Clogged plumbing can be a major inconvenience and frustration in your life. Your bathtub (or shower) is a plumbing fixture that you need to use on a daily basis. So, when it starts to drain slowly, leaving standing water in the tub for several minutes up to several hours, this can cause you a great deal of trouble. Not only is this inconvenient, but also unsanitary, leaving unsightly rings and residue all around your bathtub.
While your first instinct may be to call a plumber for drain cleaning services, you may want to try to take care of the problem yourself first. There are several home remedies you can attempt. Then, if they do not take care of the problem, you can call for plumbing services.
Check the Drain Cover
The easiest remedy for a clogged bathtub or shower is to lift up the drain cover and take a look inside. Oftentimes, the clog-causing culprit is hair, along with other gunk and debris.
Once the drain cover is lifted, all you need to do is remove the hair and debris near the surface. Replace the cover and run some water into your bathtub. If the water flows down your drain quickly and normally, you are good to go.
Should you find this to be a repeated problem, you may want to invest in a hair guard to place over your drain cover. This will catch stray hairs you lose in the hair washing process and prevent them from clogging your drain.
Boiling Water
Another quick and easy way to remove a clog from your bathtub or shower drains is using boiling water. All you need to do is boil a tea kettle full of water (or a pot of water if you do not have a kettle on hand).
Then, while the water is still boiling, slowly pour it directly down the drain. The heat of the boiling water should dissolve the debris that are blocking up your drain.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
When mixed, baking soda and vinegar have an almost explosive, bubbly reaction. This fizzy reaction is precisely what will help clear your clogged bathtub drain. All you need to do is mix a 1/3 cup of the baking soda with a 1/3 cup of the vinegar.
As soon as the reaction starts, pour the mixture down the clogged drain. At this point, you can either leave the drain alone for three to eight hours to allow the solution to dissolve the clog, or you can close the drain and fill the bathtub with water. Then, release the drain. The pressure buildup from the baking soda and vinegar solution and the force of the water should dislodge and destroy the clog.
If, by some chance, none of these home remedy options work to clear the clog in your bathtub drain, you can call a plumber like one from Ken Tyson Plumbing for assistance. However, it is always better to try to fix your problem yourself before you pay a professional for their plumbing services.
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