A blocked bathtub drain can be a frustrating and unpleasant experience, but the good news is that there are several easy and natural ways to unclog drains without having to call a plumber.
In this blog post, I wanted to share with you my tips and tricks for unblocking drains at home using simple ingredients and equipment that you probably already have in your home.
Cleaning your bathtub drains on regular basis is quite important to make sure that the drains don’t get blocked over longer period.
Whilst it’s good to know how to solve minor household plumbing issues, it’s also important to acknowledge when to call the experts and let them do the job in the most professional way. Calling in professionals or plumbing specialists to repair your bathtub drains is the perfect solution if the job is beyond basic home maintenance. You can rest assured that the work will be carried out with the right techniques and the finished job will have a guarantee as the work has been done by a qualified plumber and with the correct parts and equipment.
Clean Stoppers and Strainers
Drains have a cover that enables water to pass but prevents the disappearance of bigger elements down the holes. Hair can get tangled up in the hole that prevents water from passing. If your drain shows signs of blockage, clean the cover. Remove your drain stopper or strainer to clean hair accumulation.
In case the cover is not screwed down, lift and clean it. If a screw holds it in place, unscrew and clean it. Replace the stopper or strainer and run water to test its functioning.
When you see water drains away smoothly, the problem is solved. If water does not pass as it should, try the second hack or call your local plumber.
Use Drain Claw
A drain claw is a tool that comes with a stick covered in tiny hooks designed to unblock bathtub drains. Remove the stopper and insert the drain claw inside the drain. Push the tool inside as far as possible and then pull it out slowly. The stick hooks can carry hair clumps that enable you to pull them out using a stick.
Repeat the process until you no longer pull out gunk and hair clumps. Once you are ready, refill the strainer or stopper. Run water to check if the blockage issue has been solved.
Pour Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar are great to help with cleaning your plumbing pipes and are still one of the best drain cleaning hacks out there. Here is what you need to do:
Pour boiling water inside the drain with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda.
Boil a kettle full of water and pour the same inside the drain. Only the boiling water is sufficient to remove the blockage. If it does not work, pour a full cup of white vinegar and a half cup of baking soda inside the drain. Wait approximately 20 minutes to see the mixture’s reaction.
Boil a whole kettle of water and pour the fluid inside the hole. Wait until the water drains away. Run water to check if the technique has worked. Repeat this process two to three times.
Utilize a Plunger
When the blockage is hard, you need to use a plunger to apply force to remove it. Fill the bathtub a few inches deep with hot water. Position the plunger over the hole. Push the plunger down the drain and pull it up many times.
Try to shift the blockage with the suction force. The more force, the more easily you can remove the blockage. If the plunger helps you to do the task, hair clumps and other dirt start to stick up out of a hole. Once it happens, scoop the dirt out of the bathtub to get back inside the hole and cause blockage again.
Apply Chemical Products
If all the best drain cleaning hacks fail to show the desired results, you should try a chemical drain cleaner before hiring a professional plumbing service provider. Avoid using harsh chemicals as they adversely affect the environment and ruin your bathtub’s drainage system.
Pick and apply a cleaning product that is exclusively created for bathtubs. Apply all required safety precautionary measures like wearing gloves. Before opening the bottle containing the cleaning product, go through the instructions carefully and follow the guidelines.
Eliminate the standing water, pour the cleaning product inside the drain and wait for the specified time direction mentioned in the bottle. Once the time frame elapses, attempt to run a water level check inside the bathtub to check if the blockage drains away. If the blockage is removed, you are lucky. In case it does not pass, you should call and hire professional plumbers immediately.
If you have a bathtub, you will have to experience its drain clogging frequently. The earlier you detect the issue, the sooner you should fix it and get the desired results as it is easier to clean. But if you keep on delaying, the build-up gets stronger and harder. Thus, you will have to put much more effort, which ultimately wastes your time and energy.
Now you know the best drain cleaning hacks that would help you. If you try all these techniques and fail to remove the blockage and get the desired output, you should call and hire professional plumbers immediately.
With years of experience in the industry, they easily implement the right techniques and cutting-edge tools to unclog bathtub drains.
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Magdalena
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