Use A Plastic Bottle To Keep Your Sink Drains Clean

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A strainer basket is a kitchen essential that helps keep your sink and drain clean, especially if you don't have a garbage disposal. These simple devices catch bits of food, hair, and other gunk, preventing all that drain-clogging debris from entering your plumbing system. They're also notoriously hard to clean and sanitize. The strainer's drainage holes get filled with the very same muck you don't want down your drain. Even removable strainers can feel almost impossible to keep spotless when covered in hardened grime.

If you're perpetually grossed out by your reusable sink strainer, YouTuber N.T.Creative has a smart solution: a disposable strainer made from a plastic bottle. Ready to get started? All this hack requires is an empty plastic soda bottle, a utility knife or some sharp scissors, and a Lounsweer Electric Hot Knife. Most sink strainers are 3½ inches to 4½ inches in diameter, so a 2-liter soda bottle is a suitable size.

Since you're using a bottle that would end up in the recycling bin — or the trash can, in some places — you simply throw away your DIY strainer as soon as it gets too clogged to be effective. Then you can repeat the process to make a replacement. If that feels too wasteful, remember that you can use a plastic strainer more than once. Remove it from the drain, dump out the debris it collected, and give it a quick clean before reinserting it. After all, neglecting this kitchen task is one of the grossest things you can do.

To make your own drain strainer from an empty plastic bottle, first check that the bottle you have will fit your drain. If you don't have a standard drain, you might have to source a smaller or larger bottle. If it fits, cut the top off the bottle from the base, creating a funnel that sits flush with the sink when you insert it into the drain. You can leave a little length on the funnel to help you remove it easily. Use a utility knife to make the initial cuts and tidy up any rough edges with scissors as needed.

Screw the cap tightly onto the bottle, if it's not already there, then poke holes all over the funnel and cap with the hot knife. If you don't have a hot knife or don't want to buy one, you can carefully heat a screwdriver over a flame and press the hot metal into the plastic. Do this outside and wear a respirator to protect yourself from the fumes. Find a balance with the hole size — they need to be large enough to let water through but small enough to catch food and other debris. Place the funnel into your sink drain, and you're done!

This project is also an alternative worth trying when you don't have a sink drain stopper. Cut the top off the bottle as directed and screw the cap on tightly. Don't, however, add any drainage holes. Drop the funnel into the drain and fill your sink with water. It's helpful to create a taller funnel for a sink drain stopper — the extra height makes it easy to grip and pull out when you want to release the water.