Most of us take our sink pop-up stopper for granted—until it stops working properly. Then we get that “sinking” feeling, and nobody wants that, especially in our house’s bathroom ...

To remove this type of stopper, give it a quarter turn counterclockwise then lift up. There is also another kind of stopper that connects to the pivot rod with a retaining ring.

Is there a way a do-it-yourselfer can remove and clean this popup stopper, or must a plumber be called in to do the job? A-You don`t have to call in a plumber.

Remove the pop-up pivot lever by loosening the retaining nut. The pivot lever attaches the pop-up stopper in the sink to the pop-up handle on the faucet — it makes the stopper go up and down.