum because of the vent connection……soooo a light plastic cap maybe , wedding ring ,not likely!!
Give the tip a try. Tie a string around a ring and drop it down the drain. Fortunately, many grateful emails tell me I’m not the only one it has worked for. The vast majority of them used the tip to get a piece of jewelry back.
Well Michael Davis Thank You for the reply, the video gave the caution of wet vac vs regular vac…bcs water and elect.can be hazardous.Well another hazard may also exsist which I seen no warning of ?? The methane gas always present in a sewer system.If you feel this is not a hazard please detail for everyone why not.????My intent is not to dismiss your clever little idea ….my concern is for the safety of the people who may be hurt attempting your idea……It is a simple process to remove a p-trap and only requires a simple hand tool (channel locks ) and it will in no way harm the one performing the task. I am all for people doing for themselves to save a dollar However a small bathroom can fill quickly with gas when being sucked in by a vac.Can you imagine if some one was hurt in this short cut . Good Luck to your loyal readers.
[...] the drain High all.. Ever had the ring down the drain syndrome???! This might help one of us. Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. — Family Hack I’m guessing we all have a wet-vack around.. If you don’t, get one.. priceless! I have one for [...]
I don’t usually respond to sites like this. Two things occur to me. 1. The film was clever and 2. Some of the responses seem really mean spirited. If you’re worried about sewer gas then just hook a vent hose to the vac exhaust and run it out the window or up the bathroom vent. From what I saw, the operation took such a short length of time that I doubt that I would worry much about sewer gas in the house. I guess if I was going to worry about sewer gas from a few seconds of vacuum assisted exercise, maybe I should worry about sewer gas when I remove a trap on a remodel and leave it off for days. But I’m not a plumber, I’ve only been in the remodel business for 30 years.
I have only done plumbing for my 30 yrs .Your idea of… Quote>>> “If you’re worried about sewer gas then just hook a vent hose to the vac exhaust and run it out the window or up the bathroom vent”…END QUOTE This simple task is getting way more complicated then it started out…..huh!…
Plumber,
Why the attitude? Some people may need this helpful tip, those some people who don’t have a lot of disposable income. It’s worth the extra work to keep the money in their pocket. Why don’t you just relax “… huh!….”
I replaced all my traps with PVC so they’re easy to disassemble
and clean, besides which they clog less and don’t rust out. For
those without skills the vacuum trick could save them money
and time, so the risk of explosion is like jaywalking; acceptable
risk since so few people are killed that way…
The rancor on this site, however, is so objectionable that I’m
afraid most of the good tips are lost. Too bad people can’t
offer their opinions without attacking strangers. Civility
seems to be an increasingly lost art.
AvaChava…You say Quote …J walking ……worth the risk ….”FEW” people are killed that way???……Hmmm??? ok…. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, However I see a distracted hummer bumper in your future sir .I can only speak on my comments . I have a problem with a site that gives advice as friendly simple tips and when the tips do not pan out as suggested the homeowner is left with a larger problem.Then they call and the person responding must spend time to unravel the mess to reveal the original problem……time is money.Sites that employ PITCH MEN AND THEIR TIPS ( I did buy the sham wow ) in my opinion do a dis service to the readers .Do it right the first time is the only way. I guess I take this to seriously after all name of this site is ….. FAMILY HACK ?!?!?!? .just sayn ….PEACE
I am not a hired pitch man. This is a personal site we run in our spare time.
I completely agree with you.Two wrongs don’t make a right. I believe that fits into the “Golden Rule” -Do unto others as you would have done unto you. If you have seen the tip and don’t like it, keep your harsh words to yourself and go about your business. Enjoy this gracious time we have each and every day.
Jenny
I’m a high school custodian. We do that to suck the Skole Cans out of the toilets when the kids flush them down.
I use one of these. It’s also good for cleaning out all the hair and goo that collects in the bathroom sink.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94162
Thanks I would like one but at $8.00 shipping I wonder if you have a place I could purchase this. I usually us a long fondue fork ( I don’t use the fork for fondue).
No vacuum is designed to suck things through the electric motor. The odds are greater that your plumber is a serial killer than your vacuum will give you a shock or a puff of smoke.
Nice comment thier Michael way to take the high road.
Plumber- What crawled up your hole?
Wow, this is a EXCELLENT tip. I served in the military for a few years and somehow ALWAYS managed to end up in trouble and scrubbing the latrine. Soldiers are slobs and dog tags are the perfect size to slip down drain holes.
I’ve done this trick MANY times and I’ve never been particularly careful about the ventilating the area. And I’ve also never caused an explosion.
Plumber, you sound like one of those doctors that would rather prescribe a million medications to a patient rather then tell them to eat more vegetables.
Sometimes the simplest solution really is the best.
KISS. (Keep it simple, stupid)
Thank you so much for this attempt to help others. I could have used this when my son in law dropped his wedding ring down the drain. Wow! People really get intense about this info sharing. That’s okay…I like an even exchange. Blessings with your family dream. Wish I’d had the courage and opportunity to do it.
Brother,what a mess this turned out to be.He was just trying to get something out of the sink?
My sinks are OK but,what the hell,I went in there closed and locked the door ran 100 mph tape (Duck Tape) around the doors,closed all the windows.
Nothing came out with the vac,but,I took it apart under the sink anyway.All I found was two 1967 Qts, one ole dime and two pennys.
Now you got me tearing my house apart,next job ripping out the bath tubs, showers,and the 4″ drain going to the septic tank outside.
If you need some help just give me a call,I’m no plumber but I sure will have some fun.Going to take me about three weeks putting everything back together. Thanks for the Laugh,See Ya ??
David, thanks for a great belly laugh with all the ugliness going down. I’ve read and re-read your comments and died laughing. These people need to lighten up. (You’d make a great stand-up comedian. )
Thanks Michael. Very helpful. Any ideas on items in the tub/shower drain? Lost a diamond earring.
Enjoyed replies almost as much as your video. Boy folks can be sensitive. I am a RN, and wired my garage doors to push button open instead of having an extension cord run the length of the buiding. Will definately keep you site as a favorite.
Cindy
It works on tub/shower drains too. In fact, that’s where is it most useful as it’s often impossible to get at the drain trap in a house with cement foundations.
With morons like Joe the Plumber as pipeworkers new stereotype no wonder people would rather do it themselves. Good video.
See, th@s what i tried to tell my ex girlfriend. Th@ i lost the ring down the
drain! Cool idea with the pantyhose, i would have burnt something up.
[...] your #1 source of information. * Sometimes online videos can be helpful, like this one about how to retrieving a lost object from down your bathroom sink drain (Thanks Jan!) * If you could, how would you redesign US [...]
Michael, that’s an excellent idea. Wish I had known that years ago, while living in Panama I accidentally dropped my beautiful wedding ring down the sink. I didn’t own a shop vac then, but you can believe that I do today. Thanks Michael! Great tip……….. I will remember it.
Why does this guy have a hat on in the house? is it to keep his brain from exploding?
Great hint!
As a Limey what on earth is a Pop Up? Sounds rude to me especially in the bathroom.
I just tried that neat little trick to get my Dads wedding ring out of the drain. Up here in the Great State of Michigan, we do not use PVC pipe much. For big repairs, I will call a plumber, but at the minimum rate of $75 an hour, if I can do a simple task I will. In Michigan jobs are scarce and money is tight. As far as the sewer gases are concerned, a little common sense goes a long long way! I opened the window, and had a fan in the window just in case. Keep up the good work, these tips help stretch my budget, and keep my home running smoothly!
All these people so worried about sewer gases…..
Am I missing something? Wouldn’t removing the P trap ALSO open up a line to the sewer gases?
Seems to me like you’re going to get a little sewer gas no matter which method you use, and by using the suction method, you can immediately turn on the tap and refill the pipe, whereas if you take off the p trap to get the whatever out, you then have to take the time to reinstall the p trap before you’ve got the sewer gases blocked off.
And, while you’re under the sink cursing at the overtight nuts, seems like your FACE would be right there next to that direct line to the sewer gases when you finally got the pipe off.
Or am I missing something here?
The sewer gas will be pulled thru the vacuum canister with the vacuum running, causing it to be expelled in the room where the canister is located. I f the vacuum is not used the sewer gas will have to seep out of the line since nothing will be drawing it out. All plumbing systems have vents to the atmosphere. The amount of sewer gas pulled from the piping will be minimal since the air being vacuumed will come from the path of least resistance, which will be the vent thru the roof. Not the septic tank.
My grandkids have a knack of letting toys, balls etc go in the storm drain in the gutter on both sides of our street. I use the shop vac with extensions made from PVC to retreive them. Small adapters for smaller items.
I tried listening with my 3MB download speed, but was unable to make sense of the video, as the talking was choppy and the video stalled. That is, the video started all right, but stopped on one of the earlier frames and stayed there for most of the video. Then switched to the guy holding something black with something stuck on the end, which I later found was a shop vac hose with something wrapped around it (by reading some comments). When it appeared the video had run its course (the little dot thingy was at the end of the line), the video started going again with the guy talking away, only no sound came forth. I’m sure it’s a great clip, but I’ll have to take your word for it.
I did that trick years ago for my sister to retrieve her diamond ear rings except I used a clear hose attached to a smaller Shop-Vac attachment added to the 1 1/2″vacuum hose that fit inside the drain along with the panty hose strainer between the attachment and the clear hose. The clear hose can be purchased at most hardware stores. The clear allows you visually see the results and stop the process if you spotted what you are retrieving. It really doesn’t matter how you do it as long as the results are the same.
will this work on the kitchen sink?
most homes have a whole house trap, meaning that outside your home is an additional trap preventing sewer gas from enteringyour home. if you suck the water out of the trap in the bathroom it’ll draw clean air from the vent pipe, not sewer gas from the main line.
refilling it isn’t even a priority.
allso use the wet VACUUM to suck out your a/c drain line outside. DONT!!! use the water hose to Flush it backwards (STUPID) And DONT Use the hose to flush it outside. Do this every? 3 months or so and SAVE labor and part cost of a SERVICE CALL. Besides, If you own a home? YOU NEED A WET VACUUM……………. SUCK THINGS OUT! ! !
DONT push them IN!
Wow, wish I would of seen this about 6 months ago when I dropped a small but nice ring down the bathroom drain. (By the way, I have a wet vac — wouldn’t live without one as it is indespensible in the garage and to vac out the vehicles to say the least)
Yes, the slip joint nuts are easy to get on and off but for some reason I had the darndest time first of all trying to fit a good portion of myself through a very small vanity door (have double doors below the sinks) so I could reach and see what I was doing, and it took over an hour to accomplish the deed. Will gladly retrieve the wet vac from the garage any time in the future to avoid the wet, stinky, contorting mess!
Thank you for the great tip.
I thought it was an AWESOME IDEA!!! You have to be smarter than the drain pipe though. The sewer gas thing is why he said to run water back into the drain to reseal it. Maybe you really should call a plumber. If you don’t have a shop vac you can buy a small one ($30-$50)that would probably do the job for a lot less than a plumber.
My problem is I lost a small jewel pendant (the jump ring snagged on my washcloth and the piece pulled loose) from a necklace down my bathtub drain which does not have a removable pop up thingy. A wet dry vac might have helped put I don’t own one and was in the middle of a shower at the time. all the shower/tub pipes are behind the wall with no access. its a good tip to try though.
Thanks
Thank you so much for this really helpful tip. It helped me retrieve a hair clip from the drain! (:
Wow this works retreived my $800 dollar braclet..Thank You !!
great trick!! thanks for being so helpful and sharing your wonderful tips with the rest of us.
Great advice, plus you’re adorably funny!
[...] Home Owner Tips Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. — Family Hack [...]
[...] Owner Tips Jul.27, 2009 in LTL BOARDS Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. — Family Hack Share and [...]
My wife flushed my Chevy Suburban down the drain, and this hack helped me retrieve it. Thanks, Michael!
LOL!
Thanks for this great trick, I retrieved 15 double A batteries hidden inside the pipe when I bought it. Awesome !
I’ve been around construction all my life and have never seen that trick. Awesome!
Great idea!!!!!!
I couldn’t get my dignity back …
So, where is the video???
Now it mysteriously appears. Very cute trick.
I wanted to sincerely thank you for your generous help. You were the answer to my prayers. I pulled my very expensive earring out. I almost had a heart attack when it happened. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
looks pretty good, but wonder if there is any danger while sucking up flammable sewer gasses into an electric vac motor?!
Several people have wondered the same thing. Fortunately, I’ve never heard from a single person who has had a sewer gas meets motor problem.
My hunch is that the design of a Shop-Vac keeps the stuff that gets sucked up (dirt, water, etc) completely separate from the electric motor. If not, the motors wouldn’t last too long.
No danger with the sewer gases. Mythbusters tried all ways to cause an explosion and it is safe was the conclusion.
Hi ,
I am showering & all of a sudden the bar of soap I am using fell of the shower drain can your method also do the trick on this one??Thanks
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work for retrieving jewelry partially ground up in the disposer
Wow! i was able to retrieve my wife’s $20,000 diamond ring after I dropped it down there just to see if this really worked, and it really does!
OMG, you did that as an experiment? I am glad it worked for your sake.
Patricia, I have the feeling Jimmy was joking : /
PLEASE, Jimmy say I am right!!!!
good way to get a string through electric pipe to pull new wire
to pull electric wire suck a string with something small attached pro use
Thank you so much! I got my diamond earing back and i think you saved my marriage!!!!
OK. That is total genius. LOVE you for that idea, mmmmwa!!
I saw a fireman rescue a little kitty cat that fell down into a sewer pipe with this method. The fireman just put the mouth of the vaccum down on the top of the kitty’s head and brought it right up to the top . It was meowing pretty loud when she got to the top. Great work…
I need to retrieve my tiny gold earring from the bathroom sink. Don’t have a shop vac, but have an upright vacuum with a hose attachment. Please explain the risk of electrocution with a regular vac? Thanks so much.
Cynthia
He’s cute, smart and practical! He needs his own show.
How did he get the stopper out? I can’t be done unless the stopper is removed and you can’t do that unless the drain is removed.
Here are a couple of links to info that should help you get that stopper out.
http://bit.ly/stopper1
http://bit.ly/stopper2
Thanks for the tip, I just found out where all my hair has been going.
Where’s the video?
This really will work. In 1995 my wife dropped a pearl ear ring down the drain. This had been done before and I just removed the trap and retrieved it. This time we had a new house with all glued drain pipe which was not as easy. My wife called a friend who brought over a shop vac. On this occasion we used a piece of small rubber hose and taped it inside the regular vac hose. We turned it on put the hose down the drain and almost immediately we heard a click in the bottom of the vac tank , bingo success and no damage to the ear ring.
Wish I had seen this three years ago before I dropped a 1/2 carat diamond stud down the shower drain!!
Man! I wish I had thought of this when I dropped my $200 hard contact lens into the sink. Thanks for a great tip.
I LOVE YOU.
No video about retrieving something from the drain…Just a political message about Barrack Obama….Where is this great tip
Thank you very muchg for sharing. Awesome, never thought of using this. You’re a genius!!
What do you do if you’ve dropped your vacuum down the drain ?
Hook your most expensive jewelry to lot of wire to make an electromagnet, and pull it out that way.
Amazing! My cheapie disposal clogs from onion and potatoe pealings every once inawhile. It did it last night and I tried this with my shop vac. I didn’t think it would pull the pealings out past the bottom grate on the cuter area of the disposal but VOILA! up they came. No moving all the @@#$% under the sink and taking the pipes apart. –Now, what would you do to take showr soap/body oil scum from shower glass? Muratic acid won’t cut it w/o etching the glass.
Try Lemon Oil on that glass shower door to remove all that junk. Not only does it clean the glass w/o etching, it seems to stay cleaner………longer. Good luck.
SMART and well shown! Thanks!!!
My wife dropped her $30K ring down the shower drain and this trick got it back! Thanks! Worked like a charm!
wow what a genius. why hasn’t anyone else thought of this before? BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE HAS A SHOPVAC LAYING AROUND THE HOUSE, that’s why.
will it retreive a mechanical pencil?
Great advice! Now, do you have something for when kids drop shoes, hair accessories etc. down the TOILET?
Thank you so much, I wish I learn about your tip years ago. I have lost in drain many of my special jewelry. Well done, thumbs up!
WOW. WOW. WOW. It worked. You are a ROCKSTAR! Thank you!
After two weeks of not using the sink, trying channel locks, pipe wrenches, manpower, etc. I finally asked my Dad to go ahead and wash my birthstone earring down the sink. Instead, I found this and tried it with a vacuum cleaner and it worked…second time!!!
Thank you!
believe it or not, i just used that trick a few weeks back out of desperation. the thing is, i used a reg. vac. i think you can as long as it is something right where you can see it and before you run water in the sink. on the other hand, don’t listen to me. do as the man said.
Great idea, wish I would have known about this last year when I dropped my ring in the sink. Very cool, thanks!
I was washing some keyboard keycaps in the sink. Two keys went down the drain. I’m not so much worried about getting them back as I am the sink being clogged. My question is, if the keycaps went passed the U underneath the sink, will they easily be flushed away and cause no obstruction? or should I attempt to retrieve them via shop vac and pantyhose. I’ve already run water through it somewhat, so… they may be gone already, just wanted some assurance that everything will be fine once they have gotten past the U.
If they passed the “U” you are fine.
[...] I ran across the household section of Family Hack. Oh, is it cool. The first video I spotted was Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench. Absolutely brilliant for retrieving a ring, but a contact lens? I [...]
It didn’t work for me (my gold earring fell into the hole). The problem is I have a stopper that won’t lift completely out so it’s in the way. Any ideas?
About the gold earring I did run the water for a smidgen by mistake (I thought it may bubble up – silly me)
I actually used it to suck up a pair of hose ironically…. awesome!
Too bad I don’t have a shop vac hanging around…. F*CK
Thanks for the great info. I was ready to call a plumber, but decided to look on the internet for any ideas. Got my little shop vac and presto, it worked like a charm.
I cannot thank you enough for this simple procedure!!! Retrieved my precious earrings this morning after being upset all night. Glad to know there is another use for my fish net hose other than for Halloween!
new excuse to buy a Shop-Vac
thanks, you saved me lots of money with that shop vac idea. Brilliant!!
If you have a newsletter with all your tips I would like to join .
Thank you Trudy
We don’t publish a printed newsletter but you can get our tips via email whenever a new one is posted. Just click the link below to sign up.
http://bit.ly/aUnWky
I am a licensed plumber here in Texas and we use shop vacs in clearing debris from drain traps all the time. Great tips for the average homeowner and thanks for being sure and telling the audience the importance of refilling that trap after you use the shop vac. Good stuff!
what happens if you don’t refill the trap ?
If you don’t refill the trap, you will have sewer gasses back-up into your house. In addition to bad smell, it GREATLY increases chances of blowing up your house from these gasses if some type of ignition occurs, ie. lighting a cigarette, turning on gas stove or furnace kicking on. Also, take out paper bag from shopvac before you do this, and empty/disenfect when done.
good advice thanks! but i have a question. what if your 4yr old son fills the drain with toilet paper, runs water, and puts in more toilet paper. i dont think a shop vac would work…any ideas?
Spank his little butt so he won’
t do it again!
Yep, a shop-vac sure would work on that, too! Those little suckers are powerful. (pun intended)
No! Don’t spank him with the shop vac!
Use the wet toilet paper.
No wonder your name is “Love!”
This video was very useful info on the drain, interesting one on deer hunting and cooking and the travel map..
Thanks I’m going subscribe to your site…..
the shop-vac worked perfectly. it took a couple of trys, but low & behold there was my wife’s earring clip. thank you for saving the time that it would have taken to take the pipes apart. my wife said there has to be a better way, of course being the know it all handyman husband i said NO there is not. so privately i found your web site by doing a google. not sure if i am going to take all the credit
My cousin sent me your clip on Down the Drain. How fortunate, I just committed the bad deed. IT WORKS.
Please send me your web site info so I may subscribe.
Thanks,
Terry
this tip was INGENIOUS!!!! I was dreading how to get an earring out that I dropped and this worked so well!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I had my doubts on this one… and I am so glad to be proven wrong. This was a small pearl earring not a bottle cap (which would float ?). and I had only a house vaccum cleaner. Thank you Michael, truly ingenious.
Removed the stopper assembly, sealed the stopper rod opening with a stretched out rubber glove, panty hose over the vaccum and the earring was out in 10 seconds flat.
Alot of plumbers use that method to save time and avoid dismantling non-leaking drain pipes.
OK those are tights, not panty hose..
Really liked the idea about the explore feature so you can pick where you want to travel and how much you want to pay. I will use it because I have a time share. I am retired and it helps to find travel at a bargain. Thanks!
I love you, I love you, I love you! I lost one of my diamond earrings my husband gave me for Christmas last year. It happened late at night and the next morning our daughter brushed her teeth in our bathroom. I was freaking out, thinking it was gone, flushed into the sewer system. I came across your site when I searched on how to get an earring from a bathroom sink. You’re a life saver!! A million thanks! I can’t believe it worked! You’re a genius!!
You stole my thunder, Last year while we were in Florida and Baby Sitting our little grand children, one of our youngsters put a whole roll of toilet tissue in the flush and flushed it. My husband was about to pull the flush and I suggested using the shop Vac, reluctantly he did and lo and behold out came the roll.
Oh no! I should have known this ten years ago.
this idea actually has been around for a long time. long before the internet
I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE UNDERSTOOD YOUR MESSAGE AND TRY TO IMPROVE MY BOTTOM LINE, BUT. . . . THE POOR SOUND QUALITY OF YOUR PRESENTATION MADE THAT IMPOSSIBLE. PLEASE TRY AGAIN WITH A MIKE IN YOUR HAND SO THE ECHO DOESN’T COVER YOUR MESSAGE.
It’s obvious you’re deaf, as your upper case (a.k.a. internet shouting) response indicates.
Try to be happy with what IS instead of what ISN’T and you won’t come off as a misery to others trying to help you.
I didn’t have any problem at all hearing the video. Maybe you need better speakers???
Kim,
I suggest that you get a hearing aid. I understood his presentation perfectly.
Thank you Thank you soo much! I dropped a half carat diamond earring, that my fiance gave me for Xmas, down the bathroom sink. I was close to tears..I am so happy this worked. Thank you!
Its also really handy to have one of those magnets your husband probably has-or buy one in an auto repair store-long, skinny, magnetic tip-less than $10.00-amazingly handy around the house!
I had a clog in the bathroom sink I could not get out using a snake, it would budge, I bought a 6HP shop vac, that was 3 years ago and the whole house is draining better. I think I cleared it out to the street.
Great ideas – no need to go plumbers, etc anymore than we hae to.
LOVE IT. I’m going to go put something down the drain to see if it works… I’ll be back if it doesn’t.
You could also use your carpet wet vac if it has a hand tool attachment if you do not have a shop vac to suck an ear ring out of the drain.
great drain tetreival action .
That is a brilliant tip and furthermore he addressed all the consequential angles like making sure you ‘recharge’ the water trap with water to prevent smells or sewer gas permeating the house.
Sewer gas is both toxic and sometimes inflammable.
Hey Michael….So I’m going through my emails and get one from a new friend here in Atlanta named Tammy Cox. It contains a link to your tip on extracting valuables from the drain and as I watch, I sit and shake my head to once again remember how small this world is. You look great. The site is wonderful. Lex sends regards. Rock on Buddy Blue. I’ll never lose anything down the drain again. Thank you and thanks to the manufacturer of panty hose.
I havent talked to Tammy for years since she moved from Dexter, ME to Atlanta. Would you please pass along my greetings.
Carol
This a Fantastic thing to know…Do you think a shopvac will unstop a washing machine drain trap? (I have used a snake on it..but did not work.) Mine is stopped up and I am going to have to seek out a Plumber.
Give it a go on that washing machine and let us know? It can’t hurt to try it.
Would this work to retrieve a pen from the toilet?
Great ideas. I like the plumber idea for lifting an item from the drain.
Finally, a truly HELPFUL video!! With two grandsons that ‘use the potty’ when they visit and love to play in the sink … this hint is extremely beneficial. Hurray for the shop vac!!
sign me up
and I just gave a way two shop vacs, ha!
absolutely great – so helpful. You are a Friend for teaching us this trick – Thank You
Great tips!
I also use the shop vac to clear the condensate drain on my air conditioning unit. I do have to duct tape the hose to the condensate drain because of a difference in size, but it works like a charm.
Your tip was good to learn.
Your tip on drains was good to learn.
I haven’t had the emergency yet, but I have an open bathroom drain and panic if I should drop something and miss catching it before it’s ‘down the drain’.
This is a fabulous, and cheap, solution!
Thanks!
Great idea.
Wow, what a great idea! Thanks for sharing this wonderful tip. I do have one suggestion, don’t try to be funny. Your comment on the pantyhose and the transvestite was not only rude, it was also insensitive, bigoted and runs along hate. Even a joke can hurt people. You certainly wouldn’t have made any comments to race would you! THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK! WORDS CAN HURT!
i droped a dollar down mine sucked it out with the vac. got 3 quarters 2 dimes and a nickle back
oh lighten up DB. I don’t think he sounded rude or offensive at all.
For the record. I love transvestites. The world is a much more interesting place because of them.
Yikes!! I’m pretty sure any joke can be construed as “insensitive” and “bigoted”, but really, the intent behind the joke is what matters and there wasn’t any malice at all. Lighten up and have a chuckle, I’m sure all the transvestites did.
On a lighter note, great video. Thanks for the information, with five kids ranging from 6 to 3 months I am sure we will have a chance to put this knowledge to use.
Good trick. My husband did something similar. I spilled a large container of very small beads on our ceramic tile. You can image, they flew and bounced everywhere. He took the shopvac and panty hose, filling about a cupful of beads in the toe of the stocking at a time. Awesome. It was fast and saved my beads.
Loved the sink mishap video—here’s a bigger problem on retrieval…
Large, but delicate shell necklace slipped off buffalo horn display unit on bedroon wall (3rd floor of 1892 Victorian balloon frame house) and fell into a hole in floor right next to where the floor molding should have been. Fire stops abound in older homes, I am told. Shall I hire a plumber with a video cam to snake down the wall until we see it? It could be in the basement, first floor apt. or in my 2nd floor dining room or. with luck, hung up between floors 3 and 2. There is about 12” between floors . Had carpenter look with flash light but he couldn’t see it. The necklace is white with shiny pieces here and there.
Any ideas? It was one of my favorites. Thanks, Sande
An electrician’s wire for pulling wires through walls could tell you whether there is a fire stop and how far down it is. Or you could try pushing the end of a long metal tape measure down until you meet resistance. If you’re lucky and it’s only a foot or so, untwist a coat hanger into a hook and try to fish the necklace out.
I have a rainbow vac it holds water I use it to unclog the sinks from hair and bobbi pins have done this for yrs.
Thanks, thats good to know.
I read the first few reviews and said is it really possible to get my diamond earring back with a wet/dry vac?? Well it was almost 24 hrs with no water running down my drain and a neighbor was kind enough to lend me a vac. It took several runs to finally have that sparkly goodness on the end of the vacuum – to say I was overjoyed was a gross understatement!! Thank you SOOOO much for such an ingenious idea.
For whatever reason I was unable to access your video.
Thanks to all the comments, I was able to figure out what the procedure is. Thanks to you and everyone who commented.
good presentation, very clear, informative without too many words. thanks for support by sharing.
I don’t suggest trying this yourself. I’m a professional. Seriously. In my profession we change leaking valves on fuel oil tanks by “pulling a vacuum” on the tank. Works best when level is low. It’s scary unscrewing that valve, but it works. Never tried it with any other tank, but it should work. DON’T try it with volatile fluids. And no, fuel oil is not volatile, per se.
I have also used this method to find a lost contact lens (gas permeable). Found one on the living room carpet and another one on a couch. Two separate times! I try not to make it a habit to lose my lenses.
I might suggest also that you clean out your wet/dry shop vac before attempting this. Saves on cleaning up a really big mess later.
I dropped a necklace dow na heating/air vent. Might this work in this situation? Thanks
I have a surefire way to clean poop clogged toilets.
Connect a garden faucet to the shower pipe to give you hose threads,
Connect a rubber washing machine hose with the other metal end cut off. Run it to get hot water. Stick it in the toilet all the way.
Job done!
Have an old toilet that won,t flush?
It must make a noise at the end of a flush.
Maybe the tiny holes under the rim are rusty and slow the water down.
To test for this, throw a bucket of water in the toilet fast.
If it now makes the noise, buy a new toilet or try to clean out the holes.
Wow! Excellent tip. Wish I would have known about this before!
Genius. Thank you! Just bookmarked your site.
Just do what I do. It’s simple…Just close the sink drain while you take all your rings, earrings, etc. on the counter while you bathe. Also put them in the same bathroom while you’re doing the dishes. I haven’t lost anything so far, and being careful doesn’t take long.
That’s preventative not remedial but yeah. Thanks.
bob don’t leave the vacuum on too long,flammable gasses in the sewer can be drawn in and explode.
I saw your name Stubbs. My mother was adopetd by Stubbs and lived in Cedar Rapids . There name was Edwin and Clarea. They passed away in the 40′sI was looking for a conection
Great idea – - I’ve always done it the hard way !
I love my Shop-Vac in ways that are illegal in some states. Another great trick…the turn off valve to the sprinkler system. I had to duct take a smaller hose on to the shop vac hose, but rocks, grass, green apples all came out.
Great trick!!
My better half dropped the top of a tube of toothpaste down the drain a few days ago.. I noticed the drainage not going down as it used to. After the water is running a few seconds it slowly starts to back up, as soon as the water is turned off it, the sink drains again. Is it to late to give the wet vac a shot??
Fantastic tip. Unfortunately not all of us have a wet&dry vac just like that. Thanks for sharing!
This is a good tip. Another was provided me by my plumber: he sold me some stuff called “Bio-Clean”, which uses micro-organisms to prevent tree roots and such from stopping up your drains. JUst don’t put any ofit in your toilets unless you are SURE you have a plastic seal and not a wax one where the toilet enters the pipes! The stuff will eat the wax in a hurry.
And if you forget the preventative measures, some rings, etc have enough iron that a strong magnet, like car mechanics use, will bring it back. Gold and silver don’t respond, of course, but sometimes there is iron or steel as a ring sizer or something similar.
THANK YOU! I knew there was some ingenious way to get something out of the drain without having to take it apart!!
I used my pretty red tranny pantyhose… works great
thanks for the tip
Danielle,
hit me up
Unique example. Who would have thought of it.
Visit my Website.
Several months back I noticed an earring was no longer on my ear! I suspected it fell into the shower drain but assumed it had long gone into the sewer. I happened to watch this video a few days ago. I tried this technique today and it worked! It was a 22-carat gold earring my father gave me when I was 8 yrs. old (a LOOONG time ago) and it was specially nice to get it back since he passed away seven weeks ago.
Thanks for the tip! I never would have thought of the shop-vac. Am bookmarking your site.
[...] you give something interesting tips. That’s also probably one of the reasons why you have this video with more than 4 Million clicks about ‘how to get things out the drain’. It happens constantly and people are doing all [...]
Great info!..but where do we get the vac thing?
You can get the wet/dry vac from walmart for about $50.00.
this video was extremely helpful, thank you so much!
If you notice the object he dropped down the sink was nearly the same diameter as the drain. This causes the object to block most of the airflow from getting around it, allowing the vacuum’s suction to pull it up. Of course it will pick it up then. Try a ring and let’s see what happens.
Hi Mike,
I’m a cynic too, but I get emails every day from people who have retrieved rings and other jewelry. Give it a try if you ever drop something down a drain. You have nothing to lose.
Best,
Michael
He just told you in the video…plug the overflow to create more suction!
Good idea but I have found that slipping off the “U” trap (get a small pail first for drips) is easier than shlepping my shop vac from the garage to the bathroom. And the shop vac usually has lots of dry stuff in it so it has to be cleaned out before sucking up water.
Thank you sooo much! I have an expensive hard contact that went down the drain and I got it! You saved me about $300!
Thank YOU!
Thank you so much for this tip-it worked!!! Let’s put the skeptics to rest: I got out of the shower 4 nights ago to see that the (medium-sized) emerald was missing from a very important solitaire ring that’s been on my hand nonstop for 7 years. Everyone said it was long gone but I was determined. I tried to get the shower drain trap off but it didn’t work. I was about to call a plumber when I saw this yesterday, 3 days after I lost it. I got a pair of cheap knee-highs from the pharmacy, slipped one of them over the wet/dry shopvac tube, stuck it over the drain, plugged the bathtub overflow with some plastic bags, and waited a couple of minutes. I lifted the shopvac tube from the drain BEFORE shutting off the vacuum so I could remove the nylon knee-high without everything in it falling out, then I slipped it off and examined the contents. To my delight, the emerald was in there!!!! So then I put the emerald, with my poor forlorn ring, into the remaining clean knee-high, and that back into the little easter-egg it came in, to keep it safe till I can get it to a jeweler to see if they can reset it. So there you go. VERY small object, relatively long distance from drain to trap, and THREE DAYS later…and it still worked. Again, thanks so much!!!
Dropped a heavy gold earring into the sink which of course went all the way down to the water in the trap. Shop vac hose alone over the sink opening did not have enough suction. Purchased about 3 feet of flexible clear tubing to extend the suction power of the shop vac down the drain pipe and into the trap water. Extended the other end of the clear tubing about 6 inches up into the vacuum hose wrapping Saran wrap around the joint of the two tubes. Crimped the clear tubing slightly with my fingers as I sucked out the liquid and other residual material so the ring would be stopped in the clear hose without going into the vacuum. Worked like a charm!
Got that business about Methane right. Mustach hasn’t grown back yet!
Very helpful tip, I’m sure this will benefit a lot of people.
I thank you and my husband thanks you – as he is not the best plumber
Wow….My 3 yr old daughter unscrewed the knob on the bathroom cabinet and then put it on the counter and the knob fell down the sink. My hubby and I tried for about 10 min to get it out (we could see it) and then I got on the internet and googled “how to get something out of bathroom sink” and this page popped up. I told my hubby and 3 min later we had the knob. Thank goodness we owned a wet/dry vacuum. Anyone can pick one up for about $50 from Walmart. Thanks so much!!!!
Hey it worked, just used this tip with my small shop vac, to retrive my daughers locket,,, many thanks
My children often drop things down the kitchen sink and it’s always a struggle to get it back out again. Thanks for such for this tip, very helpful.
I’m so glad this works!! Last night my husband and I retrieved a small gold earring from one bathroom, using a neighbor’s wet vac. It worked so well at bringing up sludge he then cleared another drain without any toxic chemicals. I’m a fan.
Thank you!
Margaret
That was very informative and will be useful in the future I am quite certain. Thanks and have a good one.
You made an assumption that everyone just happens to have a wet/dry shop vac at home……that is not realistic
Yeah, you’re right. You’re probably better off paying a plumber $300 to come out than to go get a $50 shop vac that has 1001 uses.
yeah, Really …..lmao !!!!!!!
This video saved my life.
while trying to unclog my shower drain of hair, i dropped my flashlight down the drain. i did a google search, watched this video, and luckily own a shop vac so this worked perfectly! GENIUS!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
Hi, my sister had dropped a pearl earring down the drain, and although we don’t have a wet/dry vacuum, we hope our neighbors do! I wanted to thank you so much it helped a bunch and it was such a creative idea! Thanks a bunch!
Leah
i flushed a large hair clip down the toilet!!!! 6 inches wide, 4 inches high and 3inches wide… help…. i bought a snake and it wont retrieve it
very helpful thanks !
I couldn’t use a central vacuum could i? Just dropped a locket down there!
If one doesn’t own a shop-vac, is there another way to get the items out without having to take the sink apart? Any info would be much appreciated!
I just dropped a hard contact lens down my bathroom sink. Came online, saw this video, & viola! Less then 10 minutes after dropping, I vacuumed it right back out. Thanks so much!
The shower drain in our holiday home in Bordeaux was sluggish taking away the water. We tried plunging, cleaners etc to no avail. Tried the water vac and pantyhose trick and it sucked up a whole load sludge & hair that was blocking the drainage pipe. The pipe is 2 meters long. It’s been bugging me for a long time, so thank you very much Michael.
My recemented crown popped off yesterday and slipped out of my hand while rinsing it off. (I know-an ounce of prevention). I was looking at the wall of tools and checked the internet again to see what I needed, and this time I saw this tip. I got a small shop vac for $20 and had my crown back in five minutes, including taking off the stopper!
amazing!!!! I dropped my diamond earring down the sink drain and this worked great
[...] of the movie and drops her wedding band down the drain – an omen? If only she had seen this. (Thanks, [...]
Great tip. My wife’s diamond earring just went down the 2nd floor shower drain and this worked perfectly!
Thank you!
Excellent issues altogether, you simply received a logo new reader. What could you suggest about your post that you simply made a few days ago? Any positive?
Now this is highly recommeded post for me. I will surely email this to my friend. http://www.samsung1080phdtv.net/
x2F2We vhecvdqzsjuw, [url=http://mtoproxnpiel.com/]mtoproxnpiel[/url], [link=http://zwrkwjoodvaz.com/]zwrkwjoodvaz[/link], http://dbhqjpacpnii.com/