Ways to Clean your Shower Drain

It’s very alarming to see that as you take your shower, the water starts pooling under your feet. This is mainly because it calls for your attention to clean your shower drain. How does one clean a drain? If you find yourself asking this, well we’ve got the answer for you. But before we go to the steps, we’d like to give a reminder to make sure that the problem won’t last as it may cause odor problems, mold, and overflowing water which are the ingredients to having a complete disaster.

Now let’s get down to business and learn some steps on how to have your drain working in no time without the expense of having a professional do a minor job. Remember that clogged drain is mostly caused by hair buildup and residue from your shampoo and soap. For the hair buildup, know that each strand of hair that your sight misses, is a strand added to the others that have already gone down the drain. And this causes the clog. This is why it’s very important to keep your clean show drain to avoid troubles of adding drain-cleaning to your chores.

The simplest solution of all is using a plunger. It works just as effective as it does a toilet especially when there’s standing water in your tub. Just plunge a few times and the water should quickly and freely flow down your pipe.

By using an enzyme detergent, you can also unclog your drain. An example of an enzyme detergent would be a dish soap. Dish soaps can break up grease, proteins and other deposits. Just pour a cup down the drain and let it sit for an hour. You can then flush it with hot water. The clog should be dissolved.

A combination of baking soda and vinegar is like a science project that works effectively in unclogging. It works by putting half a cup of baking soda down the drain and following it up with a cup of vinegar. As soon as the vinegar is poured down, fizzing will occur and when this happens you’ll need to have a rag cover the drain to avoid the mixture from fizzing out completely. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then you can complete the process by flushing it down with hot water.

There will be times where the clog would need an extensive attention; thus, requiring a snake. You can use a snake or a drain auger that’ll reach down the pipe and dislodge the blockage.

Not all are equipped with a snake and one can experience a clog during the most inconvenient time. So in the case of not having a snake or a drain auger, a wire coat hanger would work as a snake just as well. Simply unravel the hanger and bend the other end to create a hook. You can then insert it to the drain to pull out the clog. Be careful in doing this as you might push the blockage further down.

Using a vacuum cleaner may sound really strange for resolving clogs but as strange as it sounds, it works great especially for drains whose metal catch basins are broken. Simply position the hose over the drain and fire it up. It should be able to get the blockage out.

These are simple steps that you can follow to unclog a drain. But note that this problem can reoccur when paying no attention to it after successfully unclogging it. So once you have the drain freely working again, any strand of hair should be picked up after a shower. Also, use a drain basket or a screen so you can keep the hair from falling right down the pipe.

If you experience slow draining, take this as a sign and proactively do the steps stated above.

In the event that none of the methods above work, your plumbing may have a problem that only a professional can fix. You can dial your plumber straight away in that case.