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Armika74's avatar
Armika74
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago

Sims won´t use sink?

My sims won´t use the sink to do dishes, they pick up the plate and put it down again🙄 I have to put dishwashers in every household or drag the dishes myself. It does not matter if they have the slob trait or not and it has been like this for a long time. Is it a bug or what?

16 Replies

  • MDianaSims's avatar
    MDianaSims
    Seasoned Ace
    2 years ago

    This actually was the issue for me. Usually when I get a new sink, it's because of a kitchen update - and that usually includes kitchen cabinets. 

    I don't think this happened before the sink type update, because I've frequently used kitchen cabinets over sinks before. 

  • You should also check to see what the designation for that sink is. We now have the ability to choose, kitchen, bathroom, or both. If this isn't the problem, check to see if a cabinet is in the way as stated earlier.

  • Any new on this matter? I tried starting new saves, removing my mods, all of the above but the issue still remains. Is it a bug or what?

  • Armika74's avatar
    Armika74
    Seasoned Ace
    2 years ago

    Update: I found the problem, it was a mod after all 😐 Thank you all for the help.

  • robelle24's avatar
    robelle24
    Seasoned Newcomer
    2 days ago

    Have you been able to resolve your issue? I know this was posted 2 years ago. But I am having the same issue. It started after I repaired the game when Sims4 wouldn't open. It had recently updated and yesterday (December 30, 2025), I tried opening it to play and it wouldn't open. It wouldn't show up in Task Manager, but EA seemed to think it was open (it wasn't or took forever to show up in Task Manager). After that, I rebooted my computer. Same thing. So I repaired the game. It loaded. But now I can't wash any dishes (it started after a Birthday party as far as I can tell.) Here's what I've tried:

    • I rebooted the game. 
    • I repaired the game (again). 
    • I moved the sink. (It's in a countertop, so I moved it to another countertop). 
    • I moved the entire sink and countertop. 
    • I replaced the sink. 
    • I replaced the sink with a sink-sink (aka, not in a counter top). 
    • I moved the sink-sink (see previous bullet). 
    • I rebooted the game. 
    • I checked all over the house for any errant dishes (and then clicked and dragged every one I found to the sink-sink). 
    • I had a glass of water and the problem persists. 
    • I set the sink type to Kitchen, then all, then back again. 
    • I added a dishwasher, she can use the dishwasher. So the action to "clean up" is not broken with this item. I then replaced the dishwasher with a different sink. 

     

    None of these worked. 

    Are there any objects impeding the use of the sink?    No. I have no cabinets. I have no decorations. I have no objects in front of the sink. Yes, I tried moving it to another location. 

    Can the sim use the sink at all?    Yes. She can wash hands, get water, etc. She won't wash dishes. 

    Does she indicate she cannot get to the sink? (e.g., waving hands, any thought bubbles).   No. She just picks up the dish and sets it back down. There is no indication she is is obstructed in any way. She just puts it down and the action is cancelled. 

    Can sims in other households wash sinks in the same game?  Yes. Sims in other households can. I joined a random one and tested. I went back to my game and the issue continued.

    Do you have any custom content or mods installed?   No. I do not use either. 

    Are you sure you checked the house for all errant dishes your sim can't reach?  Yes. I did. They were in reachable places. I moved them to the ground and she picked them up, but set them back down again. I ended up deleting them all and went back to double-check if something random, like another object, was stopping her from washing dishes (??). 

    The issue fixed itself.  What did I do?

    I moved a ****ing light fixture and deleted the coffee maker. Neither of which were anywhere near the sink. The light fixture was on the wall above the fridge. Both it and the sink were placed without bb.moveobjects. The coffee maker was on the other side of the fridge on a separate counter entirely. I suspect it was the light fixture. Note: Refer to my bullets as I did attempt to move the sink to another location and she could access it for all other actions except washing dishes. 

    Thanks Game. Cool. Well - for anyone else who is having this issue, above is a list of (as far as I know) of possibly all the things you can try in one consolidated placed to attempt to resolve your issue.