Not long ago, my wife let me know that she’d lost a pearl earring down the bathroom sink. It’s a good old pedestal sink, with emphasis on the old. As I sized up the job of retrieving the earring, I realized that I would have to remove the sink basin to get to the trap. And because it’s an old sink, I figured that some of the parts would undoubtedly have to be replaced if I had to dismantle them.
I thought about my alternatives. Could I vacuum the earring back up the drain? Yes, with my wet/dry shop vac. Could I get the vacuum hose down the drain line? Yes, with some 1-in. dia. flexible plastic hose ducttaped to the vacuum’s nozzle. How would I keep the earring from being sucked into the vacuum’s tank? I made a filter out of an old pair of my wife’s pantyhose by taping the foot of one leg over the end of the hose.
As shown in the drawing, I ran the hose down the gullet of the sink. On the third probe, there was a little pearl earring trapped in the mesh, along with unknown debris. This trick saved the earring and a lot of time. And after a good washing, the pantyhose were no worse for wear.
Paul M. Moe, Mill Valley, CA
