Bathtub drain cleaning

To clean a bathtub drain, first identify the stopper, because the hardware catches most of the hair. Lift or unscrew it, pull the mat off with a bent wire or a plastic drain strip, and flush with hot tap water. If water still pools, feed a small hand auger through the overflow opening or the open drain. Chemical cleaners are a last resort. The shower drain and tub guide covers the wider picture, and this page covers the tub itself.

What kind of stopper does my tub have, and how do I remove it?

Tubs and showers share drain hardware, so this applies to a shower stall with a stopper as well. Four types cover almost every tub: lift-and-turn, push-pull, toe-touch and trip lever. Each comes out differently, and forcing the wrong way strips the threads. Look at how yours is operated, then match it to the table.

Take a photo before you start and keep the small parts in a cup. Trip-lever tubs hide the plunger in the overflow channel, so the stopper is not what you pull out. Corroded stoppers can seize; a soak in white vinegar for ten minutes helps.

How do I clean out a tub drain step by step?

Once the stopper is out, you can reach most of the clog by hand. The job takes about fifteen minutes, needs a bent wire or plastic strip and gloves, and costs very little. Work through the five steps below in order, and stop as soon as the water runs freely.

1. Lay a towel in the tub and put on rubber gloves.
2. Shine a light down the opening and look for a mat caught on the crossbars.
3. Hook it with a bent coat hanger, needle-nose pliers or a barbed plastic strip, and pull it straight up.
4. Wipe the stopper, the crossbars and the first few inches of pipe with an old toothbrush and a cloth.
5. Run hot tap water for a full minute and watch how fast it leaves.

Hot water from your water heater is fine for this. Boiling water from a kettle is not: Charlotte Pipe lists 140 degrees Fahrenheit as the maximum working temperature for PVC, and many bathroom drain lines are plastic.

If the water clears quickly, put everything back and you are done. If it stays slow, the mat is farther down.

Does baking soda and vinegar clean a bathtub drain?

It freshens the pipe and loosens a light film, but it does not dissolve hair. Pour half a cup of baking soda into the open drain, add a cup of white vinegar, cover it and wait ten minutes, then flush with hot tap water. The fizzing is carbon dioxide from an ordinary acid-base reaction.

Soap scum is a white lime soap that forms when soap meets the calcium and magnesium in hard water, according to Wikipedia. That is relevant in Los Angeles: LADWP says water hardness here varies by area, with 2022 averages from 8.6 grains per gallon in the Valley and Westside to 16.3 in the east and the Harbor. Harder water leaves more scum on the pipe wall, so tubs in harder areas may slow sooner.

Vinegar helps a little with scum. Hair needs a hook or an auger.

How do I snake a bathtub drain?

For a tub, a 1/4 inch hand auger with a 15 to 25 foot cable is the usual tool. Feed it through the overflow opening if you can remove the plate, because that route skips the tight bend under the tub. Push in until it stops, turn the handle clockwise, and pull back slowly.

The RIDGID instruction manual lists the tub overflow as an access point, and tells you to remove the overflow plate and the internal mechanism first. Keep the drum close to the opening so the cable cannot loop and kink.

When you feel the cable bite, keep turning and draw it back. Expect a clump of hair and grey gel. Run hot water for two minutes afterwards. If the cable stops at the same spot twice, or you feel metal scraping, stop. Wikipedia's page on the plumber's snake notes that a hand auger suits sinks and tubs, while motorized units can damage plastic or copper pipe if misused. Our guide to snaking a tub drain at home walks through the clog-clearing sequence, and drain snaking tips covers technique.

Why does my bathtub keep clogging after I clean it?

A tub that clogs again within weeks has a restriction the stopper-level cleaning did not reach, or a habit that keeps feeding it. Long hair, bath oils, bar soap and conditioner rinse-out all build the same mat. A rough joint or a low spot in the pipe makes it catch faster.

A cheap hair catcher over the drain stops most of it. Pull it clean after each shower or bath. If the tub is slow again within a week of a proper snaking, the clog may be in the shared branch with the sink or the shower, and a cable from the cleanout or a camera is the next step. Read why a drain can stay clogged after snaking.

When should I call someone to clean a bathtub drain?

Call when the stopper is out, the hair is gone, the cable passes freely and the tub is still slow, or when water comes up in the shower, floor drain or toilet while the tub drains. That means the blockage is beyond the tub's own pipe.

Also call when you cannot get the stopper off without breaking it, when the overflow plate is corroded, or when the tub drain leaks into the ceiling below. Book a visit and a local drain cleaner comes to your home with a cable or camera, and you approve a written quote first. Tub work is often a short visit: check the drain cleaning cost page for ranges.

If a chemical product has already gone in, tell whoever comes, because splashes burn. Details for the safer way are in diy drain cleaning.

To start, use the quote form and say which stopper type you have. You can also read about everything else on the LA Drain Works homepage.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to clean a bathtub drain?

Pulling the stopper and clearing hair by hand takes about 15 minutes. Snaking through the overflow adds another 15 to 30. A professional visit for one tub is usually under an hour unless the blockage sits in the shared line, in which case a camera and a longer cable come into it.

Can I use drain cleaner in a bathtub?

You can, but it is the riskiest option. Chemical openers contain strong alkalis or acids, and in a tub that drains slowly they sit in standing water. Splashes burn skin and eyes. Never mix two products. Hand tools clear most tub clogs without any of that. Poison Control is 1-800-222-1222.

What should I ask about a tub drain visit?

Find out whether the price covers a cable run and cleanup, and whether the stopper or overflow plate will be removed carefully, since old ones crack. Ask for the number in writing before work begins, and ask what happens if the tub slows again soon after.

Do I need to be home while someone cleans the tub drain?

Yes, an adult should be there to unlock the door and point out which tub is slow. The visitor needs clear access around the tub and its overflow. You need not watch every step, but stay reachable in case they find something that changes the plan.

Is it better to snake a tub through the drain or the overflow?

The overflow is usually easier, because the cable goes straight into the tub's trap without turning through the strainer. The drain opening works when the overflow plate is stuck or when the clog is right under the stopper. Try the overflow first, and protect the porcelain with a towel.