How Do You Unblock a Badly Clogged Shower?

How can a clogged shower drain be cleared? 

First, we need to stress to avoid using over-the-counter chemical drain cleaners. Is it safe to use chemical drain cleaners on a clogged shower drain?  No, with enough use of chemical drain cleaners, you can damage the pipes. Additionally, if not used with the utmost caution of eye and skin protection, any splash back can damage your eyes or burn your skin. 

Are there any natural ways to clear a clogged shower drain? 

Yes, in addition to avoiding the chemical products that claim to clear clogged shower drains, you can try the following methods: 

• Pour boiling water down the clogged drain after removing any hair in the drain. If that doesn’t clear the clogged shower drain, try the next step.
• Pour one cup of baking soda in the drain, followed up by one cup of white vinegar. Wait 30 minutes and then run hot water for 5 minutes. If that doesn’t work, the next step is: 
• Try plunging the clogged shower drain If that fails, next step: 
• Use a plumber’s snake and if that fails, call a professional plumber.

What are some signs of a clogged shower drain? 

There are three indications that you have a clogged shower drain: 

• Bad odor – a clogged shower drain will start to have an odor from the wastewater collecting in the pipes.
• Slow draining – if your shower is starting to drain slower and slower, you probably have a clogged shower drain and its starting to worsen. 
• Water puddles – if you have water puddling up around the shower, you may have a clogged shower drain or something worse. 

How can a clogged shower drain be prevented? 

If a clogged shower drain is a frequent occurrence for you, the following will help minimize, even eliminate, the problem from occurring again: 

1. Bar Soap
Bar soap is the biggest culprit in soap scum accumulating inside the pipes. When this build up starts, other substance like hair will cling to it, and in short time, you have a clogged shower drain. Plumbers recommend using liquid bath soap instead because it rinses down the drain faster.

2. Hair Catcher
On average, we shed between fifty and one hundred hairs every day, most of that during our daily shower.  That hair accumulates in the pipes, clinging to the soap scum we discussed above. By using a hair catcher on the shower drain, you eliminate one possible cause of a clogged shower drain. 

However, the short hair left behind from shaving will still flow into the shower drain, even with a hair catcher. Those short hairs will cling to the  soap sum and other personal care products you may use.  There are hair catchers with smaller holes that can eliminate this problem. 

3. Sand
When you get home from a day at the beach or lake, before you and your family members take a shower, rinse off outside. By removing any sand on the bodies will keep you from having a clogged shower drain. 

4. Body Scrubs
Body scrubs will coat the interior of the plumbing just like bar soap, contributing to a clogged shower drain because they exfoliate the skin, which is rinsed down the drain too.