A plunger fixes a one-off clog. These signs mean something bigger is going on further down the line.
If the same drain clogs again a few weeks after you cleared it, a plunger or store-bought cleaner only removed the surface blockage. Something further down — grease buildup, a partial root intrusion, scale buildup in older pipe — is still there.
One slow drain is usually local to that fixture. When the kitchen sink, a bathroom drain, and a floor drain are all slow at the same time, the problem is more likely downstream in a shared line, not any single fixture.
If flushing a toilet makes a nearby sink gurgle, air is getting trapped by a partial blockage in the shared line. That's a sign the clog is bigger than what a plunger can reach.
A quick smell after cleaning is normal. A lingering sewer-like odor days later usually means organic buildup is still sitting in the line, out of reach of anything you can pour down the drain.
Water rising in a shower drain when you run the washing machine, or backing up into a floor drain, means the blockage is downstream of both fixtures — a job for professional equipment, not a home remedy.
If any of these sound familiar, professional drain cleaning — cable snaking or hydro jetting, depending on what's causing it — gets to the actual cause instead of just clearing the surface. See our drain cleaning and hydro jetting pages, or call for a free estimate.