How to Unclog a Shower Drain

So, your shower is flooded after showering?

No big deal, it’s a common thing to happen in a household.

Think about it: human beings are actually quite a dirty species. And when we shower, dirt, grease, and hair falls off us. These nasty things can clog that hole in the shower that’s supposed to drain water away. Add to that the soaps and shampoos that we use and you can see why knowing how to unclog a shower drain is a valuable skill to have.

So it’s clear what the causes are of a clogged shower, but what to do in this situation? Unclogging your shower drain is an easy task to do. It’s something that everyone learns over the years but many don’t know how it actually works. Today, appropriately to your situation, you’ll learn how to unclog a shower drain.

A shower drain can be unclogged using hands only or a hook-like figure like a wire coat hanger. With these you remove the clog. You can also use chemicals to eat away the clog and then flush it out.

It’s really as simple as it sounds. A step-by-step guide follows, stay with me.

How do shower drains work?

I know no one wants to hear about this part, thinking: “What’s to know”? You would prefer getting to the actual fix. Well, I think it’s better to understand the problem at its core. This way you can come up with your own solutions. It will also help you better understand the fixes to the issue I’ll offer.

A shower, being a shower, produces a lot of excess water. So, building one means taking into account that excess water. Hence, the shower drain. A hole in the floor of your shower isn’t that genius, it’s how it’s executed that’s genius.

You wouldn’t notice it immediately but the drain is slightly lower than the rest of the shower’s floor. Gravity does its job and takes the water at the center of the drain. The vacuum inside the drain takes the water further away.

The drain is designed specifically for water. That’s why the drain has a cover that looks like a strainer. Its job is to let water through but prevent any hard objects from entering. However, not everything is perfect, so strains of hair or some miniature objects can get through. That’s how the drain usually gets clogged.

The tricky thing is, the drain can be clogged deep inside and you may not notice it right away. So, let’s focus on that now.

Signs of a clogged shower drain

There are three different scenarios when it comes to a clogged shower drain. The drain is clogged at the top, and the shower floods right away. The clog is deep inside the drain, and it takes a while for the shower to flood. Lastly, the clog isn’t that bad and some water may get through, so the shower may not flood at all.

The first scenario is easily recognizable. As I said, the shower floods right away and it can’t handle excess water without flooding. So, you shouldn’t have a problem finding out about your clogged shower drain.

The other two are a bit harder to notice. Even if your shower is getting flooded by the time you notice it, the water may be gone. You’ll notice the clog by its unpleasant odor. The standing water inside the drain will start to release a smell.

So, if you notice a certain smell besides the standing water on the top of the drain, there is a clog.

Now that you know all of this, we can move on to the actual fix.

Ways to unclog a shower drain

I’ll offer various ways to unclog a shower. Not every method may work for you, it depends on your situation. For instance, a wire coat hanger may not work if the clog is too deep down. I’ll make sure to cover this in the solutions. You choose what suits you best.

Unclogging a shower drain by hand

This is by far the easiest method you can try. However, it only works if the clog is at the top or near the top. So, you need to find out where the clog is.

You’ll need a flashlight and preferably a glove, that is, if you don’t want to actually touch whatever is clogging your drain. Remove the drain cover and with the flashlight pointed in the drain look for a ball of hair or something that may be causing a blockage.

If the clog is reachable by hand, go ahead and remove it. In most cases the clog will be right beneath the cover, so you won’t even need that flashlight. Don’t worry if you can’t reach the clog, that’s why we have other methods.

Word of caution though. The clog is most likely a ball of hair. Seeing as how it stood there for quite some time, it will be disgusting. So, for this method is not for those with a weak stomach.

On to the next one.

Using a coat hanger

Same as before, you have to find out where the clog is before doing anything else. Just as I said, remove the drain cover, and with a flashlight look for the clog.

If you can see the clog nearby but it’s not reachable by hand, this is an effective method to try. You’ll need a wire coat hanger which you can bend or straighten out.

It’s also important to know what the clog actually is. You can easily catch a ball of hair. However, if it’s something harder, you’ll need to puncture it in order to take it out.

Take the wire coat hanger and straighten it out. On one end, make a hook so you can catch stuff with it. Then, with the improvised tool try to remove the clog.

You can straighten out the hanger if you want to puncture stuff with it. Although, it may not be that strong, so you may need to use something else to make a hole in the clog.

Once you’ve made a hole, then you can catch it with the hook. Take it out and try not to puke.

Unclogging a shower drain with a snake drain

This method is the most efficient. It involves a nifty plumbing tool called a snake drain. It’s a flexible auger which can move through curved pipes. The snake drain has a handle for holding which you can rotate. By rotating it, you puncture through any thick clogs.

Here’s a snake drain with great reviews over at Amazon (affiliate link).

You can try to locate the clog with a flashlight, same as the methods above. However, if you decided on a snake drain, chances are, you can’t see where the clog is. It doesn’t matter though, with a snake drain you don’t have to look. The snake drain will stop moving once you reach the clog.

Insert the snake in the drainer and start rotating it. When you reach the clog, you’ll notice a resistance against the snake drain. Rotate the handle until you feel that the snake has made it through. Then, take it out of the drain.

If the clog is actually a ball of hair, you’ll see it stuck to the snake drain. If it was something else, it may not come out with the snake. That doesn’t mean that the clog is still there, it’s torn apart by the snake drain. In order to be sure, flush some water in the drain and see if it works properly.

There is a more elegant way to deal with shower drain clogs.

Unclogging a shower drain with chemicals

Now, there’s an option for those that don’t want to get their hands dirty nor even see the clog coming out. You can pour chemicals inside the drain that will dissolve the clog. The mixture can be homemade, or you can purchase it in the store.

Vinegar and baking soda. These two household items can be the solution to your problems. Pour a cup of baking soda in the drain and follow it through with a cup of vinegar. You can add more vinegar if you like to. Let the ingredients do their job for 10-20 minutes, then pour hot water in the drain.

Be careful, the hot water shouldn’t be boiling, it may damage the drain. Once you’re done with pouring hot water, test out the drain. If water still won’t go through, the clog is still there. You can repeat this process if you want.

Keep in mind that the mixture only works against organic materials. If some object fell in the drain and it blocked it out, vinegar and baking soda will not dissolve it.

Drain cleaner products. If the above failed or you feel more comfortable with store bought products, feel free to use them. Products like Drano (affiliate link) are quite effective at cleaning drains. Same as the vinegar and baking soda though, it only dissolves organic materials.

The drain cleaning product you will buy, will come with instructions on how to use it. You’ll find them quite similar to the vinegar and baking soda.

These were the preferred methods by homeowners for unclogging a shower drain. Before we move on though, I’d like to give you some alternative methods.

Additional ways to unclog a shower drain

If you want to try something else, or you had trouble with the method above, try these.

Use a plunger. You can try to unclog the shower drain with a plunger. Just cover the drain and push. You can do this repeatedly. Even if it doesn’t remove the clog, it will still move it closer to you.

In the unlikely event that you don’t yet have a plunger, here’s an affordable basic plunger that I found for you on Amazon (affilliate link).

Try vacuuming. Now, I know this sounds weird, and it kind of is. Be careful though, you can only use a Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner. It’s dangerous to try this with a regular vac. The vacuum cleaner may suck in the clog or move it closer to you.

That’s it about unclogging the shower drain. There’s still something I would like to cover though, keep reading.

How to eliminate odor from a shower drain?

A clog is usually followed by an uncomfortable smell. The drain moves water away from your shower but it is also simultaneously cleaned by it. If water doesn’t go through, the drain is not clean.

The standing water in the drain may be preventing the odor from entering your shower. However, once the clog is removed, you’ll notice that smell. In due time, the regular income of water will clean it out. But what to do if you want it gone immediately?

Well, if you used chemicals to unclog the drain, you also eliminated the odor. If you went with the other methods, it looks like you’ll still have to use a drain cleaner. The best way to eliminate odor from the drain is to use a drain cleaner. You can also try the vinegar and baking soda method.

Nothing more to talk about folks. Surely, one of these solutions will work for you. In the future, make sure to clean your shower drain and check for balls of hair regularly. It’s important for the drain to have water moving through it regularly, otherwise, the odor will come out.

I hope I helped you with your problem. Good luck and good day.

Related questions

Can I unclog a shower drain with bleach?

Bleach works just as well as vinegar and baking soda. Pour bleach in the drain and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then wash away with hot water. Bleach can corrode your drain so it’s not as safe as vinegar and baking soda. Moreover, it’s environmental impact is larger, so other methods are preferred.

Can I use Coke to unclog a shower drain?

Coke can have an effect on cleaning a shower drain. However, it’s not as effective as drain cleaning products. Pour a big bottle of Coke in the drain and let it sit for an hour or two. Then, wash away with hot water.

Lastly, if you’re unfortunate enough that the flooded shower is seeping through the bathroom floor, you may be helped by reading our article ‘Leak In Ceiling From Upstairs Shower‘.