There’s nothing more distressing and disturbing than walking into the shower only to find its drain clogged. Besides restricting water flow, such shower drains can produce unpleasant odors due to bacterial and mold buildups. To avoid such inconveniences and costly repairs, it’s advisable that you take preventive maintenance seriously. Here are some useful tricks you can use to prevent the shower drain from clogging:
Use a Hair Catcher
More often than not, human hair is the main reason for the clogging of shower drains at home. As you shower or comb your hair, the strands can easily break off and find their way into the drains. The hair strands can then form a clump causing clogging. However, using a hair catcher or trap can help you get rid of these hair strands from reaching your drains.
Flush Drains Regularly
While the hair catcher will do the most work to prevent hair into the drains, there are other residues that will still pass through. Body oil products such as lotions, hair conditioners, and glycerin can deposit and cause clogging over time. To prevent this, you can flush the drain using hot water to loosen any gunk or grease deposits that may cause clogging.
Use Natural Solutions
Applying natural solutions can also be an effective way to prevent your shower drains from frequent clogging. While vinegar has proven beyond doubt to be an effective drain cleaner, other products such as baking soda can also help. Because of the chemical components of these solutions, they will help dissolve hair and other obstacles hence clearing your drain pipes. If these solutions don’t work, you’ll want to contact a professional for drain cleaning. They have specialized tools that can remove even the toughest of clogs.
Avoid Emptying Buckets on Drains
Many people have the habit of dumping dirty water in shower drains. While it may seem like a sensible thing to do, it’s high time you refrain from this practice. Dirty water can contain all sorts of sediments and chemicals. When dumped into shower drains, it can cause trouble down the draining pipes. If you don’t have a safe place to dump dirty water, you can invest in mesh traps.
Use a Drain Plunger
A plunge is an essential tool to use when it comes to preventing minor clogs in shower drains. But for this tool to be effective, you must learn how to use it. Make sure the plunge lip is covered with water. Also, the rubber cup should fully seal the drain opening for effective suction and pressure action.
Clogged shower drains are something we experience from time to time. Fortunately, most of these clogging is easy fixes. As much as the tricks mentioned above will help you prevent clogging from happening, you should contact a professional plumber if things get out of control.
