Bathroom sink problem (drains, toilets, pipes, vent)

[Sprawling_Homeowner]

1) it drains slowly... it eventually drains, but it drains really slowly.

2) unlike every other sink I've ever had, when for example I shave... I wash my face/hands of all the foam/cream/shaven hair, and rinse. I turn off the tap... the sink drains... but a lot of the shaven hair and foam is left behind. This has happened every time I shave lately and it's a pain because I have to manually rinse off the sink.

Is this a cheaply finished sink?

[Squirl]

sounds like a blockage in the drain; is it a new sink?

[Narfcake]

Place a bucket underneath the p-trap and remove it to clean it out. It's most likely clogged up.

[ShaneSA]

All that hair and soap cling together and create a goopy (professional term) glob that clings to the pipe and in the P trap it sticks and creates the slowness. Ignore it and eventually you will have a stopped drain.
Do what Narfcake said. And anytime it happens in the future when you noice the drain slowing down.

[Houston3]

or just use a good plunger to clean it out... I plunge ours ever so often just to keep them clean and it seems to work...I do both tubs too, they get hair in the drains too...

[jimboburnsy]

Concur with the gallery.

That sounds like a simple blockage.

[Narfcake]

Originally Posted by Houston3

or just use a good plunger to clean it out...

... or help create a blockage further down.

Plungers are fine for some things - like toilets. The bathroom sink ... since a p-trap is readily accessible, it's better to just clean the gunk out of it and throw it in the trash instead of sending the said gunk further down the pipes where it could create a bigger issue.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by Narfcake

... or help create a blockage further down.

Plungers are fine for some things - like toilets. The bathroom sink ... since a p-trap is readily accessible, it's better to just clean the gunk out of it and throw it in the trash instead of sending the said gunk further down the pipes where it could create a bigger issue.

If you have a basin overflow drain a plunger has the potential to make a nasty, hairy mess, too.

[Ohiogirl81]

Cheap finish (or not) has nothing to do with it; the drain is clogged, and once you clean it out, the soap and hair will not cling to the sides as readily because they will be draining more quickly.

After you clean the drain, prevention is the best medicine: Dump one cup salt and one cup vinegar down the drain -- once a month should be often enough. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, and then follow with a kettle full of boiling water.

[South Jersey Styx]

Take a wire coat hanger (white ones work best) and a pair of pliers and straighten out the coat hanger so it's long and completely straight. Then bend a tiny "c" or curl at the end of the wire. Insert it into the drain and move it around slowly being sure not to let it get stuck with any drain/pipe parts. Move it around and bring it up. You'll probably have a lot of gross gunk-crap of hair, soap residue, etc. Do this a few times and it should clear things out.