Unclog A Shower Drain With Bleach

Bleach is a widely-used drain cleaner that effectively and quickly eliminates grease, soap scum, and hard water deposits.

Clogged shower drains are usually due to entangled hair, soap or mineral-laden water. While these obstructions cannot be completely resolved with one method, several other methods can help clear them out.

One simple solution is pouring boiling water down the drain. However, this method should not be used with PVC pipes as it may damage them.

Unclog A Shower Drain With Bleach
Unclog a Shower Drain with Bleach

Bleach

Bleach is a commonly-used household cleaner that can help unclog shower drains, sink drains and toilets. But it should only be used after consulting with a plumber.

Clogged shower drains can often be caused by soap scum and hair buildup, two materials that tend to stick together and cannot be easily broken up. Over time, these deposits build up inside the pipes, making it difficult to clear out.

If you notice a blockage in your shower drain, pour a small amount of bleach down the line (not diluted with water) and wait around 20 minutes to see if that clears things up. Be sure not to leave this solution in for too long as it may corrode your pipes.

Alternately, you can mix baking soda and vinegar with some boiling water to create a bubbling solution that loosens and dissolves any debris. After some time has passed, pour more boiling water down the drain to rinse away any chemicals and get your drain clear again.

Another option for unclogging a shower drain is to insert a soft rubber compression gasket into the opening and tighten it using an appropriate fitting tool. Compression-style drains typically fit around pipes with a nut at their bottom that helps hold them in place.

Clogged bathroom sink, shower or tub drains are a common occurrence among homeowners. This problem often stems from excessive hair from brushing, combing, shaving or bathing.

Hair being acidic, bleach can easily dissolve it when exposed to it. This makes bleach an effective option for dissolving plugs caused by hair in bathroom sinks, showers or tub drains.

Bleach can also help dissolve a clog in the trap beneath your shower, sink, or tub. This trap holds waste, water, and sewage until it can be pumped out of the home or into a septic tank.

Bleach can corrode plumbing, damage seals and gaskets, and discolor sink or drain if not dilute. It also has toxic effects if used too frequently or in large amounts. So be sure to ventilate the room well after using bleach and avoid splashing it on anything else.

Caustic Soda

If your shower drain is clogged by hair and animal fats, Caustic Soda (also known as sodium hydroxide) can help. This chemical utilizes salt and lye to create an acidic solution that dissolves organic material in water.

Caustic soda can be purchased at most hardware stores and used as a drain unblocker for most moderately clogged sinks. However, you should always wear protective equipment like gloves, aprons and goggles when using this chemical to clear out your shower drain.

Sodium hydroxide, more commonly known as caustic soda, has numerous uses in everyday products. It’s a key component of soaps and detergents used to unclog drains; furthermore, it plays an essential role in curing foods for canning.

Water treated with alkalinity regulators in cities and large communities also benefits. Furthermore, it’s one of the ingredients in household bleach, used to disinfect water.

Caustic soda is an indispensable tool in the production of paper and wood products. It dissolves cellulose polymers found in wood to create pulp that can then be processed into paper.

Due to its ability to dissolve grease, this chemical is commonly used in oven cleaners and other drain-clearing products. Additionally, it can be employed to eliminate cells and biofilms from plastic and metal surfaces in wineries.

To create a diluted solution, mix 3 cups (750 ml) of caustic soda with 3/4 gallon (3 L) of cold water in a mop bucket. As they come together and heat up, you should notice some fizzing as they mix.

Pour the solution carefully down your clogged sink drain and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Repeat if necessary.

If the blockage persists after some time, you may need to boil some water on the stove and flush it through your drain. If this doesn’t solve your issue, call one of our Surrey plumbers to unclog your shower drain.

Dish Detergent

Dish detergent is a cleaning agent composed of various surfactants and salts. It’s used for washing dishes, utensils, cutlery, as well as other surfaces.

This type of soap typically consists of a high-foaming blend of different surfactants that is gentle on skin and low in irritation. It can also be used to clean greasy or oily surfaces like stovetops, countertops, and bathroom tiles.

Dish detergent not only cleans dishes, but it can also unclog a shower drain. It dissolves grease and other clog elements in your pipes so they can flow down without becoming stuck.

If your shower drain is obstructed, pour some hot water down the pipe to loosen any clogs. Depending on how severe the blockage, you may need to repeat this process several times until water flows freely down the drain.

Another way to unclog your shower drain is using liquid dish detergent. This method works great as a preventative measure since it doesn’t damage the pipes in any way.

You have two options for disposing of liquid dish detergent: pour it directly down the drain or mix it with some boiling water and add it to your tub. The hot water will help loosen any clogs while the liquid dish detergent will wash away any extra grit that has built up inside.

Some experts also suggest mixing baking soda and vinegar, which will cause a chemical reaction that helps to unclog the drain. This simple procedure has proven highly successful at clearing out this blockage.

Baking soda and vinegar is an ideal combination for cleaning drains and pipes without harming them. Not only is this an affordable solution, but it will also eliminate any grease or hair buildup in your tub or shower.

If you are concerned about the chemicals used in other methods, Dawn dish soap is an environmentally friendly alternative that can help clear your drains. It works great when mixed with boiling water or any type of hot water for an environmentally friendly solution. However, be sure to stop using it if you have previously used chemical drain cleaner as this could harm your pipes.

Wire Hangers

If your drain pipe is clogged with hair, a wire hanger can be an effective tool to easily fish out the blockage. Simply straighten out the hanger, bend one end into a hook and push it down your pipe until you reach it; pull it out and run hot water to rinse away any remaining gunk.

First and foremost, identify the source of the clog. Doing this will let you know which type of blockage needs to be removed. For instance, if your drain is blocked with hair, it likely has something to do with strand buildup itself.

Another common culprit is toilet paper that hasn’t been flushed or is clogged with soap scum, grime or food particles. To resolve this problem, keep a toilet plunger and handheld plumber’s snake handy in your home for unclogging drains that don’t have screens or pop-up plugs.

Plumbing augers, also referred to as drain snakes, can be purchased at most hardware stores for around $50. Manual ones use a hand crank for extension and retraction; alternatively, you can buy an electric auger at around $70.

Make a drain snake with an extended, straight wire hanger. This works just as well as the traditional snake but is easier to manage than using a plumber’s auger. Alternatively, cut notches in zip-tie cable to form “teeth” and insert one notch down each drain hole.

To avoid scratching yourself, wear rubber gloves and never touch the wire hanger with bare skin. This will help avoid injury while safeguarding your clothes.

You can take your wire hangers to a scrap metal recycler for some extra cash, though not all establishments do this. To find out if they accept wire hangers, contact your local municipal government or search online. If the hangers cannot be recycled, consider donating them to dry cleaners or thrift shops that could reuse them in their customers’ clothing items.

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