How to fix a clogged bathroom drain

By Benjamin Clarke | Published on 13th April 2020

Our bathrooms are one of the busiest rooms in our home so it's inevitable that the shower or basic drain is going to need unclogging from time to time.

As well as obvious things like hair and flakey skin, other things that can get washed down the drain include make up, moisturiser, hair wax and fake tan, to name just a few.

With all this stuff going down the plug hole on a regular basis, a blockage will eventually occur and it's going to need to be sorted. Fortunately, with these tips below, unblocking a bathroom drain need not be a complicated process.

1. Use your hands

If you've got a pop-up or removable waste type of plug that exposes the drainhole, you might be able to reach your fingers in and remove the blockage.

Often a mass of hair and skin can congregate quite high up the pipe just below the plug, so it's very often the case that you can sort the issue very quickly.

Don't be afraid to use a torch so you can get a good look at what's going on in there.

Be warned, this has the potential to be quite a disgusting job, so if you're a bit squeamish then you might want to use some rubber gloves.

2. Use a plunger

An old school but very effective method of shifting a blockage in your bathroom drain that's out of reach from your fingers.

A plunger basically uses the power of suction to move anything that's stopping water flowing freely down the bathroom drain.

The suction often causes the blockage (usually a mass of hair) to come back up out of the plug hole. This should be scooped up and put in the bin to avoid it going back down the hole again.

If you decide to use a plunger then run the shower or switch on the tap a little bit while you do it. The small amount of water will allow your plunger to get the purchase needed to create the suction effect. This won't work if you try and do it dry.

3. Use a coat hanger

If you take the hooked part of a coat hanger and straighten it out a bit, you'll find you have a very useful implement for sticking down a plug hole.

Push down slowly with the hanger until you feel the end of it press against the blockage and wiggle it around. Sometimes you'll succeed in dislodging the blockage and enable it to be washed down the drain. Other times you'll need to bring the block up to the surface and dispose of it in the bin.

Again, you might be quite disgusted with what to pull up so have something ready like a piece of kitchen roll to wrap the blockage in before you throw it away.

4. Use baking soda and vinegar

Old school methods really are the name of the game when it comes to unblocking bathroom drains and you really can't go wrong with a classic baking soda and white vinegar combo.

Simply pour a small amount of baking soda down the plug hole and then a bit of white vinegar straight after. You'll hear a lot of fizzing and a strong smell of vinegar while this mixture does its work.

If possible, do this just before you go to bed and leave the baking soda and vinegar solution to work its magic overnight. In the morning, run your taps or shower and see if the blockage has been cleared.

5. Use bleach or drain cleaner

The previous 4 suggestions are the best ways to clear a bathroom drain blockage without the need to resort to chemicals. However, it may be the case that you need to resort to bleach to clear a stubborn drain blockage.

If this is the case then put on some rubber gloves, grab some thick bleach and carefully pour it down the blocked drain. Leave it for an hour or two and then run some water and see if the water drains freely.

When pouring the bleach, make sure your bathroom is well ventilated and that you don't get any on your skin. You'll also want to move any floor mats as bleach can cause some unsightly staining to material. After you've used the bleach, make sure you rinse the area around the plug hole so that you don't accidentally get any on your feet or hands.