It can ruin the warm and coziest of early morning wake-ups, no it’s not the piercing buzz of the alarm clock, it’s the slush of water under your feet immediately after turning on the shower. The culprit: a completely or partially clogged bath tub, shower drain, typically caused by hair and other various nasties.
While you stand there, helpless and dreaming of life without an inch of sudsy bath water under foot, you’ve probably wondered, “What’s the easiest way to unclog a hair filled shower drain?” Well, the answer might surprise you, not just with how easy it actually is but that it can be done using zero harsh chemicals (like Draino, the Works, etc), cost less than one dollar, and have a minimal envirohuman impact.
Step 1: Unfortunately, there is no easy way to dissolve hair (the good Lord must have used some serious raw materials when He made that stuff!) so the first thing you must do is use a screw driver or your fingers to remove the drain cover. Usually the main clog will be just beneath this, if not a few inches down and can be easily removed using a straightened coat hanger. So bite the bullet, pull it–try, try not to look at the monster that’s been residing in your pipes–and throw that thing away!
Step 2: Now the fun part! Using a half cup or so of baking soda and a small bottle of plain white vinegar, pour in the baking soda followed by the vinegar. Once the combination has stopped foaming, you can flush the remaining clog out by pouring boiling water down the drain (a great place to use your tea kettle). Depending on the seriousness of your clog you can also use a small plunger to help pass the blockage.
Congratulations! If you’ve made it this far, your clog has likely subsided, your drain cleared, and your envirohuman impact minimized! If your drain is still clogged after all the steps listed above, you might have a more serious problem that may require the assistance of a trained professional (butt crack and all). You could try a regular store brand clog remover but they will likely yield no better results than the method listed above and with a considerably more negative impact on the environment. Also this way you don’t have to stock chemicals that could be potentially lethal to children or pets!
So keep all natural and ditch the harsh chemical treatments! You can save some time and money knowing that you’ve just reduced your envirohuman impact a little bit more. Not to mention your morning shower will be free of standing, soapy, dirty water!
EHI There! Share your own green household tips below!
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July 19th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Baking soda and vinegar will unclog most of the time, but I find that CLR will always unclog a drain of hair and scale. CLR is my last resort before calling the plumber – which I haven’t had to do since using CLR.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Interesting, Don. I saw this product in the store and wondered whether or not I should buy it. I didn’t, only because I was unsure of whether or not you have to remove the inner plunger/plug from the sink — my sink is older and it is not removable. It forces air out of a can, is that correct? Is it aerosol based? Sounds like it’s more environmentally friendly than chemical-based solutions, such as Draino, but how does this one work?
September 13th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
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I have had this faucet about 3 months now. The flow rate in shower mode is fine. I am happy with it.
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January 30th, 2012 at 10:52 pm
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The followup with boiling water really is key! I had half-remembered you could unclog a drain with vinegar and baking soda but it didn’t seem to be quite working – came here, read this, and realized what I should’ve been doing! Thanks! Now I won’t be stuck standing in mucky water when I bathe…
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