How Do I Unclog My Shower Drain?

You can use household items to unclog your shower and bathtub drains as well as drains in your kitchen.

It's very common to experience backed up drains around the house. Food is probably responsible for most of the blockage in the kitchen. Luckily, flipping on the garbage disposal will get rid of that problem almost immediately. But in the shower, it's a different story. More likely than not, the hair that's sometimes shed while bathing is the main culprit. And since there's no garbage disposal in the shower, it may be time to get a little more creative when figuring out how to unclog these drains.

Don't worry, you don't need to run out to the store to buy some product to pour down the drain. Instead, you can find all of the materials you need around your house to successfully unclog most shower drains. Here are a few different ways to do it:

Boiling water

This is probably the simplest way to unclog a bathtub or shower drain. Simply boil water and slowly pour it down the drain. With any luck, you won't need any additional supplies or steps and you'll have a clear drain once again.

Coat hanger

Go grab a coat hanger from your closet. Shape one end into a small hook (using your hands or a pair of pliers if necessary). Fish it down into the shower drain to grab the built-up hair and draw it out. Depending on how long it has been since you last did this, you may want to remove the drain itself (unscrew it) so that you can more easily get your coat hanger hook all the way down to unclog the shower drain.

Baking soda and vinegar (or salt) mix

You can do this two different ways but they will both require equal parts of baking soda and vinegar or salt (1/2 cup each). The first method is to mix the baking soda and vinegar before pouring it down the drain. You will notice a chemical reaction taking place by a bubbling or fizzing when the two substances mix together. If you prefer, you can pour the baking soda down the drain first followed by the vinegar (or salt followed by boiling water). The mixture is a great way to remove the tough grime, grease and hair that has built up. Make sure you run hot water through the shower drain before showering again, especially if you use vinegar.

Dish detergent

If your drain is still clogged, try using a thicker lubricant to loosen the built-up hair that has accumulated to block the drain. Pour 1/4 cup of your dish detergent down the drain followed by boiling water. The thick dish detergent should free the hairs from being stuck to the side of your drain and the water will rinse the rest of the unwanted gunk out, unclogging your shower drain.