Nasty Clog Ruining Your Showers?
Learn how to remove that gross clog and enjoy your showers again with these simple steps.
Is your shower draining slower than usual?
Are your feet subjected to an unwanted bath?
If you answer yes to either of the questions, your shower drain is CLOGGED.
But with what?
It could be your child’s small toy or a small snake, but it is most likely a build-up of several other things.
Of course, the most common answer is hair.
I believed that hair was THE ONLY culprit for my clogged drains. I mean, it makes sense. It is my balding head and little pieces of leg hair tangling up and clogging the drain. Right?
Actually, two other things can clump up with your hair to create a nasty clog.
1. Soap scum
Your soap is made of fats, and it reacts with hard water (water that contains high amounts of mineral) to create soap scum. Soap scum can harden. So when it washes down your drain and dries, it can get stuck there and potentially clog your drain over time. If other things get washed with it, like hair, it can trap your hair and cause even more build-up. ¹
2. Skin oil + Dead skin cells
You shower to get clean, but the dirt, dead skin cells, and oil from your skin do not just magically disappear. It washes down in your drain and can get stuck in there too.
All of these working together can create a clog in your drain and lead to a not so relaxing shower experience and a hefty plumbing expense.
Now plumbers are excellent for fixes that you cannot do or want to do, but they can cost anywhere between $135–302. ²
Before you make the call, here are a few things you can do to unclog a shower drain:
1. Get your hands dirty (or wear gloves)
Remove any visible clog in your drain. Pull out your hair or your kid’s toy from the drain. To get into clogs, you cannot reach, use a wire hanger and snake out any gunk you can. Make sure to create a little hook at the end of the wire, so the hair stays latched on when you pull it out.
2. Get your plunger.
Start pumping that clog out and make sure the mouth of the plunger covers the drain. Pump it a few times to create enough pressure to release the gunk in your drain.
3. HOT WATER.
No. Not hot water that comes from your shower. I mean HOT water — boiling on your stove. Pour that baby directly into your drain. The hot water works by melting and loosening the soap scum stuck in your drain.
*For anyone with PVC pipes, heat your water to 140℉ (or 60 C). Anything higher for PVC pipes can loosen the joints and cause leakage or BURST. ³
We don’t want that. That’s worse than a clogged drain — and more expensive to replace.
4. Dish detergent + Hot water
You use dish detergent to remove fat and grease off dishes. So you can definitely use it to remove soap scum and oils from your drain.
Mix dish detergent with hot water and pour it directly down the drain. Repeat if necessary. ⁴
5. Salt + Hot water
Everyone has salt at home. The coarseness of the salt acts as a scrub inside the pipe and helps push out and remove excess grease and dead skin cells.
Pour ½ cup of salt (any salt) down your drain and follow it up with 2 liters of hot water. Repeat if necessary. ⁵
But why isn’t baking soda & vinegar on the list?
Like many of you, I believed in the baking soda and vinegar remedy. However, my bubble was burst.
An experiment showed that baking soda and vinegar actually does not do much for a clogged drain. It does not remove any fat or grease stuck in the drain. It also does not create enough pressure to push out the clog. All it does is create a fun, bubbly science experiment in your drain. ⁶
Can I use harsh drain cleaners to unclog my shower?
Short answer — Yes, you CAN.
Which one should I use? None of them.
Sometimes, it is tempting to pour harsh chemicals down your drain because it is so easy. You don’t have to do much work. You pour, and it dissolves your clogs. But like the dead skin cells, skin oil, and hair that goes down your drain, it does not disappear after you see it go down the drain.
Harsh drain cleaners are effective because they break down and corrode materials — ANY KIND OF MATERIAL. This includes your hair clog, your clothes, your skin ⁷, and if inhaled, your lungs. ⁸
When you pour harsh chemicals down your drain, it also pollutes the water supply. Imagine what kind of damage it can cause to people AND wildlife in the long run. ⁹
Before you enjoy your shower, here are some tips to prevent another clogged drain.
1. Slap your hair against the wall
What? Yes. If you have long hair and lose hair like you are balding, take your hair strands and slap it against the wall. Toss it in the trash after you shower.
I do this because I can see how much hair I lose, and I don’t have to reach down to grab my hair from the drain cover.
2. Get a drain cover
It is cheaper than calling a plumber, AND it makes clean up easy. Prevent your hair from sneaking past you and into the drain — clogging it AGAIN.
*Make sure you take a measurement of the drain size before you head to the store to buy one.
3. Maintenance
Every few weeks, give your drain its own hot shower. Heat some water, get some salt or detergent, and pour it down your drain to prevent build up.
Lastly, I am aware; shit happens — hopefully not in your drain… but at-home remedies may not work for the BIG stuff.
So call a professional, they know what to do. It may cost a pretty penny, but it is worth not flooding your home.
Now go and enjoy your well-deserved shower!
Thinking of cleaning your fridge too? Click here to learn how.
