How To Unblock Shower Drain: Keeping Your Bathroom Healthy

How To Unblock Shower Drain: Keeping Your Bathroom Healthy

How To Unblock Shower Drain: Keeping Your Bathroom Healthy

Why is it important to keep hair out of your drain?

The bathroom is the heart of the home, whether you live alone or live in a busy family of 5 setting, you’ll know that if there’s ever a bathroom problem, panic sets loose. Making sure the bathroom is safe & hygienic is a necessity in our homes. Cleaning your bathroom can often require a few focal points, whether that’s cleaning the shower head, toiler or drain, there’s always something that needs extra focus.

If you have long hair, it is especially important to keep it out of your drain. Hair alone can be a nightmare for drainage issues, Hair can quickly build up and clog your drain, causing a major backup. Not only is this a huge annoyance, but it can also be expensive to have a bathroom professional come and clear the clog. The main issues with hair in your shower drain is that it’s difficult to remove, often even the heavy chemicals can’t break it down, meaning you’ll likely have a build up of small hair pieces until your shower drain is completely blocked.



How to unblock a shower drain?

There are a few different ways that you can remove hair from your drain. One way is to use a drain snake. This is a long, flexible tool that you insert into the drain to physically remove the hair. Drain snakes are typically used for smaller clogs, and don’t usually require a professional plumber to operate. It’s a helpful DIY item to have in the essentials cupboard, it’s a much healthier option than using harsh chemicals. That being said, using a drain snake requires patience and light-handedness, as being too heavy or loose with the placement can often cause PVC Pipes to dislodge. Another way is to use a drain plunger. This tool creates suction that can help to loosen the hair so that it can be flushed out of the drain. Plungers can be used in a number of our household amenities, such as toilets, kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks and more. Whilst a plunger may not be your first choice for the shower drain, it’s a valid first go to before pouring bleach and cleaning solution away and getting no results.

However, if it’s an ongoing issue…

If your shower drain is constantly clogged with hair, there are a few things you can do to dissolve the hair and keep your drain flowing freely. One option is to pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar. Let this mixture sit for an hour, then flush with hot water. Another option is to pour a pot of boiling water down the drain, followed by a half cup of baking soda. Let this mixture sit for an hour, then flush with hot water. You can also try using a plunger to dislodge any hair that may be stuck in the drain. If you find that your drain is still clogged after trying these methods, you may need to call a professional to clear the drain for you.
Baking soda mixtures should be used weekly for a monthly basis to try and alleviate the build up of hair and other blockages, after a month of no results, we advise calling a professional and explaining what you have already tried.

How to prevent drain clogging?



The answer to prevention isn’t to stop washing your hair all together, it’s to
To prevent hair from clogging your drain in the first place, you can try using a drain cover. This will catch the hair before it has a chance to go down the drain.

The best practices for using the drain cover, is after each wash, wipe down your bathroom walls or shower panels with a damp microfibre cloth, this should catch any excess rogue hairs, finally, once all water washes away, lift your drain cover and discard the hairs in your bathroom bin.

You can also try using a mild shampoo or conditioner to help prevent hair from washing down the drain. Studies show that milder shampoos are less likely to contain harsher chemicals which can result in hair loss.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for ways to keep your hair from clogging your drain, there are a few things you can do first before resulting to nasty chemicals which can be dangerous to touch, and often leave nasty traces in your bathrooms.

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