A clogged shower drain can be a significant inconvenience in Sydney. What has caused your shower drain to stop, and how can you restore it? Get the answers you need in this blog.

Hair In The Drain

This is, by far, the most common cause of a clogged shower drain. Hair causes many drain problems since it can clump up and block the drainage of your shower and other drains in your home.

Soap Runoff & Soap Scum

Hair and soap often combine to create clogs. Soap scum is caused by soap interacting with hard water and can cling to hair and other debris, binding it together and causing a significant clog.

Dirt & Grime

If you work in an industry where you often get dirty, or you have kids who run around and get a lot of dirt and mud on themselves, this dirt, soil, and grime can combine with hair in the drain to cause large clogs.

Removing And Preventing Shower Drain Clogs

Are you looking for a home improvement project? Don’t want to call a plumber? Here are a few ways to remove a shower drain clog and prevent them in the future.

Use a wire coat hanger to break up the clog.

You can remove the drain cover and use a wire coat hanger to eliminate the clog. Drain snakes, which can be purchased at a hardware store, are also a good option. They are made of long flexible tubing with a drill-like tip that digs into the clog and breaks it apart.

Pour in baking soda and vinegar.

Get a cup of baking soda and pour it into the drain opening. Then, follow it up with a cup of vinegar. The chemical reaction between these two compounds can loosen up tough drain clogs.

Try bleach or chemical drain cleaner.

Ensure you wear gloves and pour in a cup or two of bleach or the manufacturer’s recommended amount of drain cleaner. The acidic compounds will eat away at the soap scum, fat, hair, and other things that clog drains. Wearing rubber gloves will protect your hands from the caustic bleach or chemical drain cleaner.

Loosen the clog with dish soap and boiling water.

Pour a half cup of dish soap and pour boiling water into the drain. This will lubricate and break up the hair and soap in your drain.

Plunge the drain

Just grab your plunger and create a tight seal around the drain, then pump repeatedly to break up the clog. If there is standing water, you’ll get a great seal. If the tub or shower is dry, you may want to rub some petroleum jelly around the plunger’s tip to help create the best possible seal.

These tips for unclogging a shower drain are all good – but if you want to prevent hair clogs in the future, we recommend buying a hair catcher for your shower.

These products are usually made of rubber or metal. They are placed over the drain opening and catch most of the hair that may fall out while you shower, preventing it from going down the drain. This, in turn, stops most clogs from forming altogether.

Need Help With A Tough Shower Drain Clog?

We help Sydney residents with big and small plumbing problems at Wilco Plumbing. If you have a brutal shower-blocked drain you can’t get rid of alone, call us at (02) 9186 3371 or online to schedule the plumbing service you need.