Lost an earring?

girl-with-a-pearl-earring

Many of us have experienced that sinking feeling in our stomach as we have watched an earring, or other small item of jewellery, disappear down the sink. The good news is that just because you lose something down the sink does not mean that it is lost forever. There is still a good chance that you can get your item back.

We are going to give you some tips that you may find useful if you are ever unlucky enough to lose a treasured earring down the sink. The first thing to remember is not to panic. Stay calm and then try these tips to get your earring back.

Switch off the water
Before you try and retrieve your earring the most important thing to do is switch off the water. This stops the earring from travelling any further down the drain. You can either switch off the water that goes to the sink or choose to turn off the water supply for your entire home.

Switching off the water before you take any action also means that you are not at risk of causing a flood if you need to take the P-trap of the sink apart at any point. We are going to take a look at why you may have to do this later in this article.

Try using a magnet
Using a magnet to try and retrieve the earring will obviously not work if the jewellery is made from gold or silver. If it’s made from a different metal this method of retrieval is worth a try. All you have to do is attach a magnet to a cord and lower it slowly down the sink. If the magnet does attract the earring you need to be careful when you are pulling it back up, so that the earring does not become dislodged.

Invest in a four-pronged tool
You can easily and cheaply purchase a four pronged tool from the store. This is a long flexible tool with spring loaded prongs at the end. You can use this type of tool to grab an item that has accidently fallen down the sink.

If the drain is too dark for you to see the item you are trying to grab you may want to try using a torch to throw some light on the situation.

Remove the P-trap
If you have not had any luck retrieving your earring using any other method you may need to remove the P-trap from the sink. The P-trap is the bendy pipe under the sink which traps debris. Removing the P-trap is a relatively straightforward process but if you do not feel happy completing the task yourself you should speak to a plumbing professional to get some help.

Hopefully, our tips will help you retrieve your earring from the sink. If you are not successful then you should not just give up. You can speak to a professional such as Plumbing Detectives to ask for their help with getting your jewellery back.

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