How to Clean Hair From a Drain

Allow water to freely flow through your drain by clearing out all of the hair.

If your bathtub or sink is backing up, hair might be clogging the drain. When hair accumulates in a drain, it inhibits the water flow, causing the water to back up into the sink or tub. Cleaning hair from a drain will free up the clog, allowing the water to flow normally. Commercial products are available for cleaning hair from a drain. These products often contain toxic chemicals that are harmful to people and the environment. Opt for a natural method of removing hair from a drain.

Things You'll Need

• Wire coat hanger
• ¾ cup baking soda
• ½ cup white vinegar
• Drain plug or rag
• 2-qts. water
• Large pot

Instructions

1. Remove the drain cover from the drain. Some of these will just pop off while others will need to be turned or pried off to remove.

2. Stick your finger into the drain hole to remove as much hair as possible. Unbend a wire coat hanger and stick that down the drain hole to pull out hair that you could not reach with your fingers.

3. Turn on the water. Inspect to see if the water will now flow freely after the hair was removed. Some clogs resulting from hair are close to the surface of the drain hole as opposed to deeper into the pipes.

4. Pour ¾ cup of baking soda into the drain hole. Follow up by pouring ½ cup of white vinegar into the drain hole.

5. Plug the drain hole immediately after pouring in the vinegar. Use either a drain plug or shove a rag into the hole. The goal is to not let any of the ingredients escape. The combination of the baking soda and vinegar will form an eruption-like effect.

6. Allow the mixture to remain in the drain for at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, boil 2 qts. water on the stove in a large pot.

7. Remove the drain plug after 20 minutes has elapsed. Slowly pour the hot water down the drain.

8. Repeat this process, if necessary, until all of the hair has been removed from the drain.

Tips & Warnings

• Pour cola down the drain for another method of cleaning out the hair. Dump a 2-liter bottle of cola down the drain and allow it to set overnight. Flush with hot water the next day.

• Have a plastic bag handy to discard any hair that you pull out of the drain.

References

• She Knows Living: Clean Out Your Shower Drain Without Chemicals
• Care 2: Clearing Clogged Drains
• Long Island Press: 8 Things To Do With Coke (Other Than Drink It)