Feed the metal cable into the drain and crank the handle. This will drill through the hair and either pull it back or break it up. This is a bit messier and takes 10 minutes, but it’s still better than chemicals. You have just pulled a hair monster from your pipes. Let’s make sure you never have to do it again. 1. Buy a Tub Shroom or Drain Catcher This is the single best $15 you will ever spend. A Tub Shroom sits inside the drain and catches 100% of hair while letting water flow through. You simply wipe the hair off the silicone "mushroom" after every shower and throw it in the trash. It’s gross for 5 seconds, but it saves you from drain surgery. 2. Brush your hair before you shower. A shocking amount of hair falls out because of the friction of shampooing. If you brush your hair thoroughly before turning on the water, you remove the loose strands in the dry state where they are easy to throw away. 3. The monthly maintenance rinse. Once a month, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain followed by a squirt of dish soap (Dawn works best). The hot water melts the soap scum, and the dish soap breaks down grease. This flushes out the microscopic strands before they bond. 4. Clean your drain stopper. If you have a pop-up stopper, unscrew it every two weeks. You will be shocked at the "ponytail" wrapped around the screw. Clean it with an old toothbrush. The Verdict: Don't Pour, Pull If you take one thing away from this post, let it be this: Chemicals are a temporary fix that damage your pipes and your health. Manual extraction is permanent, safe, and satisfying.
After testing every method from the drugstore to the kitchen pantry, I’ve found the definitive "best way" to unclog a shower drain. Spoiler alert: It involves a tool that costs less than $5 and takes 60 seconds. best way to unclog a shower drain full of hair
Go to the hardware store, buy a $3 plastic drain snake, and spend 60 seconds of your life becoming the hero of your own home. The first time you pull that slimy wad of hair out of the darkness and watch the water swirl away in a clean vortex, you will feel a primal joy that no bottle of Drano can ever provide. Feed the metal cable into the drain and crank the handle
Push the plastic snake down the drain until you feel resistance. You want to push it past the hair clog. You have just pulled a hair monster from your pipes
Let’s dive in (pun intended). Before we fix the problem, let’s understand it. Hair doesn't just float down the drain. It binds. Wet hair is sticky. As it travels down the pipe, it catches on crossbars, drain stoppers, and built-up soap scum (that waxy residue from bar soap). Once a few strands get stuck, more hair sticks to it. Then, the soap and minerals from hard water glue it all together into a slimy, rope-like monster called a "drain snake."