Cleaning hair from a drain

The reliable way to clean hair from a drain is to take it out with a tool: a barbed plastic strip, a bent wire hook, a hand auger or a wet-dry vacuum. Hair is a tough protein fiber, so cleaners that fizz or sit in the pipe rarely remove it. Pull it, bag it and flush the pipe. If the mat is out of reach, the shower and tub drain guide explains what to do next.

Why does hair clog drains so easily?

Hair clogs because it tangles, it does not break down in water, and it binds with whatever else is in the pipe. A strand catches on a rough edge or the stopper crosspiece, then snags the next strand. Soap and conditioner coat the tangle and make it sticky, and the mat grows from there.

Soap scum plays a part. Wikipedia describes it as the white lime soap that forms when soap meets the calcium and magnesium in hard water. LADWP says Los Angeles water hardness varies across the city, from an 8.6 grains per gallon average in the Valley and Westside to 16.3 in the east and Harbor. Where the water is harder, hair mats tend to pick up more crusty scale and may catch faster.

In pet households, fur does the same job in a laundry sink or tub.

Which tool is best for pulling hair from a drain?

For a tub or shower, a barbed plastic strip is the best first tool because it is cheap and made for the job. Slide it down past the strainer, turn it slightly and draw it up with the hair attached. A bent coat hanger or a pair of long tweezers also works. For anything deeper, use a small hand auger.

Wear gloves. Put the hair in a bag, never back down the pipe.

Can I dissolve hair with baking soda, vinegar or a drain cleaner?

Baking soda and vinegar will not dissolve a hair mat. The fizz is a mild acid-base reaction that carries a little loose film, which is why it makes a drain feel fresher. Wikipedia lists sodium bicarbonate as a mild base. A cup of hot tap water afterwards rinses what loosened.

A caustic drain cleaner can break down hair, because sodium hydroxide, also called lye, attacks proteins. Wikipedia notes it turns grease into soap and is highly corrosive, with the risk of permanent blindness on eye contact. Drain cleaners can cause chemical burns, and mixing cleaning products can create poisonous gas, so follow the label.

That is a hard trade for a hair clog. A hook costs almost nothing and carries no risk. If a strip does not reach, a cable does. Use chemicals only if you have followed the label to the letter and wear goggles and gloves. Our chemical drain cleaning page explains the safety side in more detail.

How do I clean hair out of a shower drain?

Take off the cover, which may be held by a screw in the center or pop out with a flat-blade screwdriver. Hook and lift whatever sits on the crossbars. Many showers also hold a second mat just below the strainer, so push the strip straight down and twist as you pull.

Once the hair is out, flush the drain with hot tap water for a minute. This uses the water heater's output, which is hot enough to melt soap film without risking plastic pipe. A kettle of boiling water is not worth it, and PVC pipe has a lower working temperature than boiling.

The full routine for glass-door stalls, tile pans and linear drains is on our page about cleaning out a shower drain. For a tub, check the stopper first: bathtub drain cleaning shows each type.

What if the hair is deeper than I can reach?

Use a hand auger. A 1/4 inch cable with a 25 foot reach handles most home branch lines. Feed it in until it stops, turn the handle clockwise to bite into the clog, and pull back slowly. Hair usually comes up as a damp rope. Run hot tap water after.

If the cable stops at the same spot twice, passes the clog and the drain still stays slow, or you feel scraping metal, the problem may not be hair. Tree roots in a clay lateral, a belly in the pipe or a partial collapse look the same from the bathroom. Why a shower drain keeps clogging walks through those causes.

How do I stop hair clogging the drain again?

Fit a fine mesh hair catcher over the drain and empty it after each use. A catcher that sits in the opening catches most strands before they reach the pipe. Brush your hair before you get in, and rinse long hair out away from the drain when you can.

Once a month, lift the catcher, hook the first few inches of the drain and flush with hot tap water. This takes two minutes and avoids the buildup that needs a cable. In harder-water areas, a descaling soak of the strainer with white vinegar helps keep scale from gripping the next batch of hair.

Skip the weekly chemical pour. It treats the symptom, wears on seals and burns skin if it splashes.

When should I book someone to clear a drain of hair?

Book a visit when the hook and cable have not helped, when the same drain is slow again within days, or when more than one fixture backs up. Those patterns point to a restriction well beyond the hair at the top of the pipe, which needs longer tools.

If hooks and cables have not worked, we'll arrange for a local drain cleaner to call at your home, with the price written down before work begins. A short visit for a single shower or tub drain is a typical job. If you would like to compare costs first, see drain cleaning cost for ranges.

To start, send a price request and say which drain is slow and what you have tried. The LA Drain Works home page lists the other drain jobs we arrange.

Questions people ask

What dissolves hair in a drain?

Strong alkaline cleaners, such as those containing sodium hydroxide, can break hair down, but they are corrosive and risky near skin and eyes. Baking soda and vinegar do not dissolve it. The safest method is to pull the hair out with a strip, hook or cable, then flush with hot tap water.

How often should I clean hair out of a shower drain?

If you have long hair, check the strainer every week or two and lift out whatever collected. Do a deeper hook-and-flush once a month. Short-haired households can stretch that to every few months. The signs are standing water at the end of a shower or a slow gurgle.

Is it safe to pour boiling water down a drain with hair in it?

It is not worth the risk. Boiling water does not remove hair and can soften or distort plastic drain pipe, which has a lower working temperature. Hot water from your tap is enough to rinse soap film. Pull the hair out first, then flush.

Will a hair catcher really prevent clogs?

It prevents most hair clogs, because hair is the main trigger. A fine mesh catcher traps strands at the opening where you can see and empty them. It will not stop soap scum or grease, so a monthly flush is still sensible, but it makes cable work much rarer.

What should I ask before paying someone to clear hair?

Ask which tool they use and how far it reaches, whether a cable run beyond the trap is in the price, and whether the quote is written before they begin. Then ask what they do if hair is not the cause. Anyone who has done this often answers in two sentences.