Is your shower drain always full of hair? Find out how to remove hair from the shower drain to restore your water flow and prevent complete blockage. Anyone with long hair knows the challenge of shampooing and conditioning, only to turn off the shower and notice the water draining slowly. We all lose hair daily, and this loose hair tends to wash out and collect in the shower drain as we bathe.
The hair creates a fibrous network around the stopper and inside the pipe where soap scum and shampoo residue collect and harbor bacteria and mold growth. Digging around and removing hair from the shower drain is disgusting and a chore many people dread.
Thankfully there are numerous hacks for how to get hair out of a shower trap. Whether you prefer a hands-off treatment or focus on only using natural clog clearers, there are several solutions. Use a DIY remedy to oust the hair clog so your shower drains correctly.
- How to Get Hair Out of a Shower Trap
- Why Does Hair Collect in the Bathtub Drain?
- Signs of a Clogged Drain
- How to Remove Hair From the Shower Drain
- Removing Hair From the Shower Drain
- A Drain Snake Unclogs Pipes
- Vinegar and Baking Soda Drain Cleaner
- Clear a Drain Clog Using Cream of Tartar
- Lemon Juice for Hair Removal
- Ammonia Bathroom Drain Opener
- Essential Oil Shower Drain Solution
- Boric Acid Dissolves a Hair Clog
- Salt and Drain Cleaning
- Combined Blocked Drain Cleaner
- Commercial Cleaners for a Clogged Shower Drain
- Prevent Clogs With a Hair Catcher
How to Get Hair Out of a Shower Trap
Figuring out how to remove hair from the shower drain can be daunting. Pulling wet slimy hair out of the plug hole with your fingers is unpleasant and unsanitary. Whether your shower drain is emitting an unpleasant odor, draining slowly, or not at all, getting rid of the hair doesn’t have to be a sensory nightmare.
Discover tips for removing hair from the shower drain with boiling water, a plunger, a drain snake, cream of tartar, lemon juice, ammonia, salt, boric acid powder, essential oil, and a combined cleaner.
Why Does Hair Collect in the Bathtub Drain?
Beneath your bathtub stopper is a narrow drain pipe that carries water away from your home and into the wastewater system. The hair that comes loose as you shower goes down the drain and catches on soap scum and grime to form a clog.
This hair clog exacerbates the problem by catching more hair and shampoo residue to create a larger and larger clog until your drain is completely blocked. All drains, whether your shower or kitchen sink drain, are susceptible to clogging, yet the issue tends to worsen when hair is involved.
Whether you wash your dog in the utility sink or shampoo your own hair in your shower, the excess hair creates a fibrous network, leading to blockages building up faster and more often. Though having hair collecting in your shower drain is annoying, it’s easily remedied once you understand how to remove the buildup from your drain.
Signs of a Clogged Drain
The first step in addressing a clogged drain in your shower is recognizing the blockage. You may suspect hair is building up in your drain pipe if you observe clumps sticking out of the plug hole. Alternatively, the water may be collecting in the bottom of the bathtub as you shower because it’s draining slowly.
In the worst-case scenario, water fills the tub and does not go down at all, indicating a complete blockage. A foul odor from your bathtub drain is often a sign of a clog. Clogs harbor bacteria, mold, and rotting organic matter and smell bad as they decompose.
How to Remove Hair From the Shower Drain
Sometimes all it takes is some boiling water to clear the clog in your shower. Give this simple idea a try before moving on to others. Putting boiling water down the drain helps loosen the clog and lets you to gauge the severity of the blockage. The hot water dissolves soap scum and the scale, sometimes enough to allow the hair to pass.
Boil a whole kettle and pour the water slowly down the drain. Wear gloves to protect you from the scalding liquid, and be aware it may splash or back up. Add a little water at a time and keep going until you’ve used the entire kettle. If the water stops going down and is standing and collecting in the bottom of your bathtub, stop and try another method.
Removing Hair From the Shower Drain
If you have a plunger from toilet repair, repurpose it to help clear the hair out of your shower drain. It’s tempting to reach in with a pair of pliers and try to pick out clumps of hair. Although you might be able to reach some of the shallower parts of the blockage, you’re unlikely to get it all.
A plunger allows you to use suction to lift the clog and loosen it in the pipe so it passes. Plunging is an excellent technique if you prefer not to touch decomposing matter.
Run a gentle stream of water into your bathtub, sit the plunger over the plug hole, and press down firmly three or four times. Stop and run a little more water to test if the drain is open. Repeat until the water drains readily, or move on to another method.
A Drain Snake Unclogs Pipes
You’ve probably heard of people who snake hair out of a bathtub trap to restore water flow. A drain snake, drain claw or a drain auger, is a convenient tool to get deep blockages out of your shower drain pipe.
Drain snakes can be purchased relatively cheaply at your local hardware store and are simple for anyone to operate. Insert the end of the snake into your shower drain and unwind it slowly until you feel resistance. Push a little further to skewer the snake into the clog, and slowly reel it back up to bring the clog out with it.
Vinegar and Baking Soda Drain Cleaner
Distilled white vinegar and baking soda combine into an all-natural fizzing cleaner to unclog a drain full of long hair and dislodge any clumps. Baking soda powder and white vinegar undergo a chemical reaction when they meet.
Their cleaning potential plus this reaction dissolves and loosens debris, so it washes away. A drain opener with baking soda and vinegar is a safe alternative to synthetic chemicals.
Pour half a box of regular baking soda into your shower drain and add two cups of vinegar. Leave the drain for ten minutes to allow time for the reaction, and rinse it with running hot water. Repeat the process to ensure all traces of hair are gone and your shower is ready to use.
Clear a Drain Clog Using Cream of Tartar
It might seem unusual that cream of tartar, a common cooking ingredient, doubles as a cleaner and clog remover. Save money on commercial pastes by making your own drain opening paste with cream of tartar, baking soda, and boiling water.
Transfer the baking soda and cream of tartar to a bowl and include just enough water to make a creamy paste. Pour the paste down the drain, followed by half of the water, and wait an hour. Pour the rest of the boiling water in the drain and check the result.
Lemon Juice for Hair Removal
Lemon juice is well known for being a natural cleaning option as it contains citric acid. The citric acid is also helpful in passing a clog of hair through your drain pipe to restore patency. Use lemon juice to open your drain to leave your shower smelling pleasant.
Shake half a cup of baking soda down your shower drain, and follow it with the cup of lemon juice. Leave the baking soda and lemon juice in the drain pipe for an hour or so, and wash away with a whole kettle of boiling water.
Ammonia Bathroom Drain Opener
Ammonia is a powerful household cleaner many people use to clean their bathrooms. This versatile chemical doubles as a drain opener. Boil a kettle, stir a cup of cleaning ammonia into the boiling water, and pour everything down the drain.
Be sure to wear thick gloves for hand protection. Although cleaning ammonia dissolves clogs, it doesn’t smell great, so open a window to air out your bathroom. Wait half an hour for the ammonia to dissolve the hair, and pour another kettle of boiling water down your bathtub drain to rinse it clean.
Essential Oil Shower Drain Solution
If you don’t have any fresh lemons or lemon juice on hand, switch gears and use a citrus essential oil to oust the blockage in your shower drain. This cleaner fixes a bad smell in a shower drain and is safe to use. It’s best used for mild blockages where water drains slowly but is not entirely standing.
Stir the ingredients in the basin, pour down the clogged shower drain, and leave it to rest on the hair for at least half an hour. Run hot water to clean hair from a smelly shower drain and unclog the pipe system.
Boric Acid Dissolves a Hair Clog
The acidity of boric acid powder dissolves hair, soap scum, and hard water deposits in your drain, and the water from your shower drains promptly. Pour half a cup of boric acid down your plug hole and add two cups of distilled white vinegar.
The acidity from the boric acid powder and the vinegar takes about an hour to eliminate the blockage. Test your drain pipe by running the water, and use extra boric acid if necessary.
Salt and Drain Cleaning
Salt is a mildly abrasive antibacterial agent, ideal for loosening light hair buildup in your shower. To take advantage of salt’s cleaning properties, pour a half cup of table salt down your drain, followed by one cup of white cleaning vinegar, leave it in place for an hour, and rinse well with boiling water. If your shower is still draining, slowly repeat the salt treatment.
Combined Blocked Drain Cleaner
Treat stubborn blockages with this combined recipe, including powerful natural drain openers like lemon peels, white vinegar, and baking soda. This drain cleaner works quickly and makes your shower smell great.
A batch takes time to steep, so it’s worth making it ahead and storing it in a dark, cool place, like under the sink, so it’s on hand next time you have a blocked drain.
Pour the white vinegar over the lemon peels in the Mason jar, sealing it, and let it stand for two weeks. To use the cleaning agent, sprinkle a box of baking soda powder down the drain and quickly pour on the lemon-infused vinegar.
To contain the fizzing cleaner, cover the drain with the plug. After giving the cleaner half an hour to work, wash it away with boiling water.
Commercial Cleaners for a Clogged Shower Drain
There’s an impressive selection of products to clean hairballs out of shower pipes if you’d prefer not to craft your own cleaner. However, chemical drain cleaners are highly corrosive and have many safety warnings.
Be sure to read the label carefully, use it per instructions, and heed the safety warnings. Some drain openers are unsuitable for septic systems, so choose an appropriate item for your unique situation.
Prevent Clogs With a Hair Catcher
If you’re tired of getting hair trapped in a drain, a shower drain cover or hair catcher is a clever solution. A hair catcher fits directly over your shower drain like a drain stopper would and has holes for water to pass through while it traps hair.
Look for a hair catcher appropriate for the size of your plug hole and install it according to the manufacturer’s directions. Plan to empty the hair catcher at least once a week or whenever it’s visibly clogged with hair. The shower drain cover keeps hair out of your drain pipes and is easier to clean than blockages.
Did this article equip you with all the relevant knowledge for how to get hair out of a shower trap? You don’t need to pay for an expensive water heater and plumbing service if your shower clogs. It’s distressing to realize your shower isn’t draining properly and hair is collecting in your bathtub drain.
Thankfully, numerous at-home methods exist to take care of this common plumbing challenge so you can shower in peace. Avoid using dangerous chemical drain openers. Use everyday items to eliminate the hair in your drain so water passes smoothly.
If you enjoyed this helpful article about how to remove hair from the shower drain, please share it with your friends and family who are removing hair from the shower drain on Pinterest and Facebook.