You know the situation: You’re enjoying a nice, relaxing shower after a hard day’s work when you notice the water level starting to rise. Oh no, the drain’s blocked again! Hair is usually the main culprit, and it’s no wonder when the average person sheds between 50 and 100 hairs a day! Don’t worry, though—we have tips on how to free your drain of clogged hair.
A clogged drain doesn’t automatically equal a phone call to the plumber. Luckily, there are several routes you can go down first to rid your drain of clogged hair. Some use products that you might already have around the house; therefore, getting rid of hair in your drain has never been easier or cheaper. Let’s take a look at the different options:
If you’re able to lift or unscrew your drain cover and can actually see the hair clumps near the top, then tweezers or pliers are the ideal solution. They reach farther down than your hand would, plus they can easily grab hold of the culprit, making it easier to remove the hair from the drain. Just make sure you don’t use the same tweezers as in your beauty routine!
This method works just like the one above except it’s better for hair in the drain that’s hard to reach. Simply take a wire coat hanger and stretch it out, but make sure the hook shape stays intact. Lower the hanger hook into the drain and twirl it around a few times so that the hair gets caught on it. Pull up the hanger, throw the hair away and repeat the process several times until the drain is free.
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A plunger is best for removing blockages that are far down in the drain and can’t be reached very easily. Place the plunger over the hole and move it up and down to cause suction. The pressure of the water being forced up and down will dislodge most blockages and allow them to continue on through the drain pipe.
This tool is a long, flexible wire that is usually about 1/4-inch thick and has a handle on one end. It works the opposite way as a plunger since you push the snake as far into the drain as possible until you feel resistance. Start to twist the snake so it either attaches itself to the blockage or it breaks it up. Pull the snake up out of the drain and, hopefully, the hair ball is either attached to it or it’s broken up enough to flow down the drain.
There’s not much that baking soda can’t do, so obviously it’s going to feature in a list on ways to remove hair from a drain. Put about four tablespoons of baking soda and then about half a cup of vinegar into the drain. When the two household products mix, you will hear a bubbling sound and see it fizz. When this subsides, rinse out the drain with hot water. The blockage should now be cleared.
If all the aforementioned methods haven’t worked, it’s time to move onto the harder stuff, namely a chemical drain cleaner, which works by dissolving grime in the drain. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions for use and wear gloves or protective clothing if stated on the bottle. Also, please keep out of reach of any children or pets in the home.. Most cleaners needtime to work their magic, so avoid using the drain if the product needs to sit in the drain for 30 minutes or so! Flush the drain with hot water for around one minute to clear away the cleaner and flush down any hair.
We hope this article helped you unclog your drain. We also have other helpful articles on bathroom topics such as how to get a clogged toilet back to normal and tips on cleaning your toilet. Be sure to register with Ask Team Clean to get useful articles and exclusive rewards sent to your email address.