While you might wipe down the tub and the walls of your shower pretty frequently, cleaning the drain may only be something you do once there is clearly a problem. Clogged shower drains are no fun; while trying to get clean and relax, you suddenly have water slowly building up in the tub, filled with slippery soap residue to boot. Time to clean that drain!
Once you have checked for any physical clogs (like visible clumps of hair) and removed them, you still want to get the drain thoroughly clean so as to help clear out any other remaining clogs and to remove any unpleasant odor that might remain even after visible blockages have been removed (via Real Simple). While there is always Drano and similar drain cleaners, you may not need to resort to something so harsh to get the job done thoroughly.
For deodorizing and liquid-scrubbing of your drain and attached pipes, there’s a natural solution that you likely already have in your kitchen.
A natural drain cleaner for your shower drain
Once any physical blockages and clogs have been cleared, pour some boiling water down the drain to loosen anything you might have missed (via Bungalow). Then, mix a cup of vinegar and one cup of baking soda and pour down the drain. Distilled white vinegar works best for this (just like those volcano projects in elementary school). Once you have dumped this mixture down the drain, allow it to sit for fifteen minutes or so. This will help to dissolve any residues and scrub the drain and pipes clean.
After fifteen minutes have passed, pour more boiling water down the drain to rinse and flush anything else that might be left behind.
Should this not fully remove any backup you are experiencing, you might need to try a drain snake, and in the event that even that fails, it might be time to call in a professional plumber. But for everyday unclogging and cleaning, this simple, natural trick should keep your tub and shower running smoothly and smelling fresh!
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