Your kitchen sink's drain gets used many times throughout the course of a day. If you find that your kitchen sink suddenly isn't draining as well as it should, it's important to clear up the clog before it has time to become a real inconvenience.

Here are three affordable options you can try to help clear a clog from your kitchen sink in the future.

1. Use a wire hanger.

If you suspect that large chunks of food are to blame for your kitchen sink backing up, then using a wire hanger could be an affordable way to get your sink to drain properly once again. Use a pair of wire cutters to snip the curved part of the hanger off.

Straighten out the hanger, then snake it down your clogged drain. Since the wire hanger is pliable, it can easily follow the bends in your sink's plumbing. If the wire hanger doesn't clear your clog, then you might want to try using a plunger.

2. Use a plunger.

While most homeowners associate plungers with clearing a clogged toilet, a plunger can be a useful tool in helping you get your kitchen sink to drain properly as well. A plunger forces air into your drain pipes, and this pressurized air can often push through any blockages that are preventing water from going down your sink's drain.

Be sure that you take the time to plug up the functional drain with a wet rag if you have a sink with two drains. This will prevent air from escaping back up the cleared drain before it has a change to push through to the clog. If a plunger doesn't solve your drainage problems, then a little homemade chemistry might do the trick.

3. Use baking soda and vinegar.

Mixing baking soda and vinegar together creates a chemical reaction that can dissolve most things blocking your kitchen's drain pipe. All you have to do is pour one-half cup of baking soda down your clogged drain, followed by one-half cup of distilled white vinegar.

Place a stopper over the drain's opening, and give the mixture about 30 minutes to work on your clog. After 30 minutes, pour 6 cups of boiling water down the drain (use hot tap water instead if your drain pipes are made from plastic), and hopefully your drain will be clog-free.

If you still experience trouble getting water to go down your sink's drain after attempting the affordable clog-clearing options outlined above, contact A Absolute Plumbing & Heating or another professional plumber for assistance.