Symptoms
- Visible hair around or in the drain cover
- Water slows or stops during a shower
- Slight odor near the drain from decomposing hair
- Problem recurs every few weeks or months
Likely causes
- CommonHair accumulating and tangling at the drain openingLong hair especially wraps around itself and any rough surface inside the pipe.
- CommonHair combined with soap scum into a dense massSoap residue binds hair strands together, making the clog denser.
- PossibleHair reaching further into the trap over timeIf not caught early, hair clogs migrate deeper and get harder to remove.
- PossibleNo hair catcher in useHomes without a hair-catching drain cover clog more often.
What to do
- Remove the drain cover and pull out any visible hair mass by hand, wearing gloves.
- Use a plastic zip-style drain tool with barbs pushed down the drain to hook and pull out hair further inside.
- Repeat with the tool a few times, twisting slightly as you pull, to catch as much hair as possible.
- Run hot water down the drain to help clear any remaining soap scum residue.
- If a mass remains deeper down, use a hand-crank drain snake to reach and pull it out.
- Reinstall the drain cover once flow is restored.
- Add a hair-catching drain cover or screen to reduce how often this clog forms going forward.
Tools and parts
- Plastic zip-style drain tool
- Gloves
- Hand-crank drain snake
Hair-catching drain coverSearch: “shower drain hair catcher screen”
When to call a pro
Call a plumber if hair clogs keep recurring frequently despite regular cleaning, since a deeper clog may be building over time.
Safety
Generally low risk
Generally low risk for a careful person. Stop if anything looks different from what this guide describes.