How do i get my girlfriends hair out of the tub drain?

Question

The water has nowhere to go but down and it does, just really really slow! There is probably so much hair down there. The best part is its a shower for the upper body and a bath for the feet! LOL please help!

Answer 1

My answer leans more on the preventative side. You are a nice guy, putting up with your girlfriend's hair. She can't help that it falls out. But, it really can cause a problem, huh?

If you can see hair stuck in the drain, you can try to pull it out yourself... wear gloves or something 'cause it can be nasty. If you can't see it, you can try draino or call a plumber for advice (a good plumber will give you free advice or at least a free estimate).

Once you get it unclogged, here is the important part. Go to Home Depot or Walmart and get a drain strainer for your shower. They are nice little things you can put over the drain to trap hair while you shower. When you are done, you can clean them out with a piece of tissue paper. It's gross, but not as gross as a badly clogged drain. We've been using a drain strainer for the past year and no longer have problems with our drain.

Answer 2

If there is a drain plug that is attached to the tub it probably screws in. Pull upward on the drain plug and turn counterclockwise. It may be a bit difficult to remove and may be frustrating at times. Once you have removed the plug close off the drain with a rag or stopper and build up some water in the tub.(about 2-3 inches would do) then take your plunger and push down all the way and then pull up to create a backward suction. Feel for the hair to surface and grab it, as much as you can. Then just start pulling it until you have pulled it all out. The first words you will make is, "Ewe! Gross!" But it will all be over in a flash! Good Luck!

Answer 3

I have never had a problem removing a hair clog from a tub drain. Just run the water so you have the drain covered with about an inch or so of water, then using an ordinary plunger about 6" in diameter (the kind you'd use in a toilet) press down slowly over the center of the drain and pull up hard. Do this 3 or 4 times and you should start to get big globs of hair and soap scum dangling up out of the drain. Give a couple more good pulls with the plunger and you should be able to pull out big globs of hair. Remember, press down slowly and pull up hard and fast. I've never had this method fail me, and I can always get the drain free flowing again in about a minute. Don't bother with caustics like Drano; absolutely not necessary.

Answer 4

Believe it or not, fill the tub with water, until you have standing water. Then use a plunger over the drain to dislodge the hair from drain.

Then go to a hardware store and get a rubber drain cover, 4-5" inches in diameter with a 1 1/2" screen trap in the middle that traps the hair before it goes into the drain. Cost about $2.00- $5.00

Be careful with chemicals, they can burn you, melt plastic pipe, and discolor your tub, if you don't know what you are doing. As far as Drano, Drain max and Liquid Plumber etc, are not strong enough to break up hair. Sulfuric Acid is powerful stuff, and does damage too.

Answer 5

While a product like Drano Max or Liquid Plumber will probably help, it probably won't clear the clogging hair completely. (We've got long-haired people sharing a bathroom, so I speak from experience.)

Invest in a plumber's snake at a place like Lowe's or Home Depot. It's a flexible coil with a grabby, spring-like end which you can crank into a drain (including floor drains, toilets, etc.) strong enough to push clogs into the larger waste pipe or, if it can't reach the waste pipe, usually able to grasp the material and either break it up or bring it back out.

The first time the only toilet in the house backs up on Christmas Eve, you'll be very, very glad you own it. We use ours several times a year.

Answer 6

I use a drain cleaner ( draino, the thick variety), works well. You may need to repeat it a few times if it is a really stopped up drain. I had really long hair and had to do this about once a month.

Answer 7

Drano Max works really well on that. Pour it in a let it sit in the drain for a while. It will disolve just about anything.

Answer 8

Hardware stores such as home depot and DO-it-Best centers sell a solution of sulferic acid, it stinks something awful but I absolutely garuantee it will work.

Answer 9

don't use drain-o, get a good plunger ,use a wetted cloth plug the tub vent,and with a back stroke,with the tub partly filled,this should do the trick!

Answer 10

All these people are right, but I believe that preventive maintenance its worth its weight in gold... put a cup of draino in once a month...