How to Unclog a Shower Drain: 6 Easy Methods That Work

Here’s how to unclog a shower drain: pull the cover and remove the hair by hand or with a barbed plastic tool. If water still sits, pour hot water and dish soap, try baking soda and vinegar, then plunge or use a hand snake. Most shower clogs are hair and soap scum sitting just below the drain opening.

Standing in ankle-deep water is no way to start the day. The good news is that most shower clogs come out with tools you already own, and you can work through the six methods below in under an hour. If the water still won’t go down, our professional drain cleaning service can clear it. Call (336) 462-1080 and a real person will answer, day or night.

Key Takeaways

• Start with your hands. Pulling hair out of the drain opening fixes most shower clogs in a few minutes.
• Go from gentle to strong. Work through hot water, baking soda and vinegar, a plunger, then a snake, in that order.
• Skip the chemical mix. Never combine drain cleaners with bleach, vinegar or a second brand of drain opener.
• Mind your pipes. Use hot tap water, not boiling water, if your drain lines are PVC plastic.
• Know when to stop. If more than one drain is slow, the clog is likely deeper than a shower tool can reach.

What Causes a Clogged Shower Drain?

Hair is the main cause. It wraps around the drain crossbar or stopper, then soap scum and conditioner glue it into a thick mat. Every shower adds a little more until water can barely get past.

Other causes include shampoo bottle caps, razor covers, sand and grit, and mineral scale from hard water. Homes on private wells in the Triad can see more scale, since well water is not treated the way city water is.

Signs Your Shower Drain Is Clogging

• Water pools around your feet during a normal shower
• The tub or shower floor takes several minutes to empty after you turn the water off
• Gurgling sounds come from the drain as water goes down
• A musty or sour smell rises from the drain opening
• You can see hair or gray sludge right under the drain cover

How to Unclog a Shower Drain: 6 Methods, Step by Step

Try these in order when you are figuring out how to unclog a shower drain. Each one is a little stronger than the last, and most clogs give up by method two or three. Put on rubber gloves and grab a flashlight before you begin.

1. Remove the cover and pull out the hair. Unscrew the drain grate or pry off a snap-in cover with a flat screwdriver. On a tub with a stopper, the stopper usually unscrews by hand. Shine the light in and pull out any hair you can see. Set a rag over the opening so screws don’t fall in.
2. Use a barbed plastic tool or a wire hook. A plastic drain stick with small barbs costs a few dollars at any hardware store. Push it down, twist it and pull it back slowly to drag out the hair mat. A straightened wire coat hanger with a small hook bent into the end works too.
3. Flush with hot water and dish soap. Squirt a few tablespoons of dish soap into the drain, then follow with a pot of very hot water. The soap loosens soap scum and body oils. If your pipes are PVC, use hot tap water instead of boiling water, since high heat can soften plastic joints.
4. Try baking soda and vinegar. Pour about half a cup of baking soda into the drain, then a cup of white vinegar. Cover the opening and let it fizz for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse with hot water. This helps with light buildup but will not break up a solid hair mat.
5. Plunge the drain. Use a cup plunger, not a flanged toilet plunger. Run enough water to cover the rubber cup, and on a tub, hold a wet rag tight over the overflow plate so the pressure goes down the pipe. For seal and stroke tips, see our plunger how-to guide.
6. Run a hand drain snake. Feed a quarter-inch hand auger into the drain until you feel resistance. Crank the handle clockwise to grab the clog, then pull it back out. Go slow at the trap bend so the cable doesn’t kink or scratch the finish.

If you have tried all six and the water still won’t move, stop there. Forcing a snake harder can damage older drain pipes. Call (336) 462-1080 and we will clear it, with the price approved by you before any work starts.

Which Shower Drain Method Should You Try First?

Match the method to what you see. A quick look under the cover tells you most of what you need to know.

Why You Should Never Mix Chemical Drain Cleaners

Store-bought drain openers are strong acids or strong bases. Mixed with other products, they can release toxic gas in a small, closed bathroom. A New Jersey health alert warns that drain cleaner mixed with bleach can create chlorine gas, and that different brands of drain cleaner can react dangerously when combined.

The same alert describes a plumber who poured an acid drain opener into a drain that already held bleach. He went to the emergency room with breathing trouble. That is why you should follow a few simple rules.

• Never stack products. Do not pour a second drain cleaner, bleach or vinegar on top of the first one.
• Don’t plunge after chemicals. Plunging can splash caustic water onto your skin and eyes.
• Tell your plumber. If you already used a drain cleaner, say so before anyone opens the drain.
• Open a window. Run the bathroom fan and keep kids and pets out of the room.

City Water vs Private Well and Septic Homes

If your home is on a septic system, chemicals are an even worse idea. According to the NC State Extension guide, nearly half of North Carolina homes use septic systems, and household chemicals poured down the drain can kill the helpful bacteria in the tank.

The EPA septic care advice says to avoid chemical drain openers for a clogged drain. Homes on city sewer don’t have a tank to protect, but harsh chemicals can still eat at older metal pipes.

How to Unclog a Shower Drain Less Often: Prevention Tips

Once the water runs free, a few small habits keep it that way. Prevention takes seconds a day, and clearing a clog takes a lot longer.

• Add a hair catcher. A mesh screen or silicone catcher over the drain stops most hair before it gets in.
• Brush before you shower. Loose hair comes out on the brush instead of in the drain.
• Rinse weekly with hot water. A pot of hot water once a week keeps soap scum from hardening.
• Clean the stopper. Pull and wipe a tub stopper every month or two.
• Keep grit out. Rinse off sand and mud outside or in a utility sink.

If the same shower clogs every few weeks, something deeper may be going on. Our article on why drains keep clogging covers buildup, venting and pipe problems. The same tools work in the next room too, so see our steps for unclogging a bathroom sink.

When a Shower Clog Is Really a Bigger Problem

Call a plumber if the toilet gurgles when the shower runs, if water backs up into the tub when you flush, or if several drains are slow at once. Those signs point to a blockage in the main drain line, which a hand snake can’t reach.

Shower Drain FAQs

How do you unclog a shower drain without a plunger?

Remove the cover and pull out the hair by hand, then use a barbed plastic drain tool or a hooked coat hanger. Follow with hot water and dish soap or baking soda and vinegar. A hand drain snake is the next step if the water still sits.

What do plumbers use to unblock drains?

Plumbers use motorized drain snakes that reach far past the trap, and hydro jetting, which scours the pipe walls with high-pressure water. For clogs that keep coming back, a small camera shows exactly what is blocking the line and where, so the repair matches the problem.

What causes standing water in the shower drain?

Standing water usually means a hair and soap scum clog near the drain opening or in the trap. If the shower drains slowly and other fixtures do too, the cause may be a blocked vent or a clog in the main line that needs a plumber.

Does Dawn really unclog drains?

Dish soap like Dawn helps loosen greasy soap scum and body oils when you follow it with hot water. It will not dissolve a mat of hair, though. For most shower clogs, pull the hair out first, then use dish soap to rinse away the film.

Still Standing in Water? Call Our Triad Drain Team

Learning how to unclog a shower drain can save you a service call. Most shower clogs come out with a pair of gloves, an affordable plastic tool and a little patience. When they don’t, you need a plumber who can find the real cause instead of guessing.

All-Star Plumbing of the Triad has been family owned in High Point since 2007, and we clear drains across Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Kernersville and the whole Triad. Whether you need a plumber in Greensboro NC or High Point, call (336) 462-1080 any hour. If we can’t fix it, you don’t pay.

All Star Plumbing
4003 North Main Street, High Point, NC 27265
Phone: (336) 462-1080
Hours: Open 24/7
NC Plumbing License #15130