How to Clean Bathtub Drain

Are you hoping to learn how to clean your bathtub drain? If you’ve ever tried it before, you know that there’s a right and a wrong way to clean your bathtub drain. If you aren’t sure about what you are doing, you could end up making things worse, and nobody wants that. This is precisely why we’ll be sharing with you all you need to know about how to clean the bathtub drain.

A dirty drain is a problem itself and can cause all kinds of headaches, such as horrible odors and clogs in your tub. You may not think this is something you need to know, but learning this skill can save you money and time, which is why it’s crucial to understand how to clean a bathtub drain properly.

As you can tell by now or from experience, knowing how to clean a bathtub drain will allow you to get back to your daily routine with ease. You have come to the right place if this is your first rodeo with a bathtub drain. In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know to ensure your drain isn’t something that takes your sleep away. Learn different and effective ways to clean bathtub drains.

How to Clean Bathtub Drain FAQs

What can I use to clean the bathtub drain?

All you need to do is pour a pot of boiling water down the bathtub drain. Then pour a mixture of one cup baking soda and one cup vinegar into the gutter. Insert the drain plug, close the filter, and wait 5–10 minutes. Finally, flush the drain with another pot of boiling water.

What can dissolve hair in a drain?

Combining baking soda and vinegar is a natural way to dissolve hair clogs without harsh chemicals. Pour a cup of baking soda down the clogged drain first, and then after a few minutes, add a cup of vinegar.

How do you unclog a bathtub drain without a snake?

Add one cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar to the water and remove the stopper. The hot water, baking soda, and vinegar will flow down the pipes and help eliminate minor clogs. Remove the drain trap.

How do you unclog a bathtub full of hair without baking soda?

Simply boil water in a pot on your stove and pour it down the drain. The boiling hot water breaks down the grease and soap, releasing the hair and allowing it to flush down the drain. Just make sure you use a funnel to direct it down the drain to avoid spilling and burning yourself.

What eats hair in a drain?

Bleach can dissolve any fiber that has acidic properties. Next time you have a bathroom sink, shower, or bathtub draining, slowly try pouring a cup of liquid bleach into the drain. After about a half-hour, any hair the bleach is in contact with will dissolve. Bleach dissolves hair, and it takes a bit of time.

How to Clean Bathtub Drain

Method 1: Baking Soda

1. To clean the inside of your drain, you’ll need to remove the drain stopper completely.
2. Pour a cup of baking soda into the drain and let it sit for 20 minutes. As the baking soda sits, it should absorb the unpleasant odors coming from the drain.
3. Remove the gunk from the inside of your drain with a bottle brush. Move the brush up and down while rotating it to remove the gunk from the inside of your gutter. Pull all the dirt and hair out of the drain with the brush.
4. Flush the drain with a pot of boiling water. Fill a large pot with boiling water and pour it down your drain to flush all baking soda down the drain. Alternatively, you can use vinegar instead of water.

Method 2: Plunging your Drain

1. To plunge your drain, you’ll also have to remove the faceplate from the overflow hole. Use a screwdriver to remove the screws from the faceplate and then remove the faceplate itself.
2. Fill the overflow hole with a damp rag. Shove a cotton towel or rag into the hole and try to make it as air-tight as possible.
3. Fill the tub with water with 2–3 inches of water. Take extra care not to overflow your bathtub.
4. Plunge your drain. Place the plunger over the drain and press up and down on the handle. After 30 seconds of plunging, see if the drain usually flushes. If it does not, continue repeating the process until the tub drains.

Method 3: Boiling Water

1. Unscrew the drain stopper to an open position so that water can go down your drain. If water is slow, or your tub fills up and doesn’t drain, your drain has to be unclogged before you can clean it.
2. Bring a 2 L pot or kettle of water to a boil on your stovetop. The hot water will flush away any loose hair or soap scum in the drain.
3. Pour the water down the drain. You can pour the boiling water directly down the drain if you have metal pipes. You should do this at least once a week to flush out built-up soap scum and gunk that’s leftover from bathing.

Best Drain Cleaners to Unclog a Drain

Earthworm Drain Cleaner – Drain Deodorizer

EARTHWORM Drain Cleaner is ideally suited to clean almost every type of drain and will also control their odors.

Regular use of EARTHWORM will prevent clogs before they start by eliminating the buildup of organic material in your drain lines. EARTHWORM can be used in kitchen and bathroom sink drains, floor drains, bathtub and shower drains, and boat and RV holding tanks and grease traps.

Unlike those drain cleaners with harmful, caustic chemicals, EARTHWORM is safer for use in garbage disposals and will keep smelling fresh. Removes buildup, helping to stop clogs before they start.

Features:

• No harsh chemicals
• Citrus & sage fragrance
• Natural enzymes

Bio-Clean Drain Septic

In nature, all animal plant matter is broken down and recycled into plant food by enzymes and bacteria. Bio-Clean uses this same principle to remove organic waste that accumulates in your plumbing and septic system.

When mixed with warm water, Bio-Clean immediately goes to work. The enzymes are very fast and start breaking down waste on contact.

Bio-Clean contains billions of bacteria, and as they eat, they double in number every 30 minutes. Unrestricted by gravity, they spread through the entire plumbing system, devouring organic waste.

Features:

• Multi-Purpose
• Enzymes Formula
• No Heat or Fumes

Drain Hair Clog Remover Tool

With 360-degree rotation, the Weasel pipe snake effectively tackles your biggest clogs. The secret is our incredible patented micro-hooks, which lock into hair, filth, and grime without damaging your pipes or catching on drain parts.

Measuring 18 inches in length, deep, hard-to-reach clogged sinks or bathtubs are no longer out of grasps.

Ultra-thin and flexible tool winds around curves and slips into most drains and grates without disassembling the drain stopper.

Features:

• Easy to Use
• Extra Long
• Reusable

Plumbing Snake Drain Auger

This professional plumbing snake drains auger comes with 25 ft of heavy-duty spring steel cable that goes beyond traps to remove most household clogs.

The plumbing snake drain auger is professionally used for various drains such as kitchen and bathroom sinks, bathtubs and shower drains, sewer and floor drains.

The sink auger is equipped with special tips for clearing downspouts and even central vacuum lines. In addition, the pipe cleaner comes with a pair of gloves, which help keep your hands clean and safe.

Features:

• Stainless Steel
• Long-Lasting
• Flexible

Additional Ideas on How to Clean Bathtub Drain

• Hair and personal cleaning product buildups cause most bathroom clogs. The best way to remedy that is to remove the clog manually.
• If removing hair doesn’t seem to work, try pouring a kettle of boiling water slowly down the drain. Pour it in two or three stages, allowing the hot water to work for several seconds between each pour. Take care to pour the boiling water directly into the drain.
• Pipes are sometimes clogged further down the line with years of accumulated grease buildup or even tree roots. These are problems a professional should handle.

Since you clean the bathtub drain, would you also be interested in learning how clean air conditioning ducts?