Plungers Are For Toilets

In my experience, it is not a good idea to use a toilet plunger on a clogged sink or bathtub drain.  Such clogs usually consist of soap residue and/or hair, and a plunger just packs them in tighter.  You may experience some temporary relief, but you are likely just blowing a hole in the clog, leaving the remainder to snag more soap and/or hair, and the next clog will likely be more difficult to clear than the last one.  The best way to clear such a clogged drain is with a liquid drain cleaner like Drano or Liquid Plummer.  Read and follow the instructions, especially the ones pertaining to safety.  Keep some on hand and, next time, don't wait until the drain is completely clogged.  Give it a treatment anytime the drain slows down considerably.  I understand that common household bleach works too, but not as effectively.  Both products are caustic (alkaline), but drain cleaner is much stronger than bleach.  Whatever you do, don't mix either of them any acid product like ammonia.  The interaction can produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which is poisonous.  Come to think of it, you should check with your maintenance guy before you do any of this, because it might interfere with whatever system he is using.

Speaking of your maintenance guy, I think I know what he might have down to clear your drain.  I'm assuming that you have somebody above you and somebody, or maybe a basement, below you.  The Q-Tips likely came from above, and the clog likely formed below.  The maintenance guy probably had dealt with this issue before, and he knew where to look for the problem.  He probably went downstairs, opened a cleanout trap, and maybe ran a sewer snake through it.  Then he came back up just to make sure that everything came out all right.

Okay, I did indeed get my ends and means mixed up last night.  What I meant to say is that, if the end is wrong, it will not justify any means.  Of course, what one person considers a wrong end, another person might consider a right end.  Maybe a better way to say it would be, "Before you consider whether or not the end justifies the means, you should consider whether or not the end itself is justified."