For a lot of people, the wedding ring is a sacred physical symbol of their marriage. This means that if it gets lost, they will be petrified. So, imagine the panic mode when for such people, their wedding ring falls into the sink drain.
You can retrieve your ring from the sink drain by using a magnet if your ring’s material attracts the magnet and hasn’t gone down further the drain. Otherwise, you will need to dismantle the sink’s P-trap and retrieve it.
When your ring falls into the sink drain, do not try to retrieve it with a metal hanger made into a hook as this may make you lose the ring entirely! Only hope and pray that the wedding ring did not go straight into the sewer because there certainly is a way to retrieve it if it has not gone that far.
How To Get A Ring Out Of The Sink Drain Without Taking It Apart
As expected, when your wedding ring falls down your sink drain, you will most likely be jittery. However, the ensuing steps can help you retrieve it without taking the sink apart and if it has not gone down into the sewer.
1. No More Water Down the Drain
Immediately your wedding ring falls down the drain, you must prevent more water from going down the drain. If the tap is on, turn it off immediately or stop pouring water into the sink. If there is water in the sink, close the drain with a drain plug to prevent more water from going down.
If you have water in the sink, find a means of getting it out of the sink. You can soak the water with a rug and squeeze it out of the sink or use a small bowl to collect the water from the sink.
2. Get A Magnet
If your ring is made of nickel, cobalt, steel, and/or iron, you can get a piece of magnet that is small enough to pass through the opening of the sink drain, tie a strong string around the magnet and lower it into the drain. The magnet should attract the ring if it has not gone too far into the drain.
3. Otherwise, Move On!
If your wedding ring is made of silver or gold, the magnet trick will not work. And if it has dislodged itself somewhere in the P-trap where the magnet cannot reach, this method will not work either.
The other option is to look for it in the P-trap. The Pthat trap portion of the sink’s plumbing system beneath the sink that traps waste materials from the drain, preventing them from going further down the drain to cause clogging and also prevent smells from coming out of the sink.
How To Retrieve a Ring Out of The Sink Drain From The P-Trap
If you are not successful with the magnet trick or your wedding ring is made of silver or gold, your option will be to see if you can retrieve it from the P-trap.
1. No More Water Down the Drain
When your wedding ring falls down the drain, immediately stop more water from going down the drain. So, turn the tap off immediately or stop pouring water drain down the drain if it is from a container. Use a drain plug to also stop more water from going into the drain if the sink still contains water.
2. Place A Container Under the Sink and Remove the Drain Plug
To collect the water or waste that will spill after removing the P-trap, place a container or rug beneath it.
A drain plug in the P-trap is what prevents odors from the sewage from getting into your house. If the P-trap of the sink has a drain plug (which it should), you will have to remove it first to release the water into the container.
3. Remove the Slip Nuts and Pull The P-Trap Out
On either side of the outer portion of the P-trap, you will find slip nuts. The next step is to remove those with a wrench or pair of pliers.
Then, pull the P-trap out and empty the contents. Fingers crossed your wedding ring should be in there. If not, you may have to accept that you have lost your wedding ring forever.
4. Replace The P-trap
Take the opportunity to clean the insides of the P-trap and fix it back. Then, replace the slip nuts and tighten them with the pliers.
If you cannot do this by yourself, get a plumber or someone else to do it for you.
How To Prevent Your Ring from Falling into The Sink Drain
If you have ever dreaded the thought of dropping your wedding ring down the sink drain, maybe it is time to put in place some preventive measures to stop that from becoming a reality.
1. Remove the Ring
Honestly, if your wedding ring is not snugly fitted on your finger, remove it before you do the dishes or wash your hands. However, do not place the ring on the sink as it may slip and fall into it anyway. You can put it into your pocket or any safe place away from the sink.
2. Apply Sizing Assistants
A friend of mine wears a spring insert with her engagement ring because it is bigger than her finger. So, if your ring is not tightly fitted on your finger, have a jeweler apply sizing assistants like sizing beads or bars, or spring inserts to ensure that it does not slip off the finger while you use the sink.
3. Use A Sink Strainer
Also known as a sink food catcher, a sink strainer can prevent your wedding ring from falling into the sink drain. Apart from having the primary function of ensuring that food particles do not get into your drain, a sink strainer can stop anything else, other than water, from entering the drain. So, if the sink is yours, certainly get a sink strainer.
4. Wear Gloves
This is not always ideal, but it is worth mentioning. If your ring is not tight enough and you don’t want to remove it at all, then you might consider putting on gloves while using the sink to prevent it from falling into the drain.
The gloves will keep the ring intact.
Conclusion
To conclude, do not panic when your wedding ring falls down the sink drain. It may not have gone that far. You can use a magnet to retrieve it or you can remove the P-trap to check if it is trapped there by chance which it mostly will.
However, if you do not find the wedding ring in the P-trap, I am sorry, you may have lost it forever. Unless, of course, you want to go through the trouble of getting into the sewage.