Clean Your Shower Drain

Your shower can quickly get clogged with hair or other things, preventing water from draining properly.
Here’s how to simply clean your shower drain.

You’ll need:

• Pliers
• Water
• Detergent/cleaning product
• Gloves

Remove the drain stopper

Most showers are equipped with drain stoppers. It is possible that the stopper is removable so you can access the drain.
If your bathtub drain is equipped with an integrated stopper, remove the plate with the stopper from the drain assembly. You may need to unscrew the ring that connects to the drainage pipe or use pliers.

Clean the inside of the drain

Remove the drain shoe over a bowl filled with a few inches of water. The bowl will allow you to collect dirt and water that will flow out. If you’ve previously used chemical drain cleaners in your shower, wear gloves and eye protection as these products may cause severe burns.
PVC traps can usually be removed by hand. Others may require pliers or a large wrench (used with a dry a cloth).

• Unscrew and manually remove the base of the drain.
• Let the dirt pour out into the bowl.
• Unscrew and remove all gaskets that connect the different parts.
• Clean them individually with some warm water and detergent.

Reassemble and check the setup

Before reassembling the components, examine the condition of the gaskets. If you find that they are worn out, you may need to replace them.
Assemble the parts together and tighten everything.
Replace what you’ve taken out into the drain. Tighten the threaded ring that connects it to the water drain.

After having disassembled, cleaned and reassembled everything, make sure there are no leaks. Run water from the shower.

• If the water drains smoothly and you don’t detect any leakage, the drain has been put back together correctly.
• If you notice any leaks, make sure you have properly installed and tightened the system.
• If water discharge is still not possible, the clog may be deep in the pipes. You’ll need a drain claw or bent wire hanger.