Pro Handyman Blog

I’ve always heard the stories of people dropping jewelry down the drain trap and then having to call a plumber to fish it out for them. Yet, I can’t ever remember getting a call like that. Maybe everyone already knows how to fish their jewelry out of the drain. If not, I will fill you in on how it is done.

If you drop something into the sink and it goes down the drain, it will usually end up in the trap. The trap is the “U” shaped pipe under the sink. If you have two sinks in a vanity, they may have separate traps, or sometimes they share one trap. If they have separate traps, go to the trap on the sink where the jewelry was lost. Depending on the weight of the jewelry and the volume and speed of the water flowing down the drain, it may stay in the trap, or it may continue down on a trip to see the city, via the sewer.

You will need to remove the trap and dump it out. Loosen the slip fittings on either side of the trap and pour out the water (and hopefully the jewelry) into a bucket. If the jewelry is there, it’s time to celebrate. If not, you might consider going shopping. You can put the trap back in place and tighten the slip fittings.