When water rises above your ankles while you shower, there’s probably a drain plug in play. Here are some proven methods for cleaning clogged pipes in your shower.
Clogged shower drains are a messy business! Most often, hair that accumulates in bathtubs and showers ends up clogging the drains. Hair traps soap scum, which merges with hair clumps to create impermeable plugs that back up water into shower basins and tubs. When unclogging a shower drain, start with the simplest and safest solution. The best solution for a clogged shower drain is often a DIY method, as commercial drain cleaners can damage pipes if used too often. Follow this sequence of strategies for cleaning clogged drains and let your drain do what it’s supposed to do: let the water flow freely.
Best tools to unclog a shower drain
If you’re wondering how to unclog a shower drain, the answer requires a few tools and household supplies. Take a bucket with screwdrivers, a flashlight, draining tongs or a wire hanger, latex gloves, white vinegar, baking soda, and a plastic garbage bag to hold the debris. Use a toilet plunger, handheld plumber’s drain cleaner and commercial drain cleaner on hand in case they are needed for your clogged shower drain.
First, take a good look at what’s going on in your shower drain. Use a screwdriver to remove the drain strainer cover; soak the drain cover in white vinegar to remove soap build-up. Insert a flashlight into the pipe to see if you can see the shower drain plug. If the blockage is visible, wear gloves and grab a drain claw, thick wire or straightened wire hanger and follow these steps:
- Use pliers to make a hook at one end of the hanger.
- Push the wire, claw or hanger into the drain until you catch the plug.
- Remove cap; repeat as necessary.
- Run hot water down the drain.
If the water still backs up, there are several other ways to unclog a shower drain, such as using a plunger, a plumber’s snake or natural cleaners.
How to use a plunger for a clogged shower drain?
A toilet plunger is a good plumbing assistant for a clogged shower drain; it is designed to force clogs and blockages of any kind down and out of the drains.
- Place the piston so that the cup covers the drain hole.
- For a better seal, coat the bottom of the piston rim with Vaseline.
- Fill the shower basin or bathtub with enough water to cover the lip of the plunger.
- Quickly push the plunger up and down for a few minutes to create suction and push the plug through the drain.
- Flush the drain with hot water.
How to snake a shower drain?
Although not necessary, special shower drain openers can help remove stubborn clogs. A plumber’s disgorger is a type of portable auger. An electric foot pedal that operates a cable that reaches deep into the pipes to hook remote shower drain plugs. Use these instructions to learn how to clear a clogged shower drain:
- Move the cable down the pipe until it stops moving. When the cable stops, you have hit the cap.
- Turn the snake handle counterclockwise to grasp the plug; continue turning until the residue is out of the drain.
- Repeat as needed.
- Run hot water down the drain.
How to unclog a shower drain naturally?
Think of science fair volcanoes spewing lava fueled by a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar; now imagine this eruptive explosion coming down a blocked drain. Try using this chemical reaction to clean your clogged pipes naturally:
- Pour boiling water down the clogged drain.
- Pour 1 cup of baking soda followed by 1 cup of vinegar down the drain.
- Let stand for 15 minutes before rinsing with boiling water.
- Alternatively, try pouring 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of white vinegar down the clogged drain; let it sit for 15 minutes before flushing with boiling water.
A third method is to use water pressure to amplify the rinsing power of the formula. Pour 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of white vinegar down the drain. If it is a bathtub drain plug, place the drain plug in place. For shower drains, use a rubber drain cover or a wet washcloth to block the drain. Fill the tub or shower basin with hot water. Let it sit for 10 minutes before removing the plug; the drain water should push the vinegar-soda softened plug out of the pipe. Rinse with boiling water.
If the water still backs up after trying these DIY methods, turn to a commercial drain cleaner.
How do I use a drain cleaner to unblock shower drains?
Harness the power of commercial drain cleaners when all else fails to unclog a shower drain. Wear gloves and remove all accessible debris and hair before pouring the drain cleaner down the drain. If after one application the blockage persists, try plunging the drain. For stubborn clogs, it may take repeated applications over a few days to unclog the shower drain. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and keep drain cleaners out of the reach of children and pets.
