If you are connected to a public sewer system and not to a well or septic tank, you can use bleach to both clean and deodorize a clogged sink. The reason is that lengthy hair wraps around the drain making it difficult to shift. This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Ensure that the entire drain opening is entirely covered by the plunger’s head. Turn your sink on and let water rush into the drain. If plain boiling water doesn’t do the trick, then there’s a few other things you can try. But there is a thing called a p-trap underneath your sink. How To Unclog A Shower Drain When Drano Doesn’t Work, How To Get Rid Of A Smelly Shower Drain! After about a half hour any hair the bleach is in contact with will dissolve. There are several ways you can attempt to unclog a drain on your own before calling a plumber for help, though bleach should not be one of them. You will use the hook to remove hair and other debris from inside the shower drain. Moreover, it’s environmental impact is larger, so other methods are preferred. Bleach can dissolve any fiber that has acidic properties. Just start with an almost full cup of bleach, pour it down the drain and then follow the rest of the procedure with the baking soda solution we have discussed above. Namely, you need to make sure that your tub is completely dry. Bleach can damage the blades of your garbage disposal, destroy rubber gaskets and corrode plastic and lead pipes. Homemade drain cleaner recipes diy cleaning how to unclog shower sink drain pvc pipes to soften or melt bleach dissolves hair mitch clemmons musty smell in shower drain How To Unclog A Sink 10 S With Pictures WikihowBleach Dissolves Hair Mitch Clemmons Plumbing Lahabra Fullerton BreaHow To Unclog A Sink 10 S With Pictures WikihowHow… Read More » The most important thing to know is how to unclog a shower drain. Tip. Therefore, you need to drain all the water from the tub and the bathtub drains as well. To unclog a drain with the power of chemistry, follow these steps: Remove any visible debris from the drain opening; Pour ¾ cup dry baking soda down the drain; Pour ½ cup vinegar down the drain and cover immediately with a rag or plug; Leave it in there for 30 minutes, and prepare boiling water; Remove the plug and slowly pour the hot water down the drain ; It’s that simple. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. A slow drain not treated can turn into a much more serious problem and cause a disaster at home. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a naturally-occurring mineral compound. Even if you don’t have an uncovered drain hole, you may want to replace your current drain cover with this device because it easily prevents hair clog problems in the long term. give it some time. Does Shower Water Drain Into The Septic Tank? Is it possible to permanently avoid clogs in your shower drain? Absolutely. Let’s just imagine for a moment. You need to have the plumber’s snake to use this method. Then pour 1 cup of liquid detergent and wait a few minutes. Pouring bleach down your pipes is also bad for the piping and wears them down making them weaker and reducing their long life spans. Pour 1 cup (250 ml) of undiluted bleach directly down the sink drain. In older homes, where lead pipes have been repaired with brass fittings and copper pipe, due to a reaction between the two metals. Push the snake down the drain and only slow when you find some resistance inside the shower drain. Yes, bleach can help you too to clean your shower drain. If your home is on a septic system, then no, you should not pour bleach down the drain. For those of us with septic tanks, bleach can kill the beneficial bacteria and other micro organisms that we need in our septic tanks to break down the sewage into sludge. The corrosive qualities of bleach can easily discolor your sink or the drain. And you don’t have to use any chemicals at all. One of the things you may not realize is that not everything you pour down the sink drain actually goes away. first try putting a large amount of baking soda, at least a cupful directly over the drain. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then flush the drain with hot water. Follow this up with another liter of boiling water poured into the drain. You can use ethanol or plenty of water to rinse your bathtub. It’s a great stain remover. You’ll need to carefully pour some bleach into a cup and then dump it down your shower drain. Well, a clogged drain line can clear itself, given enough height of standing effluent.If the toilet's trap itself is clogged, sometimes, if you fill the water to near the top of the bowl it will unclog, but that would be more of a case of the water softening the stool until the flush can finish. However, if you suspect that your drain is clogged with grease, which might be the case if you’ve been pouring grease down your kitchen sink, then I highly recommend you use a commercial cleaning product to unclog the drain. In readiness to use this method, ensure that there is no soapy water around the drain area. This will help loosen up the clogged drain. Start by removing the rubber stopper; next, insert the plumber’s snake down the shower drain. If you used the baking soda solution method and you could not dissolve hair in the shower drain, this method will help you to pull out the remaining hair. Also, pouring bleach can harm the integrity of your drains and pipes. Place the rubber stopper back to its position and allow the reaction underneath for the next 45 minutes. And as an Amazon Associate, we earn a commission on qualifying purchases after clicking on those links, at no additional cost to you. Pour another cup of bleach to do a thorough unclogging. Sorry, I did not tell you that you will require white distilled vinegar! Remove the rubber stopper on your shower drain opening. If water is still flowing too slowly, repeat the same procedure until the drain is clear. The Clever Homeowner is reader-supported. Turning off the water you look down and see the tray overflowing onto the bathroom floor. What you may not know is that other chemical reactions that involve bleach can create significant amounts of heat. Cover the drain opening with a stopper or drain cover and allow the concentrated blend of baking soda and vinegar work on the inside of the pipes for about 15 minutes. Keep repeating the process until you can no longer remove any hair. It’s a lose-lose scenario. But, if you were pour bleach down the drain and forget to flush it with water afterwards, and then unknowingly add another chemical, you could put yourself in real danger. (Top 3 Tips). After the lapse of the 45 minutes, remove the rubber stopper and pour down the boiling water. For the first method, you're going to boil 1 liter of water and pour it in the drain. Since mineral build-up, scum, soap, hair and other debris are unavoidable realities in your bathroom; you need to know how to unclog a shower drain whenever it seems clogged. To achieve this, you can use a pair of pliers. In summary, you don’t need to worry about how to unclog a shower drain since I have provided you with plenty of alternatives. Let it set and after it sets, flow hot water down your pipes. After some moment, turn on your water to see if there is some steady flow. If you want to try something with a little more cleansing power behind it, then try a mix of baking soda and vinegar. Run hot water through your bathtub to see your bathtub drain to see if it’s unclogged (do it for 5 minutes) Make sure you clean the residue of the bleach of the metal surfaces. Wait for the smell of the bleach to dissipate. However, they can help you with shower clogs as well. Construct a small hook at the one end of the straightened wire hanger. Follow this with a full cup of baking soda in the drain area. http://www.BasicPlumbingRepair.com Bryan Stevens is a Licensed Master Plumber in 6 states and an Accredited Green Plumber with 25 years of experience. Another most effective means of unclogging a shower drain is the use of snake. If you care about the budget, then you should know bleach is not as expensive as bottled drain cleaners, while it is much more efficient. Anyone of these methods should be effective to clear the clog in your shower drain. If you know how to unclog a shower drain with bleach, the entire work will be quite easy to you. The use of plunger can still be applicable when the shower drain has some standing water. Bleach can corrode your drain so it’s not as safe as vinegar and baking soda. The most common clogs in kitchen drains are from fat, oil, and grease. As you can see the working of the plumber’s snake method, you can be able to use to unclog a shower drain that has standing water. You shouldn’t leave the bleach much longer than 15 min, or it may corrode your pipes. Simply pouring boiling, or very hot water down the drain can fix a clogged sink or shower in no time. Try bleach. Conclusion. Are you still asking yourself how to unclog a shower drain with standing water? If the smell is still there, you need to take other measures, like calling a professional. But, the problem occurs when the clog is so huge so the water can’t go down the drain. Chlorine gas can be very harmful to you and your family. Why should you not resort to using bleach to unclog your bathtub drain? Pour a cup of bleach into your shower drain and wait for some about thirty minutes for the bleach to melt the clogs. Short hair rarely gets caught in the drain system which means that longer hair is mostly to blame. The first thing to do is pour the boiling water into the drain to soften the pipes a bit. Learn how your comment data is processed. At least not until you completely flush it completely down with another liquid like water. If you notice an improvement, but a part of the clog is still there, pour another cup of bleach. Step 3 Pour another cup of bleach down the drain if the odor persists. 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