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Thursday, January 31, 2013

An Easy Way to Clean Out Your Shower Drain

I have really thick hair, and my shower drain tends to clog fairly frequently. It's always best to keep it clean regularly, before it becomes a problem (unfortunately, I speak from experience on this). I used to struggle with bent wire clothes hangers, fancy plastic tools designed for cleaning out showers, plungers, and Liquid Plumr, but in my experience, none of these work as well as a thin barber's comb.


That's right! Remove the drain stop (or even work around it if yours doesn't easily come off), then use the skinny end to grab the clumps of hair (and slimy stuff) and pull it out. 



See? Yuck. But it works great. Be sure to dispose of the gross stuff in either the toilet or trash can - don't just wash it down the shower drain (again, I speak from experience). 

4 comments:

  1. Absolutely right! It’s better to clean the drain regularly before it becomes a problem. Although I don’t shed lots of hair everyday, I still use a mesh hair catcher along with the drain. Maybe you should too. You just have to empty the catcher as regularly as you clean your drain. I believe the job would be less weighty. :]

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  2. Darryl, I have tried several different types of mesh hair catchers and I haven't had any luck with them for more than a couple of weeks. The ones I have tried still let hair slip by because they don't seal the edges. I have tried putting the hair catcher down into the drain and that works okay, so maybe I'll go back to that. What type do you recommend?

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  3. Unclogging drains can surely be a little greasy at times. But it’s either you do that, or suffer from the annoying clogged drains that could escalate into a bigger plumbing problem if not attended to immediately. Just clean it off regularly. That’s the best thing you can do to keep it from clogging.
    Lovella @ Perfection Plumbing & Drain Cleaning LTD.

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  4. Cleaning your drains regularly is one way to keep it from clogging. And when clogging do occur, addressing the matter immediately would be the best move to prevent it from escalating into bigger ones. It's fun to see that your thin barber's comb did the job for you, by the way! :) Good job, and thank you for sharing your story!
    James @ Capital Care Plumbing

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