Tips for Cleaning Bathroom Drains Less Toxically

Safer Clearing of Clogged Drains in Bathroom Sinks and Shower/tub Drains

In most homes, there are many drains. Whether in the kitchen, utility room or bathroom, these are simple fixtures designed to allow water to slow freely down and out. As we all know, this is not always the case and some kind of intervention is necessary to open or 'clear' the drain. Some people are quick to call a plumber while others pour volumes of heavily caustic materials down these clogged drains. When it comes to bathroom drains, where the primary clogging culprit is (primarily) human hair, there are better, cheaper and generally more effective options.

Human hair. Most of us have some and everyone that does loses some of it each and every day. Nature rotates dead hairs out and live ones in in its own cycle. When we wash our hair, we cause a good deal of additional hair to separate from our scalps and it is this hair that most frequently causes the clogging of our bath and shower drains. For those in the habit of brushing their hair while watching themselves in the mirror over the bathroom sink, human hair is also the most likely suspect when clogs occur there.

There are a couple of well-proven alternatives to highly caustic materials for clearing these drains and both are worth a try - as each costs a total of $2- or less.

A Viable (and Cheap) Non-Chemical Solution

The first strategy is a simple device made and marketed under various names. (The "Zip-It" by Cobra Products is one of the better known.) This device (or any one of dozens of other brands with similar design and function) is available for around $2. at any neighborhood hardware store. It is simply a plastic strip, 18" long with a finger loop handle at one end and a tapered strip extending from it with pointed 'teeth' aiming upwards. The device is simply inserted into the clogged (or significantly slowed down) drain as far as it will go, twisted around a bit, and pulled back out. What comes out with it will likely surprise you the first time you try it. At least one very substantial human hair ball! The process is repeated two or three times, each time placing the device into the drain from different angles. The result is often a cleared and free flowing drain.