How to Remove Hair From Your Shower Drain-Less Than 10 Easy Steps

Sometimes after a long, hard day at work, you want to come home, take a hot shower and wash away the day. Few things can ruin that relaxing feeling of a hot shower faster than a clogged drain. You don’t want to be standing in a pool of dirty water while trying to get clean. But how did this happen? What can you do? Most of the time, your clogged drain directly results from hair build-up. Learn how to remove hair from your shower drain with this comprehensive guide.

Why is My Drain Clogged With Hair?

Although almost nobody does this, you should clean your shower drains at least once every few years. People with long hair are especially susceptible to having their shower drains clogged; however, everyone is clogging their drain with hair, long or short. Your hair falls out while you shower; this is normal whether you notice it or not. 

This Might Be Gross

Wearing gloves is highly recommended anytime you are extracting something from a drain. The giant clumps of hair you will remove from your shower drain will be wet, covered in soap scum, and look very similar to a rat or mouse. It might not smell great, either.

What You Will Need

• Drain cleaning snake auger.
  • This tool has a long, flexible metal cable tipped with a bulb auger (basically a corkscrew). 
  • The snake auger rotates as it extends, allowing you to penetrate the blockage and grab and remove it.
  • Some drain cleaning snake augers are manually operated, others are battery-powered, and you can use some with a cordless drill. 
  • You can also use a snake auger to unclog sinks and toilets. It is a valuable tool to keep handy.
• Needle nose pliers.
  • These will help you grab and remove hair out of the drain.
• Flat-head screwdriver or allen wrenches.
  • You will need one of these to remove the shower drain cover.
• Channel locks.
  • You may need these to remove the shower drain cover.
• Gloves.
  • You should always wear gloves when handling substances you have removed from a drain.

How to Remove Hair From Your Shower Drain

1. Remove shower drain cover.
   1. With your fingers (or channel locks if necessary), unscrew the top piece of the drain cover. 
   2. Look down into the area where this top piece was. There will be a rod that the rest of the drain cap slides up and down on. On the top of this rod will be either a receptacle for an allen wrench or a flat head screwdriver. Unscrew this rod with the appropriate tool. 
   3. Remove the rest of the shower drain cover. 
2. Remove all visible hair from the drain with your needle nose pliers.
3. Run enough water in the shower for it to pool up. Turn the water off.
4. Work the end of your drain cleaning snake auger down into the drain. Extend the auger until the water in the shower starts to drain. Reverse the auger. 
   1. Note: If you have extended the auger beyond 10 feet and the shower is not draining, reverse the auger back out of the drain. You may pull out a mass of hair that will allow the water to drain. If not, repeat the process, extending it a bit further.
5. Extend the auger back into the drain and back out once more to ensure that you have entirely removed the blockage.
6. Run the water in the shower for several minutes to make sure that the shower drains correctly.
7. Re-assemble the shower drain cover.

Clean Up

Removing hair from your shower drain is not terribly messy, but when dealing with drains, things can get a little bit gross. It is a good idea to give your shower floor at least a light cleaning afterward or at least run the water for a little while. 

Cleaning off the snake auger is a good idea; you don’t want it to have a dried-up hairball stuck to it the next time you use it. With your gloved hand and needle nose pliers, remove as much of the hair and gunk as possible. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just get the majority off there. 

Wash your hands. Even if you are wearing gloves, this is always a good idea. 

What to Do if Your Drain is Still Clogged?

If your drain is still clogged after this you may need to know more than how to remove hair from your shower drain.

Try a home remedy for unclogging your drain, or try a liquid drain opener. If your drain is still clogged then it is time to call a professional.

How to Remove Hair From Your Shower Drain- In Conclusion

We all lose hair when we shower, and that hair inevitably ends up in our drains. Even though this problem is common, it is not difficult to fix. You have learned how to remove hair from your shower drain from this article, and you can use the guide and videos as references. Don’t tolerate standing in a pool of dirty water while trying to get clean. Unclog that drain!