If your shower drain seems excessively clogged, you may consider hiring the services of a plumber. However, you may be able to avoid this expense by using one of our simple methods. Most clogged shower drain issues can be rectified with straightforward methods and tools you’ll already have at home. Here are just five DIY ways in which you could unclog your drain without having to pay for a professional to do the job for you:

Boiling water

Simply boil some water on a stove and pour the hot water down your drain. It’s a good idea to use a funnel to contain the hot water as you pour it. This will help keep you safe and stop any expensive shower accessories from being ruined with boiling water.

It’s worth noting that this method will not work on serious blockages involving matted hair that has gradually built up over time. For smaller blockages, it is ideal, especially when used with one or more of the methods below.

Plunger

Plunging could be successful depending on the design of your drain, where the blockage is within the drain, and the nature of the blocked material. With clogged hair, you might struggle to get enough suction for plunging to be an effective technique.

When using a plunger, try smearing the suction pad edges with petroleum jelly. This will create a better seal. You should also add water to the shower, ensuring that the suction pad is submerged. Plunging has a relatively low success rate on shower blockages, but it’s a time and cost-minimal exercise.

Baking soda and vinegar

This natural solution is more environmentally-friendly than using harsh chemicals – and just as effective. All you need to do is pour baking soda (approximately one cup’s worth) down your drain and wait a few minutes. Now you should pour a cup of vinegar into the drain too. You should leave this mixture in your drain for at least two hours. You should then clean your drain by pouring boiling water down it.

If this natural method does not work, you may have to resort to using specialist cleaning chemicals or consulting a plumber.

Remove the blockage by hand

If you’re not afraid of getting your hands dirty you may want to remove the shower drain cover, look inside the drain and pull out any blockages with your fingers. This is an ideal method for fixing small hair clogs, but it will not be effective at removing clogs caused by limescale or other mineral build-ups.

Use a hook

If you’re unable to reach a blockage as described in method #4, you may wish to use a hook to try and “fish” the offending blockage out. You won’t need to go to any effort to purchase special tools – sometimes a wire coat hanger will suffice.

If you’ve tried each of these methods to no avail, you may want to consider hiring the services of a professional plumber. Plumbers and heating engineers usually have purpose-built tools for clearing blockages, and access to industry-standard chemicals to dissolve any major mineral build-ups.

If you need help unclogging your drain, contact the pros at D&N Plumbing and Gas!