How To Unblock A Shower Clogged With Hair

Is your shower drain moving slower than it used to? Are you noticing water doesn’t seem to drain away entirely after bathing? Chances are, hair is the culprit clogging your drain. 

As you wash and condition hair, strands inevitably loosen and slip down the drain grating. Over time, all that accumulated hair can form dense clogs that obstruct water flow. 

Left unattended, drain blockages can cause water to back up and overflow. The good news is that with some simple solutions, you can dislodge those pesky hair clogs and restore full draining power to your shower in no time. This guide will cover fast and easy methods to unclog your drain without harsh chemicals or complicated tools.

What Causes Hair Clogs in Shower Drains?

There are a few key reasons why hair often causes blockages in shower drains. As you rinse conditioner, styling products and natural oils from your hair during washing, strands become weak and brittle. 

This causes hair to break off easily in small pieces that go unnoticed down the drain opening. Over multiple showers, this lost hair accumulates in the U-shaped drain trap below. 

Additionally, drain gratings are rarely small enough to catch every hair. Even with regular cleaning, longer or thicker pieces can still slip through. As more and more hair collects in bundled clumps in the trap, it constricts the available space for water to flow out.

Gradually, hair mats together tightly into solid clogs that completely plug the drain if not removed. Understanding how excess hair leads to clogs helps you prevent and address blockages.

Signs Your Drain is Clogged with Hair

A few noticeable signs can indicate hair may be causing a drain blockage in your shower. The most obvious is slow or sluggish drainage after showering. Instead of water disappearing swiftly down the plug hole, it will take an extended time to empty. 

You may notice that the water doesn’t fully drain away, and some are left stagnant. Another telltale signal is gurgling noises emitting from the drain when it’s in use. 

This happens as hair constricts flow, causing water to back up noisily. Over time, water may be draining more slowly than usual between showers if a partial clog has formed. 

You could also see water overflowing the edges of the drain or flooding if a severe blockage goes unattended. Knowing these common indicators can help you diagnose a hair-caused drainage problem early.

Using a Chemical Drain Opener

A chemical drain opener is one quick solution for unclogging a drain full of hair. Chemical drain cleaners break down clogs and dissolve debris through chemical solid reactions. 

Look for an opener specifically designed to cut through hair clogs. Pour the recommended amount directly into the blocked drain and allow it to work through the clog fully, usually within 30 minutes.

The chemicals will break down hair fibres, reducing the clog size. Let the solution sit as directed before running hot water to flush the remaining particles down the drain line. 

Using a plunger may help loosen material move faster. Chemical drain cleaners are convenient, but they handle the product according to the safety instructions on the label. With the proper formulation, these cleaners can dissolve even seriously impacted hair clogs.

Creating a DIY Drain Snake

Create a DIY drain snake for an affordable, chemical-free way to remove hair clogs. You likely already have the simple materials at home. Take a length of stiff wire, such as a straightened-out wire coat hanger. 

Bend the wire into a long helix shape, twisting it along its length to make a tightly coiled snake shape. You can also use a thick zip tie in a pinch. 

Insert the makeshift snake into the drain opening and carefully twist and turn it down the pipe. The tightly wound coils will capture any hair wrapped around the drain walls.

Slowly retract the snake, pulling out wads of extracted hair clogged in its spirals. Inspect the drain afterwards to check for remaining blockages. A DIY snake removes clogs through mechanical scraping and collects debris effectively with minimal effort or cost.

Trying an Enzyme-Based Cleaner

For a more natural drain-cleaning approach, try using an enzyme-based drain opener product. Enzymes are specialised proteins that help break down organic material like hair through chemical interactions.

Look for a drain cleaner containing enzymes specifically designed to digest hair clogs. Pour the enzyme cleaner directly into the drain and allow it to work, breaking down hair fibres.

Compared to harsh chemicals, enzymes may take around 8 hours to fully clear clogs. But they do the job while being safer and less abrasive on pipes. 

Once the enzymes have sufficient time to work, running hot water will flush away loosened hair residues. Enzyme cleaners are gentler for drains and pipes, and their specialised formulas can still dissolve stubborn clogs caused by built-up hair over time.

Preventing Future Clogs

Now that your drain is clear, take some simple steps to prevent future clogs from hair build-up. Remove the drain strainer monthly and scrub away trapped debris. 

Rinse thoroughly after using conditioners or styling products in the shower to flush loosened hair down the drain. You can also use a drain hair catcher or cover over the drain opening when showering. 

Running a drain auger or snake down the drain pipes every few months catches any smaller collected hairs the strainer misses. Consider trimming long hair before showering or tying it back to reduce what goes down the drain. Regularly following some drainage maintenance habits will help minimise how frequently hair clogs form and make it easier to spot partial blockages early.

Unclog Your Drain in Minutes

Removing hair clogs from your shower drain doesn’t have to involve complicated tools or harsh chemicals. Simple DIY solutions and regular drainage maintenance can keep your shower flowing freely. 

Should a drain blockage arise that you can’t clear yourself, don’t hesitate to contact the professionals. Gold Coast Plumbing Company has years of experience unclogging and restoring complete drainage to blocked shower systems. 

Whether you need routine drain augering, snake, camera inspection, or full shower drain repair, our licensed plumbers can efficiently handle hair-caused or other drain issues. Don’t struggle with slow drains—solve your shower drainage problems quickly and effectively. 

Call us today to discuss your plumbing needs or schedule service from Gold Coast Plumbing. Keep your home’s water systems in great shape!