There are many ways to keep hair and debris from flowing down your drain. Unfortunately, most homes don’t use any of the available solutions and eventually, a clog forms. You might be surprised to discover all the things that can truly form a tub drain cog.
What most people don’t realize is how much is down there that isn’t just hair and soap buildup. Today, we’re here to reveal the shocking truth of what professional drain cleaners find in people’s tub drains that they never realized could be part of the problem.
1) Hair Ties
If there is anyone in your home with long hair, no doubt they are a major, if accidental, contributor to your tub drain problem. But it’s not just long strands of hair that form a clog. The tub is the natural place to pull hair ties, clips, and other hair accessories out of your hair, especially if you forgot to do so before stepping into the tub. Sometimes, these hair accessories hit the tub floor and at that point, it’s only a matter of time before the water washes a few down the drain. Elastic hair ties are a particular problem because they are both soft and water resistant, meaning they can really get lodged down there.
2) Pieces of Soap
Almost everyone who’s partially cleaned their own tub drain knows that soap scum combined with hair is the major clogging factor. But you may not realize that using bar soap can add an extra hazard to drain clogs. When your bar of soap starts to get thin, pieces break off and if a piece of soap washes down the drain, you think ‘no big deal’. After all, it’s soap and will probably dissolve down there, right?
Not always. Chunks of lost soap can become a serious contributor to a clog, especially if the soap needs a little lathering to actually break up and wash away.
3) Dental Floss
Do you tend your teeth in the tub? If not, many people do and someone else in your household just might. Tooth brushing in the tub adds only a small amount of toothpaste to the drain issue but flossing in the tub is a whole other issue. Dental floss was designed to resist the cutting edge of teeth and we tend to pull pretty long strands of it to wrap around fingers and really get to flossing.
And if a strand of dental floss is lost in the tub, it’s worse than hair and can function to ‘tie together’ the entire forming clog.
4) Bits of Trash
Your bathroom routine can easily involve a number of small bits of trash and debris, especially if you use anything that includes one-use packets. little plastic lids, ripped-off packet corners, and even whole containers that are small enough to wash away can create a very real problem in your tub drain. these bits of trash are usually plastic, therefore water resistant and if they get caught in a pipe corner or existing clog, your draining speed will slow way down.
5) Pieces of Toilet Paper
People also tend to use toilet paper for more functions than the one prescribed on the package. Toilet paper is soft an absorbent, making it a decent substitute for cotton balls, gauze, and other cosmetic supplies. And it’s not unheard of for little bits of toilet paper to wind up in your shower drain. And no, toilet paper does not completely disintegrate on its own. It will inevitably contribute to the overall clog forming down there.
6) Fingernail Clippings
Then there is the sharp shrapnel that are fingernail clippings. Many of us sit on the tub edge to clip our fingernails and especially our toenails, as the bathroom is considered the appropriate place for all self-care in most families. However, when these little flecks of nail wash down your tub drain, they become sharp ‘hooks’ that can serve to catch other debris as it flows past.
7) Lots and Lots of Hair
Finally, there’s the hair. No doubt, you already know that hair is the primary contributor to any tub clog. And the more people with long hair in your home, the worse it gets. The problem is not just that the hair catches on any obstacle and wraps around it with the force of the draining water. It also combines with washed-away shampoo and soap scum to form a terrible water-resistant tangle that can eventually stop your drain flow entirely.
Contact SOS Drain & Sewer Today
If you are having trouble with your tub drain, chances are that a combination of these items, along with anything else that flows down your tub, have formed a problem somewhere down the line. If you can’t solve it simply by fishing out a few wads of hair, don’t hesitate to call the experts. We’ve seen it all and no matter what is clogged down there, SOS Drain an Sewer is prepared to get it out. Contact us today for an emergency drain cleaning and tips on how to prevent tub drain issues from occurring in the future.
