You are standing in five centimetres of grey water and the shower is only half over. Every shower drain clogs eventually, and in nine cases out of ten the cause is the same: a rope of hair, soap and body oil wrapped around the crossbars just under the drain cover. It is close to the surface, it comes out in one piece, and no chemical is needed. This guide shows you how to reach it, what to do when the clog is deeper, and the two-minute habit that means you do not do this again for years.
Key takeaways
- Remove the drain cover (one screw, or it lifts or twists off) and look. The clog is usually visible.
- Pull it out with a plastic zip tool ($3), needle-nose pliers or a bent wire. This fixes most shower drains in ten minutes.
- Deeper clogs: a 25-foot hand-crank drain snake ($25–$40) reaches the trap and beyond.
- A cup plunger works if you seal the overflow (tub) and have a few centimetres of water in the base.
- Skip chemical drain cleaners. They rarely dissolve hair, damage old pipes, and make the next step dangerous if they fail.
- A hair catcher over or in the drain prevents 95% of clogs.
Identify your drain type
| Cover type | How to remove | Found on |
|---|---|---|
| Round grate with one or two screws | Phillips screwdriver; lift the grate off | Most shower bases and tiled showers |
| Snap-in or lift-out grate | Pry up gently with a flat screwdriver or fingernail | Acrylic shower bases |
| Linear (trench) drain | Lift the long grate out with the supplied hook or a suction cup; there is often a removable hair basket underneath | Modern walk-in showers |
| Tile-in / invisible drain | Lift the tiled insert with a suction cup or the slot tool | High-end walk-ins |
| Tub drain with stopper (lift-and-turn, push, trip lever) | Unscrew the stopper counter-clockwise, or remove the overflow plate for a trip-lever stopper and pull the linkage out | Tub-shower combos |
Method 1: Remove the cover and pull the clog
- Bail out any standing water so you can see. A cup and a bucket, or a wet/dry vacuum.
- Remove the cover as above. Put the screws somewhere safe, not on the shower floor.
- Shine a flashlight into the drain. You will usually see a grey mass wrapped around the crossbars 2–8 cm down.
- Put on gloves. Pull the clog out with needle-nose pliers, a bent coat hanger with a small hook, or your fingers. Twist as you pull; the hair is wound around the bars.
- Push a plastic zip tool (the barbed strip sold at every hardware store) down as far as it goes, twist, and pull up slowly. Repeat until it comes back clean.
- Run hot water for a minute. If it drains freely, clean the cover with a brush and dish soap and reinstall it.
Method 2: Drain snake (deeper clogs)
If the drain is still slow after the crossbars are clean, the clog is in the trap (the U-bend under the floor, 15–40 cm down) or the horizontal pipe beyond it. A hand-crank drum snake with a 6 mm cable, 7.5 m (25 ft) long, handles it.
- Feed the cable into the drain until it stops at the first bend. Lock the drum and crank clockwise while pushing gently. The cable will work around the trap.
- Keep feeding. When you hit the clog you will feel resistance and the crank gets harder. Crank through it, then pull back a little and crank forward again to break it up or hook it.
- Pull the cable back slowly, cranking, and wipe it with a rag as it comes. The clog often comes with it.
- Run hot water for two minutes. Repeat if still slow.
Do not use a snake on a tub through the drain opening if there is a trip-lever stopper; go through the overflow instead so the cable does not jam on the linkage. Do not force a cable that will not advance; a sharp fitting can be damaged.
Method 3: Plunger
A plunger works on soft clogs in the trap. It does nothing for hair wound around the crossbars, so try Method 1 first.
- Use a cup plunger (flat bottom), not a toilet flange plunger.
- Make sure there is 3–5 cm of water over the drain so the cup seals. Add water if needed.
- On a tub, block the overflow with a wet rag held firmly, or the pressure escapes there. Showers without an overflow skip this.
- Set the cup over the drain, push down gently to expel air, then pump firmly 10–15 times. Pull off sharply on the last stroke.
- If the water drops, run hot water. If not, move to the snake.
Method 4: Wet/dry vacuum
Set the vacuum to liquids, remove the filter, seal the hose end over the drain with a wet rag, block the overflow on a tub, and run it for 20–30 seconds. The suction often pulls the hair mass straight up into the hose. Check the tank, then flush the drain with hot water.
Method 5: Baking soda and vinegar (maintenance, not emergencies)
The fizz will not move a hair clog, but it does loosen soap scum and biofilm and it freshens a smelly drain. Use it monthly after the drain is clear.
- Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain.
- Follow with 1 cup of white vinegar. Cover the drain with the grate or a cloth so the reaction works downward.
- Wait 30 minutes.
- Flush with a kettle of hot (not boiling, on acrylic or PVC) water.
What not to do
| Don't | Why |
|---|---|
| Pour lye or acid drain cleaner | Hair barely dissolves; the chemical sits in the trap, heats up, damages old ABS and metal pipes, and burns you when you open the drain afterwards. Plumbers charge extra to work on a drain with cleaner in it. |
| Boiling water on an acrylic base or PVC trap | Can craze the acrylic and soften glued joints. Hot tap water (60 °C) is safe. |
| Metal coat hanger jammed down hard | Scratches the drain body and can puncture an old trap. A plastic zip tool is safer and works better. |
| Power auger through a tub overflow without experience | Cables kink and can crack the overflow fitting. Hand-crank only. |
| Ignore a drain that gurgles or backs up when the toilet flushes | That is a main-line or vent problem, not the shower. See below. |
When the shower is not the problem
- Water rises in the shower when the toilet flushes or the washing machine drains. The main drain line is blocked downstream. Stop using water and call a drain company ($200–$400 in Ontario for a main-line auger; more with a camera).
- Several drains are slow and gurgle. The plumbing vent on the roof may be blocked by leaves, a nest or ice. A plumber or roofer clears it from above.
- The shower drains slowly right after a bathroom renovation. Tile grout or thinset was washed down the drain and has set in the trap. This needs a snake or, in bad cases, trap replacement.
- Old galvanized steel drain lines (pre-1970s homes) rust shut from the inside. Snaking helps for a while; replacement is the fix.
- Sewage smell with no clog. The trap has dried out (a rarely used shower) or the trap was never installed. Run water weekly; if the smell persists, a plumber should look.
Keeping it clear
- Fit a hair catcher. A silicone or stainless mesh dome that sits over the drain, or a basket that drops into it. $5–$15, and it catches almost everything. Empty it weekly.
- Brush hair before showering. Loose hair goes in the bin instead of the drain.
- Once a month: lift the cover, pull whatever is on the crossbars, and do the baking soda and vinegar flush.
- Hot water flush after a shower now and then dissolves soap before it sets.
- Switch to liquid body wash. Bar soap is what binds the hair into a solid plug.
- Renovating? Choose a linear drain with a removable hair basket. They are easier to clean than a round grate and are the reason our walk-in shower guide recommends them.
Related shower fixes
- Weak spray or blocked nozzles: clean the shower head with vinegar.
- Water dripping after shut-off or a stiff handle: replace the shower cartridge.
- Black spots in the grout and corners: remove shower mould.
Shop shower systems at MyBath
Rain heads, hand showers and thermostatic systems from Kodaen and Lauretta, delivered across Ontario. Free delivery on orders over $600 within Ontario.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to unclog a shower drain?
Remove the drain cover and pull the hair off the crossbars with pliers or a plastic zip tool. It takes ten minutes and clears the majority of shower clogs without chemicals.
Is it safe to use Drano in a shower drain?
It is legal but not recommended. It is poor at dissolving hair, corrodes older pipes, can damage acrylic bases, and creates a hazard if you or a plumber then open the drain. Mechanical removal is safer and more effective.
Why does my shower drain slowly even after I removed the hair?
The clog is deeper, in the trap or the horizontal line. Use a 25-foot hand-crank snake. If several drains are slow, or the shower backs up when the toilet flushes, the main line or the vent is the problem and you need a plumber.
Does baking soda and vinegar unclog a shower drain?
Not a hair clog. It loosens soap scum and freshens the drain, which makes it a good monthly maintenance step after the drain has been cleared mechanically.
Why does my shower drain smell?
Biofilm on the hair mass and the drain walls, or a dried-out trap in a shower that is rarely used. Clear the drain, scrub the cover, do a baking soda and vinegar flush, and run the shower weekly.
How much does a plumber charge to unclog a shower drain in Ontario?
Typically $150–$300 for a shower or tub drain, and $200–$400 if the main line needs to be augered. A $3 zip tool does the same job on most hair clogs.
