One home chore that often gets forgotten about for months on end is clearing out shower drains! But depending on your living situation, you may need to do it every month:
Why you need to clear your shower drain
You may think that the only reason you need to clear a clogged shower drain is that it’s draining more slowly than usual, which is an inconvenience. But having a clogged shower drain can cause bad smells, or even mildew and mold. This is because excess water can collect in the shower pan, which is eventually a great breeding ground for mold. (Well, technically, mold needs two things to grow – water and dirt. Both things get stuck when your shower drain is clogged!
When to clear your drain
Now, the question of how often you need to clean your shower drain and look for any clogs is a complicated one. The main culprits for shower drain blockages are soap, hair, and dirt. Hair is the biggest culprit of all because it forms a ball and clings together with the aforementioned soap and dirt! And this is true of both smaller and longer hair, but as you can imagine, the more people with long hair in your family, the more you would need to clean out the drain, just due to volume! However, if that makes you think about blaming only a particular person or two in your family for hair clogs in the shower drain, think again. Small hairs, and hairs from shaving, also clog drains because they are attracted to oils, and stick to each other and to oily surfaces like magnets. Overall, there’s no one right answer when it comes to how often to remove the tub drain stopper and take a look, but we recommend starting out doing so at least every 2-3 months, then seeing whether your family’s unique situation warrants cleaning the drain more or less often.
How to keep the drain clean
Your shower might already have a “strainer” either as the drain cover, or underneath the stopper, already installed. This helps a lot because it makes it easy to collect masses of hair, soap, and dirt before they form a clog in the pipes. You can also buy a tub/shower strainer as a separate item – just look for it in stores or on Amazon.
One last culprit causing shower drain clogs that you may not have considered? Your pet! When giving your dog a bath, a lot of the hair goes straight down the drain. Avoiding this is as easy as placing a washcloth or dryer sheet over the top of the drain, while you’re giving them a bath, and letting any hair and dirt collect there instead. So easy!
Call Ballard for expert drain cleaning service
If you’ve got a problem with a clogged shower drain here in the Inland Empire, and you don’t feel comfortable tackling the problem on your own, give us a call at Ballard! We serve San Bernardino, Highland, Redlands, and the surrounding areas. We’ll be happy to provide you with clear answers to any questions you have, or to take care of any drain cleaning issues that are beyond what you’re able to do yourself. Especially if the shower is clogged further down than what you can reach with a drain cleaning tool, it’s time to call the pros. Contact us online or call now: 909-297-1914