How to Unclog Shower Drains

A clogged shower or bath drain is one of the most common bathroom issues that homeowners across the country face.

Whether it's hair, soap or anything that's been dropped while bathing, a clogged drain can be a real pain to fix. Luckily, we have provided several different methods that you can employ to get the water draining properly again.

First, try boiling water

Boiling water doesn't always work to unclog drains, but it's the simplest way to resolve minor clogs. In fact, president of Mr. Rooter Plumbing, Doyle James, advises pouring boiling water down the drain at least once a week to prevent clogging. If that doesn't do the trick, you might be in a 'hairier' situation.

How to unclog a shower drain

1. Remove the drain cover

Take a screwdriver and remove the screws holding the shower drain cover in place.

2. Snake the drain

Use a wire hanger, plunger or even a drain snake to get all the hair, organic matter and other debris out of the way.

3. Flush with boiling water

Pour boiling water into the drain, and if the draining rate still seems slow, you have more digging to do.

4. Repeat steps 2-3 until the drain rate is quick and normal

If the drain rate doesn't improve after snaking and flushing several times, try an organic drain bomb.

How to unclog a bath drain

This will take a bit more effort, but anyone with a screwdriver can do this in five minutes.

1. If you have a trip-lever drain stopper (looks like a classic light switch), undo the screws that hold it in place
2. Gently pull out the trip waste mechanism and remove all the hairs that have clung to it that caused the clog. Clean the lever mechanism, as well as the train and overflow pipe with boiling water before putting the trip lever and plug back in place.
3. If the drain rate is normal without the trip lever and plug but slows when you put them back in, Popular Mechanic suggests the problem could be that the trip waste linkage is too long, and is blocking the overflow pipe. Shorten it by around 1/4th inch by loosening the nut on the linkage's threaded brass arm and then threading the arm into the bracket, which should improve the drain rate. If it's still slow, shorten the linkage a bit more.
4. As for the bath drain itself, follow the above process for unclogging the shower drain. And if the clog is still present or the drain rate remains slow, it's time to call in an airstrike.

Try an organic drain bomb

If boiling water won't budge the clog, it leaves you no other choice but to go with the organic drain bomb. In a HomeServe Living guide to unblocking bath or shower drains, they advise using a combination of 15 tablespoons of baking soda and 100 ml of vinegar to do the job.

1. Spoon or pour 15 tablespoons of baking soda into your drain
2. Pour all 100 ml of the vinegar into the drain
3. After the fizzing is over, flush out the drain with boiling water

Apart from being a cheap and effective way of dealing with any such blockages, another great thing about this concoction is that unlike certain industrial drain cleaners, it doesn't damage your pipes at all. Baking soda and vinegar also won't damage your septic tank, making it an ideal way to also unclog your toilet in the absence of a plunger.

If your drains are still clogged, you might need to resort to industrial drain cleaning solutions or call a plumber. After unclogging everything, make it a habit to pour boiling water down your bathroom drains once a week.